Traci Lawrence talks with Tracy Ross on Sounds Good about a new nonprofit organization called The Way of Wellness, a mentoring facility in Murray providing shelter, counseling, and educational services for homeless women and their children and victims of domestic violence.
Lawrence was a founder and director of another shelter before she and her husband moved to Murray in September. When she began speaking with local social service agencies, she said she discovered existing support services for the homeless and victims of domestic violence were overwhelmed.
“And I don’t think people are really aware of it. Its just one of those things that we don’t see or maybe we don’t want to see,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence says she decided to form The Way of Wellness to address Murray’s need for a safe house. The facility houses mothers and their children for 6 months. During that time, the organization provides classes on budgeting and physical wellness as well as counseling for mental health, education, and social relationships. Lawrence says the organization will also address spiritual health.
“We call it a residential mentoring facility because we want to give these people a hand up, not a handout. Because that doesn’t work,” Lawrence said. “We want to help them be more and see that they can be more and know that they can be more. Nobody was created to be a victim. Nobody was created to be continually dependent. But a lot of them buy that lie thinking that’s all they can do.”
Lawrence says although domestic abuse happens in families of all races and socioeconomic statuses, not everyone has the resources to flee abusive situations. Lawrence says this lack of resources affects mostly low-income victims, who may not have the money for a night at a hotel or access to transportation. She says in some cases, victims don’t have any friends or family to help them.
Lawrence says the organization expects clients to either go to school, work, or volunteer as well as take care of the facility.
“You teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime but you give him a fish and he just eats for a day. We want to teach these people to eat for a lifetime. And they can. But they’ve never tasted success. So we want to have higher expectations for them for themselves… so that they can see that they can be independent,” Lawrence said.
There is more information about The Way of Wellness on Facebook or by calling 270-727-0387.