Episode Two: Stability First – Robin Wonnell

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Stability First

Transcription:

CFMC Podcast- Episode Two: Stability First – Robin Wonnell

Kim Cole
Hi, I’m Kim Cole, president of the Community Foundation of Morton County. I’m going to be doing a series of podcasts over the next few months so that I can educate people on where our grant dollars are going. With me today is Robin Wonnell, from Stability First. Thank you, Robin, for taking time out of your day to come talk to us. Can you tell us a little bit about the history and general purpose of the Stability First organization?

Robin Wonnell
Of course. Thank you so much for having us. We love to talk about Stability First and the lives that are being changed there at the Magdalene House and soon to be Men’s House, Foundation’s House. We started back in 2016, the original vision was for men, for Morgan County, but at the time there was an organization that was serving men. And so through a survey through the county jail, it was found that women had no place to go when they were released from the county jail, women that did not have custody of their children. And so hence single women needed a place to stay. So, the Magdalen House was formed and opened in 2016. It originally started as a homeless shelter, if you will. People would come to the door and need a bed, and if we had one, they came in and we gave it to them. We did individualize programming, but not to the extent that we do today.

We are a Christ -centered nonprofit. We’re located here in Morgan County, but we serve all of central Indiana.

Kim Cole
That’s incredible. So, take me a little bit through the evolution of the start in 2016 till now, because you suggested that it’s a lot more individualized programming. Can you tell me about that?

Robin Wonnell
Yes, of course. Today we have a waiting list of 22 women waiting to get into the Magdalene House. Because of the programming that we offer, we offer individualized programming. So as all of us, we have goals and so do the women that we serve. And so, when they come to us, we talk about those goals, and we set their plan for their time with us is based off of the goals they want to obtain. So those individualized plans are reviewed 30, 60, 90 days throughout their stay with us. When they arrive at the Magdalene house, we give them 30 days of no phone and no going anywhere, going by themselves anywhere. They can go with staff. But the idea is to just get used to being in your own skin. They come to us from the jail, from prison, from other treatment programs around the state, and we need them just to be still and be themselves. And that 30 day allows them to basically do that. So, after the 30 days, they can then begin to submit for levels. We have a work on a level system where more freedom gives more responsibility. They can then look for a job, those sorts of things. But the 30 days initially when they arrive with us is just that be still time. Get used to being in their own skin.

Kim Cole
Sure. So how many women are you serving right now at Magdalene House?

Robin Wonnell
We have a 16-bed facility. We are certified by the state of Indiana as a recovery residence. So, what that means is that we’ve gone through all the programming and the state issues of being able to be certified by the state and providing the program that they see as needed.

Kim Cole
Great. So, you mentioned that you are receiving women from county jail, the prison system, mental health facilities. is that your primary sources of receiving these women?

Robin Wonnell
It is. In the beginning you know as I said we took them people would come straight off the street but now it’s referrals.

Kim Cole
Okay so tell me about the Magdalene house I mean how is it that they how is the living space and how do they spend their days?

Robin Wonnell
Okay so when they come to us not only are they 30 days being still, but we ask for a 90 -day commitment. We’ve found that 90 days kind of gets them in that routine and the recognition of what they need to do and what they need to accomplish. When you come in the door of the Magdalene house, it’s a home. You come in, there’s a living room. It looks like probably everyone else’s living room. We have a dining area and a kitchen, a long table that they all sit together and eat every meal. We provide everything for the women. Food, utility, we pay all the utilities, we provide all, everything is provided for them so that they don’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. They don’t have to worry about their hygiene items. We provide those for them. As far as sleeping space, we have four rooms that have four beds each. So, it’s kind of that college congregate living. They call them each other, their sisters, right? So, there’s four to a room and that’s the bedding, the space for that. out back. We have a nice patio that has a fenced area. In the summer it’s just surrounded with beautiful flowers that they have just enjoyed planting and taking care of.

Kim Cole
Fantastic, fantastic. So how long, I know you said that you asked for a 90 -day commitment. How long maximum can the ladies stay?

Robin Wonnell
The average stay for graduation and graduating out of the program is six to nine months, but they can stay with us up to two years. Some feel they just need that; you know, they need more stability basically before they go to safe affordable housing or before they go back to their loved ones. So, we offer that up to two years.

Kim Cole
Okay, and then you mentioned that the community survey that Stability First responded, was a lot of these are women that have been in the penal system or County Jail, and they have children that they’re trying to reunite with. Tell me about your efforts in helping them with that.

Robin Wonnell
If they have children that’s always one of their goals to reunite with their family, with their children, and we help them as we can. So that might be taking them to court, help transporting them, it might be aiding them in finding assistance, working with child services, whatever that is that we can offer on our end to help them read the night.

