Renewal Place

The Purdue Center of Hope

Renewal Place is a transitional housing program for chemically addicted homeless women and their children. Located at The Purdue Center of Hope, the Renewal Place program is a collaborative effort between The Salvation Army, Porter Leath, and the Cocaine & Alcohol Awareness Program, Inc. (CAAP).

Renewal Place is the only transitional program in Memphis that allows children to stay with their mother while she undergoes treatment for chemical addiction. This non-traditional approach seeks to preserve the family unit while the entire family recovers from the affects of substance abuse. Case management services track the families for one year post-graduation to help ensure service plans are being followed.

Renewal Place goals are to:

Provide intensive case management for mothers and their children
Provide access to alcohol and drug treatment, childcare and children's services, and healthcare
Make available the opportunity to obtain and maintain affordable housing
Make available job and life-skills training and educational pursuits to increase education, skills and/or income
Help mothers achieve greater self-determination through continued sobriety, better parenting skills, anger management skills and financial literacy.

Renewal Place has a nightly capacity of 45 women and children.

2007 Statistics/Successes:

153 women and children served
Five women completed the two year program
All live independently
All are active in 12-step programs
All are gainfully employed

The Junior League has partnered with The Salvation Army to create a Junior League Smiles program for the women in Renewal Place. Through this project, Junior League of Memphis members help celebrate milestones in the women's lives as well as develop relationships with them.

As part of the program, the Junior League of Memphis' Smiles Committee hosts a monthly dinner for the women living at Renewal Place. Members also host parties for the children living at The Purdue Center of Hope. These parties enable the children to play games, learn arts and crafts, and enjoy tasty treats.

To learn more about Renewal Place or to enroll, please contact Sharon Cash, Shelter Director, at 901-260-9132.