T.H.R.I.V.E.

Therapeutic Housing Response to Individuals from Vulnerable Environments Components

  • Therapeutic Housing
  • Counseling/Crisis
  • Intervention
  • Trauma Therapy
  • Education/Job Skills
  • Parenting Skills
  • Co-dependency
  • Independent living Skills
  • Medical/Dental Care
  • Home management
  • Skills
  • Connection to
  • Community
  • Resources
  • Spiritual Guidance and
  • Support
  • Transportation
  • Relationship Skills
  • Boundaries and more…

Program Directors:

Ashley Frederick and Dawn Nowak, MA, CADC, LAC
Housing Resident Advisor: Samantha Hernandez, BA
Board Members:
Pastor Charles Strietelmeier and Dr. Kalyani Gopal

Contact:

Ashfrederick@safechr.org
Dnowak@safechr.org
Charleswooly@aol.com
Drgopal@safechr.rg

Phone: 219-378-7161 X 102

How Ashley's House came to be:

In October 2020, a newspaper article was published in the local newspaper regarding the closing of the Nazareth Home, a home for medically challenged infants and small children in • East Chicago, Indiana. Two of SAFE Coalition for Human Rights’ Board Members, Rev Charles Strietelmeier and Dr. Kalyani Gopal came across the article, made a quick call to the phone number provided, and were connected with our mentors, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ; specifically, Sr. Mary Ellen Goeller who asked us to submit a proposal. It was late Friday evening. By Saturday morning, we did! On Monday morning, their board met and approved our proposal with one question: “How will this work?” i.e., sustainability. Thus, T.H.R.I.V.E. was born and the rest as they say is history. Their mission of serving the poor and disadvantaged is closely linked with ours and our mutual synergies have played out over • the past 24 months. Thanks to their generosity and those of Crown Point Foundation, .. Se /se Foundations of East Chicago and donors like you, we have graduated 32 families from our program. We have also helped 15-20 homeless women and children PER month with resources and support.

Ashley Frederick, Survivor Director Program
SAFECHR THRIVE Program

Address: SAFE Coalition for Human
Rights 9335 Calumet Avenue, Suite D
Munster, Indiana 46321, USA

Accreditations:
1. A Guidestar Platinum Rated NGO with special
status accreditation with the United Nations
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

2. International Accreditation for Human
Trafficking Training Curriculum (iACT)

21, USA

Contact Us:
Phone: 1-833-SAFECHR
Hotline: 1-855-854-SAFE
Email: Admin@safechr.org
Email: Ashleyhouse@safechr.org

T.H.R.I.V.E. use - A Therapeutic HousingResponse to Individuals from Vulnerable Environments (Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs)

Began in 2020 for ACEs-Impact Housing * Currently our first women’s home in
East Chicago, Indiana * Ashley’s House can house 4-6 survivors with 8 children
under 10 * Boys age limit is 10 years *Ashley’s House provides an opportunity for a new beginning for
women and families *Provides residents with resources to establish
independence via job training opportunities, multi-modal therapies, educational
resources, and direction
* Parental skills and other life skillsets trainings are tailored to client’s needs

Our Ask

Help us Defray our Costs

The minimum costs per adult resident per month including food, clothing, multi-modal therapeutic services of spiritual counseling, support services, conflict resolution, group therapy, case management, job management, car seats, milestone celebrations, activities, security, transportation, residence, maintenance is $5000 per adult resident per month, and $500 per child per month for a total of $19,814 at full capacity. This is not counting childcare costs per hour. At a bare minimum, we need $10,000 to run the house at this time at current capacity. For our residents to feel a sense of dignity, responsibility, and self-agency as well as a right to live at the home, SAFECHR charges working residents the rule of thumb 30% of their pay, or if they do not work – they do not pay until they have gainful employment. Therefore, if we are at full operational capacity, we need to raise funds from additional sources to support the costs of day-to-day operations at Ashley’s House. Currently, we are running at a deficit of $2350 per month which is being covered by the funds of Dr Gopal’s deceased sister, Dr Kusum Gopal who has donated her estate and also from Pastor Charles Strietelmeier. This project is in dire need of community support in about 15 months otherwise it will not be sustainable after that time. Our concept is to keep a clean, middle class style family-oriented living environment with dinners, activities, and quiet zones. 

