“This is the first time I’ve ever had my own place. I was always dependent on someone else.”
For Teresa*, Kim’s Place has been a game-changer. After being released from prison and spending more than a year in the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) transitional housing program, Teresa says she was afraid she would have been homeless. But after reaching out to Valori Sanders at KDOC, Teresa found her way to Kim’s Place.
Kim’s Place is a 13-unit service-enriched congregate housing site with on-site staff from Kim Wilson Housing. In addition to providing a safe place to live, the team at Kim’s Place provides tenants with needed support and life skills to be successful in housing.
“When a spot at Kim’s Place opened up, I immediately thought of Teresa. The team at Kim Wilson Housing has a heart for giving second chances,” says Sanders, Housing Specialist at KDOC. “When Teresa was in our transitional housing program, she thrived. She did exactly what she needed to do to be where she is today.”
"The team at Kim Wilson Housing has a heart for giving second chances."
Sanders says she was confident Kim’s Place would be a good fit for Teresa because of available support services and the sense of community. For Teresa, the connection with staff and her neighbors has proved to be particularly meaningful.
“My favorite part about living at Kim’s Place has been learning how to build relationships,” Teresa says. “I’ve always had issues connecting with people. But with the residents here, we just clicked from the first time we met. And the staff are very respectful and supportive. They are people who I can trust and reach out to if I’m having an issue.”
*Not her real name