08/06/12 The Heminger House Shelter currently has12 women and children in the house at this time. As you can expect, that causes some need for perishable items such as milk, eggs, fresh fruits, and veggies. There is also a need for meats although they have a good supply of hamburger in the freezer, but are really lacking a variety of meats like roasts, pork chops, and breakfast meat like ham, sausage and bacon.
Case Manager at the Heminger House, Diane Fisher said, “Occasionally we get calls from people wanting to know how they can help, and I usually tell them that one of the things we need the most is while people are out shopping for themselves, if they could pick up a gallon of milk and drop it by the shelter, that is always a need.”
Another area of concern for staff members at the shelter is finding affordable housing for the ladies. The Housing Authority is out of vouchers and there is currently a very long waiting list of over 2 years. Fisher was hoping to get the word out to landlords who may be interested in helping out with rent and deposits.
A big area of concern is jobs and emergency health care. The job market is extremely limited in the area and many of our families don’t have any kind of transportation and need to find jobs within walking distance. The Heminger House often has families who come to the shelter in need of dental, vision and hearing care. Even if they are eligible for Medicaid or Medicare, unless it is for children, it is difficult to find a dentist that will take adult Medicaid within the area. For the women who come to Heminger House with no children, they sometimes feel forced to go back to their abusive situation because they have nowhere else to go and it is almost impossible to find resources for them.
Anyone wishing to help the shelter with their many needs should call (574) 936-SAFE.
