Travis Park United Methodist Church
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Unconditional Love and Justice in Action

Transitional Housing for Women Veterans - Plans

 
 
The Problem/The Facts:
 
  • The jobless rate of young veterans is triple that of non-veterans.
  • Veterans are one-third of the homeless population.
  • Women veterans are an underserved minority.
  • Most homeless women veterans struggle with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and addictions.
  • Many addicts relapse during recovery because of stress, lack of structure/support, and dependence on unhealthy relationships.
  • Women veterans need support as they re-enter healthy, productive lives through successful work habits, life skills and safe relationships.
  • Spiritual healing is an essential element of recovery from addiction and trauma.
  • While there are rehab and treatment programs available, San Antonio had no faith-based transitional housing to help these women
    • veterans continue their journey of healing and wholeness when they leave inpatient treatment. 
 
 
The Idea:
 
Provide a faith-based transitional home for veteran women graduates of residential treatment programs.
 
 
 The Plan:
 
With faith-based mentoring and an environment of support and accountability, the women are more likely to continue the journey of healing. Residents stay for three to six months, continuing outpatient recovery and treatment and practicing life skills as they pursue full-time work or school. A ‘housemother’ provides daily oversight. Spiritual growth in a home church will build social and spiritual networks for a lifetime.
A mentor, trained specifically for this ministry, will give support and personal attention to each resident.
In collaboration with Travis Park UMC, the Methodist Mission Home (MMH) serves homeless women veterans with an 8-bed facility; access to vocational training and spiritual growth as the women continue recovery and treatment.
 
 
A History of Shared Mission: MMH and TPUMC
 
The roots of the Methodist Mission Home began in 1895 in the wake of a dramatic spontaneous conversion experience by Madam M. L. Volino who ran a brothel in San Antonio. Inspired by a street revivalist, Madam Volino vowed to begin a new life. Through financial and emotional support of the Methodist   community and Travis Park Methodist Church, Volino converted the brothel into a rescue home for ‘fallen women’, primarily as a maternity center. Continued growth led to the current multi-building, 25-acre campus which opened on the northwest side of San Antonio in 1968. Over the years, MMH expanded its ministry to help young adults who were deaf/hard of hearing to learn life and vocational skills and to support independent living. This program has grown to include young adults with intellectual and development
disabilities. The new ministry of Transitional Housing for Women Veterans is an exciting new chapter in this rich history of mission.
 
Methodist Mission Home
6847 Whitby, San Antonio TX 78240
210-696-2410    www.mmhome.org
 
Travis Park UMC
230 E Travis, San Antonio TX 78205
210-226-8341www.travispark.org
 
 
 Addressing All Four Focus Areas of the United Methodist Church 
 
Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world.
Participation in worship and church life is essential for residents to enhance morals, values and relationships. Through recovery, healing and transformation, women will grow in confidence and commitment to serve.
 
Creating new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones.
We welcome women veterans into our church family with open arms. Church members who mentor others experience the joy of making
a real difference in their lives through shared faith and experiences. There is no better pathway to renewal.
 
Engaging in ministry with the poor.
Homeless women veterans are among the most hurting and vulnerable in our society. Through housing, training, work, and spiritual healing they will reclaim their lives and recover their self-sufficiency.
 
Stamping out killer diseases by improving health globally.
PTSD, brain trauma, addictions and depression are frequently fatal. Through shelter and support during treatment, the ministry provides an escape from these hazards. Women can build new lives based on healthy choices in a safe environment.
 
 
How Can You Help?
 
Please pray for homeless women veterans and for this ministry.
 
Be a mentor to a resident, meeting with her regularly for encouragement and support.
 
Give generously to help with expenses and future growth.  
 
 
 
 
Read further for more details and supporting information. Contact info@travispark.org if you would like to help.
 
 
 
 
GENESIS PROCESS    
Preparation to be a mentor to the women veterans of the new transitional housing program. 
 
