My City March 2023

BUILDING STRONG WOMEN Doing It from the Heart BY PETER HINTERMAN

C harlotte Lancaster made a promise. After years of going through trials and tribulations in her life, she prayed for a change. Homeless after a horrific domestic trauma and having lived on the streets for years, she was headed down the wrong road. “I acted out and all sorts of stuff,” she says. “At 16, I became a young mother with no place to go.” Later, she found herself in anoth er troubling situation in Indiana and felt that enough was enough. “I was in a bad place in Indiana and I had made some bad decisions in my life up to that point,” she remembers. “I sat down in a park and I prayed for help. I promised that if God helped me turn my life around and get out of that situation, I would dedicate myself to helping young ladies like me – homeless and in need of a place to go.” Soon after, Lancaster was able to make her way back to Flint and find the purpose and self-respect that had been missing in her life. She eventually found a career, raised a family and retired. All the while, she never forgot the promise she made and in 2007 she opened the doors of Building Strong Women (BSW) – a non-profit organization providing transitional housing/room and board to women and their underage children in need of temporary shelter as they get back on their feet. “I wanted to find a way to keep my promise of helping homeless women,” she explains. “We are open to any woman who has no place to go. They could be

divorcees, dealing with substance abuse, victims of domestic violence, etc. and if we cannot find an opening for them, we can direct them to another organization in Genesee County that can.” Since its founding, BSW has helped over 1,000 wom en find peace and stability in their lives. The organization works hand-in-hand with Shelter of Flint, McLaren and Hurley Hospitals, and State of Michigan Reentry Pro grams for women transitioning from the prison system into society. “When the hospitals or our partner organi zations identify someone in need of shelter, they contact us and we provide,” Lancaster adds. BSW operates four homes, each able to accommodate up to six women. “They can stay for up to two years,” Lancaster explains. “Our wish is to help them become self-sufficient and to help them find their own place to stand through training and support before that time.” There are very few limitations on who can be housed in the BSW homes. “Due to space, we cannot take mothers with more than two children or who have sons over 14 years of age. Some of our residents have expe rienced abuse and trauma at the hands of men and we want them to feel safe in our homes.” Residents must attend weekly mandatory meetings at BSW headquarters when they discuss topics from money management/budgeting to personal health and

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