New Shelter An Answer To Prayer

BROOKSVILLE - A renovated bachelor's pad will soon serve as the home of down-on-their-luck women looking for a second chance.

Starting this week, the doors of a spacious North Brooksville house will open as Jericho Road Ministries' latest vision.

Called Mary's House, it fulfills a previously unanswered need for a longtime women's shelter in Hernando County.

But it's more than just a dry place out of the rain. Counselors will ask the boarders for a nine-month commitment to a program that teaches life skills grounded in religion.

Overseeing the day-to-day operations is Ann Topping, who was brought on board by Jericho Road specifically for the job.

Her passion for counseling was evident when she sat down Monday to talk with Hernando Today about the new venture.

"It's such a joy to facilitate" change and recovery in people, she said.

Mary's House sits on three acres off Howell Avenue, not far from the juncture with Broad Street. Its 3,100 square feet encompass a suite upstairs with six beds, a living area, dining room, a kitchen and two offices.

A wall-to-wall soft brown carpet and tasteful decorations give the place a welcoming feel.

"It's a shelter but it's still a home," said the Rev. Bruce Gimbel, head of Jericho Road's daily operations.

Gimbel is one of many who see the new facility as the answer to years of prayer. Any woman coming to Jericho Road's shelter for men could be put up for a few days in a motel. But that didn't address their long-term needs, he said.

The only other alternative is a private enterprise named the Dawn Center, but their eight-week program is for victims of domestic and sexual violence.

"There's really nowhere to go," said Pat Augustyniak, who sits on the board of directors.

Gimbel found the answer at 1163 Howell Avenue, a former bachelor's pad surrounded by shady live oaks draped with Spanish moss. With only a few wiring jobs and cosmetic touch-ups needed to get it ready, purchasing the property was a "no-brainer," Gimbel said.

But the right facility would be useless without a caring staff. That's where Topping steps in.

A Cincinnati-native, Topping has extensive experience in working with addicts and comes from a post with the Salvation Army in Tampa.

Her job now is to find a staff that "clicks" to work by her side. That should be no problem, though, because the job resumes are pouring in, she said.

The curriculum she plans for her charges is all about choices, both big and small. Her goal is to see clients learn about keeping a regular job, good nutrition and kicking addictions to drugs and alcohol.

That will be paired with daily devotions, Sunday services and the little things that some women have never had. For instance, a genuine birthday party that offers cake instead of booze.

Her advice to those struggling to keep sober is simple: "You can do anything if you do it a day at a time."

For Augustyniak, the board member, having Mary's House up and running testifies to the generosity of the community.

"This speaks highly of the county we live in."