Greetings from Miss Laura,
I am thrilled to introduce myself as the Founder & Executive Director of Ella's Haven of Hope. We are pleased to report our 501(c) (3) status was approved in May 2022 to provide transitional housing for battered women and women in recovery. Statistics have proven if a client goes back to an active user household it is harder to stay sober. During the transition process of creating a new life in Sarasota, I read about an older couple in Seattle who took it upon themselves to do backpacks for the homeless. The decision was made to focus on social services in FL & retire from teaching in PA. The church I started attending in 2014 loved my little grassroots backpack mission so I joined the Outreach Committee & we were able to expand significantly. I chose to donate half to Salvation Army & 1/2 to Resurrection House which is a day shelter in our community who does amazing work. It was enjoyable to create a hand painted rock for each Bag of Hope. I have excelled at working with the marginalized. My first paying job here was as an intake specialist for the homeless at Salvation Army. I also supported numerous programs housed in the same building. It was an awesome experience & when I was granted permission to attend an open forum with stakeholders passionate about affordable housing I knew I was where I belonged. (3.97 GPA over a decade ago; 2 year degree after high school) When COVID happened, I was happily working in an Assisted Living Facility as Concierge & accepted a Marketing Director assistant role 2 months in while continuing the concierge position. I turned down the Activities Director management offered but ending up doing it to give the new hire a day off. Our executive director was appreciative & I respected her for working tirelessly for the residents. The management co. made promises not kept. I chose to priortize my health and I am grateful to be breathing. While I can contribute part of my savings for this passion project, I need to fundraise to purchase a small single family home. I have a clear vision of what we need & a strong work ethic to make it happen. I love my new home town. Affordable Housing continues to be a crisis that we must solve. I have successfully managed two households simultaneously on my own. There will be no Section 8 money accepted initially. It is predominately a faith & education based program where random drug/alcohol testing will occur. My priority is to keep vulnerable women safe so they can focus on goals for a better future. I have developed & executed enough IEP for students to know I can transfer that skill. It's no longer feasible to take low paying jobs for the experience. The unemployment system crashed repeatly for a year so I took early retirement. I have no regrets. We experienced many good vacations on both coasts. Sunshine & the beach are beneficial for my soul. Sarasota is the best of the best.