Become a Sponsor for Ashley’s Family

Would you like to be an NWI Community Adoptive Family? Then, consider adopting a resident at Ashley’s House and support them in their journey toward mental, physical, and spiritual healing. It is truly one of the most rewarding and uplifting acts of selflessness. What’s involved? Financially support of this family during their stay; provide mentorship for their job and education search; provide post-transition support by becoming a member of the Ashley’s House Post-Transition Team. Will you get support?

Invest in NWI Children - Jessica’s Place

Our hope is to secure 6-8 units secure locked building with fob entrance capabilities with common areas for 24.7 childcare, security, training rooms for education, job-skills, and trades as well as recreational and meditation facilities. All residents will be required to be drug free or actively in becoming free of addictions with access to triage facilities and full array of therapeutic services. We are willing to repurpose existing buildings within acreage for this purpose. Multipurpose facilities will be developed within rooftops or indoor areas designated as green spaces creating access to self-sustaining organic and healthy living. Ways in which you are able to join can be many. You can become a monthly/yearly donor by completing the PLEDGE FORM, raise funds for our residents by hosting a fundraiser, host a training, participate in a joint venture – invest in a UNIT and take care of its residents – Be a hero and save an entire generation. Pitch us an idea. Talk to one of our Ambassadors – we are here to listen!

Become a SAFECHR Member – Ashley’s House Friend

Membership benefits include monthly/quarterly invitations to local and global events, updates on research and cutting-edge fieldwork, United Nations efforts and meet advocates from around the world during our SAFE conferences.

Success Stories

  • 12 Women and 12 children (two teens, 5 infants, 2 pre-teens, 3 small children, and one 6 years old boy diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder) have come to our home since we opened our doors in the middle of the pandemic in December 2020. Our cases have been diverse and reflected the complex nature of human trafficking and other forms of violence against women.
  • One very young adult mother of two infants was homeless during her pregnancy and had lost her previous infant during another homeless time in her life. She came to us with her four-week-old infant and 16-month-old daughter. All three were in need of multiple services including food, clothing, car
  • seats, laundry services, hygiene training, parenting skills training, feeding and sleeping schedules trainings, interview and job skills training, medication stabilization, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, case management to medical appointments, food stamps, and others. For someone who dislikes following rules, she managed to learn much of the above skills and was able to transition into permanent supportive housing. The post transition period has been challenging due to the nature of the struggle for the need for independence versus the need to continue to ask for support.
  •  Our 39-year-old resident and mother of four lost custody during her years of being trafficked in her youth and adulthood by her mother and another trafficker. She began having multiple medical illnesses and chronic autoimmune disorders getting progressively worse so that there were days she was unable to get out of bed. She was treated by Dr Sinha and our medical team and had spent her days in the Uchiyama Family Lounge at Ashley’s House rethinking how she wanted to live her life. She was going to school to get her GED, struggling with some subjects, learned to ask for help, began standing up to her boyfriend who wanted her to babysit his kids most of the time, and received trauma therapy. Since discharge, she has taken charge of her mental and physical health, completed her GED, and considers herself successful with a well paying job and nice residence.
  •  Our little six-year-old boy won our hearts and minds with his discovery of Broccoli a vegetable that we started cooking practically every day we could in response to his excitement. He was raised on ‘junk food’ and his mother who was herself in multiple foster home placements, trafficked by her own mother as a child and then exploited by “friends”. She was generously giving her money and learned the hard way that she needed to discriminate between real versus exploitative friends which can be a very hard lesson to learn.
  •  For a very brief period of three weeks, we housed a young 18-year-old trafficking survivor who was going to be homeless. We completed her educational psychological evaluation for her learning disabilities for school accommodations, got her food stamps card application completed so it could be increased so she could buy a lot more food; accompanied her to a tattoo learning class to fulfill her dream to enroll as a tattoo artist trainee. Addressed her nightmares. She moved in with her boyfriend once she had these needs met. On follow up two months later, she reported she had moved in with family.
  •  We have learned that some of our residents like to be “visiting residents” and stay for weekends, or a night to get away from their current living situations. Pregnant women, victims of domestic violence, exhausted end of their rope mother sneezing a break – a place to sit in silence, think about their lives, ponder about – next steps. Your support will help them get clarity and peace. The Ambassadors and Board of Directors at SAFECHR thank you for your support.