Latest news with #IsaiahHouse
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lexington Rescue Mission's new center brings services for homeless under one roof
Lexington Rescue Mission has moved into a new space ten times larger than its old one, and it is joined there by two other community organizations that will work together to help meet the physical, mental and spiritual needs of people experiencing homelessness and poverty in Lexington. 'We're creating a place that really is one of a kind here in Lexington,' Lexington Rescue Mission Executive Director Laura Carr said. The mission held a grand opening Saturday for its new space at 535 West Second St., which is at the corner of Second and Jefferson streets. Lexington Rescue Mission offers food, clothing, housing assistance, case management, mentoring, help for people reentering the community after incarceration, spiritual guidance, a place where people can simply spend time during the day and more. Carr said the mission had outgrown its old 5,112-square-foot space off Glen Arvin Avenue. The 52,806-square-foot building the mission bought near downtown has enough room for it to meet the growing needs of the community, Carr said. 'God has brought more and more people through our doors, and we want to welcome each one with the care they deserve. This building allows us to do that in a powerful way,' Carr said in a news release. The mission has been in its new home since April. In addition to Lexington Rescue Mission, the building is also home to Jubilee Jobs, which moved in a year ago and helps people find stable employment, and Isaiah House Community Health Center, which has been open at the Second Street property since last fall and includes a primary care clinic, as well as behavioral health services. Soon, the Isaiah House Community Health Center will also offer dental and pharmacy services, said Brian Privett, general counsel for Isaiah House. 'What's happening here, it's the real deal,' Mason King, CEO of Jubilee Jobs, said. Having all three organizations in one place has really enhanced the services they provide, he continued. For example, someone living in their car may come in for the job program, and if they haven't had a hot meal in a while, he can take them downstairs to Lexington Rescue Mission for lunch or upstairs to find some 'job-ready clothing' in the mission's clothing closet. All three organizations take a Christian approach to their services. Cody Wooton, a resident of Lexington Rescue Mission's transitional housing, told those in attendance at Saturday's event he learned about the mission while in prison, and opted to come there rather than go home after his release. 'It turned out to be everything I needed,' Wooton said. 'They helped me find structure, purpose and healing. The people here didn't treat me like a project. They treated me like a brother.' Wooton said he's since bought a car and started college. 'I now have peace, I have purpose, and I have Jesus,' he said. 'I have real friends. I have community.' Though Lexington Rescue Mission does not operate an overnight shelter, the opening of the building comes at a time when the city is seeing a growing need for services aimed at helping the unhoused population. A new report by commissioned by the city found Lexington needs more emergency shelter beds, and it was suggested a hub for services like transitional housing assistance and mental health care be offered on-site. Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton created a task force last week to consider how to address the needs. Lexington Rescue Mission has raised $6.1 million of what it needed to buy and renovate the Second Street building, which had previously housed multiple offices. Carr said another $1.8 million is needed for the organization to be debt-free. Carr, whose parents founded the mission 24 years ago, said one guest who visited recently proclaimed, 'This place is like heaven!' She said she overheard two other women telling each other, 'It's just so beautiful here.' Carr said that was the vision: 'A beautiful place for hurting people to come and get a taste of the kingdom of heaven here on earth.' A 'one-stop shop' to reduce homelessness in Lexington just needs a little more Christmas love | Opinion
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
From incarceration to inspiration: How this woman's journey led to a life of helping her Harrodsburg community
HARRODSBURG, Ky. (FOX 56) — April is Counseling Awareness Month, a time to recognize the power of healing through therapy and the professionals dedicated to guiding others through recovery. Few stories embody that mission more than Danielle Matlock's. It was 20 years ago, on January 10, 2005, when Danielle Matlock's life reached a turning point. 'They were transporting me from jail, from court, and I was able to get drugs from somebody. And so I used that day. I had just gotten out of a 20-year sentence that day. And so to 'celebrate,' I used drugs,' Matlock recalls. Madison County advocates for emergency shelter funding on 'National Day of Action' The next morning, she woke up hungover in her jail cell—angry, defeated, and fully aware that she needed help. 'I went to Corbin Independence House in Corbin for 7 months, and then I needed to learn how to work, and nobody would hire me because I had felonies on my record,' she said. Eventually, Matlock found a job at a local shoe store in Corbin. She stayed there for nine years, working full time while earning her bachelor's degree. Today, Matlock is a social worker and clinical therapist at Isaiah House, where she now helps others navigate the road to recovery. 'I've had to trudge through. I've had to set the goals; I've had to reach the goals. And so all that has helped me to share that as well with clients when necessary and to show that it can be done,' added Matlock. One of those clients was Russell Lanter, who first walked through the doors of Isaiah House seeking long-term help. 'I heard it was an 11-month program. I told them all that I wanted long-term—I didn't know what it was about. I didn't care. I just knew I wanted to change my life. I had never been to therapy before in my entire life,' Lanter said. Lanter's addiction began in 2015, after a back injury on the job led to a prescription for pain medication. 'I sought out the pills on the streets because I just—I guess at that point, I was addicted,' he said. After he and his wife of 16 years split, Lanter said he woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and asked himself what he was doing. 'I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.' That moment led him to Matlock, who, through her own lived experience, became a crucial part of his recovery journey. 'When I talked to her, I could instantly tell she had compassion and caring, and she worked with me; it was an amazing journey.' Since graduating from the program, Lanter has stayed on a new path and now works as a legal case manager at Isaiah House. 'I have just enough to survive on this pay, but I feel rich. I feel I serve a purpose for these guys,' added Matlock. 'They look up to me, and I tell them all the time I came through here too; you can do what I'm doing now if you stick to it. I always let them know that.' Berea students talk impact of dissolving school program, plan of action to save it Laurel County woman indicted for shooting death of mother New Circle Road closures continue, part of 4-year project: Where to avoid road work Matlock said that kind of purpose-driven transformation is at the heart of what recovery is all about. 'We just try to love you until you love yourself—that's what it is really.' More information on Isaiah House can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