The Genesis Process provides both a Biblically and neuro-chemical understanding of what, in addictions, is broken that causes us to be self destructive. The workshop will help us to understand why people get stuck in addictions, to understand and learn to use the Genesis tools for a lifestyle of personal growth and spiritual change, to learn to help others stuck in self destructive behaviors using these tools. 
 
The Genesis Process is an integration of Biblical principles, proven relapse prevention techniques, cognitive therapy, and the latest research in neurochemistry. This process has proven successful in maintaining long-term recovery in clinical trials and recovery programs.
 
The Genesis Process is successful because it deals with subconscious relapse patterns by addressing the underlying faulty belief systems that support them.
 
Client use of the Genesis Process Workbook, when facilitated by a Certified Genesis Process Counselor, has proven successful in diverse settings. While the Genesis Process’ main target is the chemically dependent, it is easily adaptable to other self-destructive behaviors. The process is also sensitive to each client’s level of spiritual maturity.
 
Genesis Training Covers
►   Neurochemistry’s impact on pervasive and unconscious relapse
►   Assessing the client’s willingness and capacity to change
►   Uncovering and challenging faulty beliefs and destructive behavior
►   Turning mistakes into growth and healing
►   Reducing self-sabotaging behavior
►   Addressing root causes of behavior
►   Seeing and interrupting “dry relapse” patterns
►   Developing a successful individualized relapse prevention treatment plan and lifestyle
►   Promoting steady growth in seven critical areas
►   Creating true healing through client / counselor partnerships with God
►   Administering deep, spiritual healing
 
 
 
Go to www.genesisprocess.org.
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
WOMAN VETERANS ARE...
  •  8% of total U.S. Veteran population. 1
  • 1,840,380 - they served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan eras.
  • 155,625 live in Texas, second largest population of women Veterans in U.S. 2
  • Average age 45 years old compared to male veterans at 61 years old.
  • PTSD, hypertension, and depression - top three diagnostic categories for women Veterans treated by the VA. 3
  • 1 in 5 say "Yes" when screened for Military Sexual Trauma. 4
 
WOMEN VETERANS OF OPERATIONS ENDURING AND IRAQI FREEDOM (OEF/OIF)
  •  230,000 women served Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • 47% of women OEF/OIF Veterans were under age 30. 5
  • 16% are unemployed even though 45% have AA degrees and some college. 6
  • Cost to help women veterans for 2 years after deployment, $7,000/veteran.
  • Estimated cost to society if we don't help, $10,000,000 in lost work, homelessness, suicide, illness. 7
Sources:
1 VetPOP, Office of Policy and Planning
2 US Dept of Veterans Affairs - Center for Woman Veterans: Statistics
3 VSSC Women Veterans Health Workload Report. October 2010
4 National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet: Military Sexual Trauma
5 VA Healthcare Utilization among OEF/OIF Veterans
6 U.S. Census Bureau Housing and Household Economics Division Presented to the Department of Veterans Affairs
7 Invisible Wounds of War, Summary and Recommendations for Addressing Psychological and Cognitive Injuries. The Rand National Security Research Division
 
 
DEMOGRAPHICS:
"Of the 167,000 enlisted (non-officer) women in the US military, 31% are black, twice their percentage in the civilian female population.
"White women represent 53% of women in the military, but 78% of civilian female population."
"24% of women who served since 1990 spent time in combat zones, only 7% before 1990.
"63% of women said the Iraq war was not worth fighting, compared with 47% of men."
(SA Express News, Dec 23, 2011)
 
Air Force Times headline:
'Military divorce rate nears record' "8% of all married women in the military got a divorce in fiscal year 2011. Over-all rate for all troops = 3.7%. Divorce rate highest among military women with civilian husbands"
 
 
“Female VA patients in TX jumped from 14,300 in 2001 to 31,400 this year, up 120%”
“200 women in WISER program since 2009, most with history of trauma (combat, injury, rape)
Houston Chronicle Nov 26, 2011
 
Vets are homeless longer than non-vets (5.7 years vs. 3.9 years); NYT 11/8/2011
 
 
 
 
 
 Stay tuned for more details as they unfold!