Four Rivers Outreach Women's Center!!!

[Dwayne Wilder]

A Place for the ‘Ladies’

Local outreach organization, “Four Rivers Outreach,” is opening a transitional living facility for women next month. It will be the first of its kind in Grayson County, according to Four Rivers Director Arthur Horn.

“There aren’t any,” said Horn. “The Salvation Army and the Grayson County Shelter have facilities for women, but they aren’t transitional.”

Four Rivers Outreach’s defined goal is to ‘take people from addiction to self-sufficiency.’ The new facility is a donated house near Savoy and can hold up to 12 women. Four Rivers will allow the women up to one year on the campus.

“Drugs destroy lives; destroy everything,” explained Horn. “Your mind is torn up; it takes time to heal.”
Just like with the men in the program, the women will have services such as GED, adult literacy, career center, job readiness classes, job placement, life skills classes.

“We try to supply a support system for their ‘recovery walk’,” explained Horn. “We are not professionals, but we are here to help. We have access to mental health services and drug rehab; Alcoholics Anonymous, probation, CPS and the drug courts.”

According to Horn, the organization received the two story 3,800 square foot house from a woman who stipulated it was to be used for women or children or both. Since FRO doesn’t serve children and since there already was a men’s center, the house became the new women’s center.

“We have spent the past year getting the house ready and the program ready,” said Horn. “We will start out slow with only a few women.”

There will be a ‘housewarming’ for the center on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. Horn said that the directions are on the organization’s Facebook page. The center is ‘registered’ at Target for needed items that people can bring to the event, Horn added.