Kim Cole
Sure, and I know that you all have received a fair amount of press over the Maggie bags, so let’s talk about that part.

Robin Wonnell
We have, so we offer various programs for the women at the Magdalene House. We have intensive outpatient treatment that’s three days a week, three hours a day for 12 -16 weeks. We offer a Rent Smart program, and we offer Maggie bags. Maggie bags is where It’s a canvas bag, a reversible bag, that the women sew. They take it from start to finish. They choose the fabric, they cut it out, they do the sewing, and then they sell it. We have a boutique on the front of our store where the ladies sell the bags. They go to events and festivals throughout the central Indiana area. But that is part of our programming, is they’re volunteering and coming in and sewing. They sit what we call knee -to -knee with volunteers who come in and sew, but relationships are built there. It’s a micro enterprise that teaches life skills, but at the same time they’re building relationships with these volunteers. They get the opportunity to talk about their children. They get the opportunity to talk about their own lives with people that don’t know their history. But they’re forming friendships and some friendships for a lifetime.

Kim Cole
That’s incredible. I’m sure that that is an important part of the stability that you’re trying to create. So, tell me about the future. I mean what are some of the future strategic goals?

By the end of the year, we should open a 16 -bed certified recovery residence for men. It’s just down the road from the Magdalene House. It’s a high need in our county and in our area. It will mirror what the Magdalene House does as far as programming. The men, there’s really no place for men to go, none in our county right now. The men will come from jail, from prison, from other treatment programs. And that should open by the end of the year.

Kim Cole
Fantastic. So, your facility was in response to need as the men’s facility is, too, and I’m sure you have lots of success stories. Can you tell us a about a few special ladies that have achieved their goals and gone on and really turned their lives around?

Robin Wonnell
Yes, of course. You know, it’s amazing to watch these women help when they come in and then when they leave us graduating, reuniting with their families and just the stability and who they are, their confidence that they carry out the door as opposed to when they came to us. But we have two staff, three staff, that were residents of the Magdalene House. Two case managers, three case managers that work with us and help the ladies and transition them, you know, through the house. It’s beautiful to watch them, Brandy and Amber and Tammy, work with our residents.

Kim Cole
That is, that’s incredible. I’m sure that them being able to speak to the personal experience really helps the ladies that are incoming. And speaking of that, I know that there’s kind of a unique ceremonial type of experience that happens with all your new residents. Can you tell us about that?

Robin Wonnell
Yes, we would love to. As I said, we’re a Christ -centered program. We want the ladies to recognize that we are the hands and feet of Jesus. And so, when we have a new resident on a Sunday night, we have a staff member that we celebrate the feet washing, foot washing, and we have a whole section of the living room that does that. But we serve them, and we wash their feet. And that just shows them that we’re not here to be the authority. While we are the authority, we’re here to serve you and we’re here to help you, however that is.

Kim Cole
That is such an act of kindness. So, when they do graduate and having met their goals, what’s next for them?

Robin Wonnell
The majority of goals is safe and affordable housing. There’s not a lot of that in our county, but we do help them find that, the housing. And sometimes that is the reason they have to remain with us longer than they even need to is waiting for housing that they can afford and that is safe. But that is the next step. We offer aftercare. So basically, they can come back for dinner at night. They come back for Bible studies, just to visit. something that we hear a lot is that it’s congregate living, right? They have their sisters, so when they come home from work at the Magdalene house, it’s someone may say, how was your day or what’s going on or how you doing? Well, when you move out and you’re by yourself, there’s no one to ask that, right? So the loneliness really can be overwhelming to a lot of them and to us even right so what we do offer is aftercare so that we’re checking in on them we’re checking to make sure do they need anything is there somehow we can help them and then inviting them making sure that they’re coming back in so that we can have that conversation and that the other girls in the house can check in on them.

Kim Cole
So, I assume that you do have a lot of your ladies that continue those relationships.

Robin Wonnell
We do, we have a lot of alumni, right, and so they continue to check back in. We have alumni events where we have, they’ll do a bonfire at the back of the Magdalene house with a little fire pit and folks come over, holidays, so it’s a special time for the alumni to check in and to, and it’s also wonderful, right, for the present residents to see alumni stable, full -time jobs, making it a way in the world where that’s just something that they can attain.

Kim Cole
The Community Foundation of Morgan County, of course, we’re very committed to supporting you and want to just see you continue to grow and help transform these lives. So, thank you, Robin. I appreciate you coming today.

Robin Wonnell
Thank you so much for having us.