At The Empowerment Center and Marvel Way, we’re once again feeling like this year has absolutely been our biggest yet – for both sides of our organization!
At The Empowerment Center, we’ve improved our 5-month women’s treatment program, finalized the design for our new 83-bed treatment facility, and chosen a builder for the project. At Marvel Way, we’ve watched our sober-living apartment complex become home to more children than we ever expected – and we’re expanding supportive services to better meet their needs.
What does all this look like? Read on as we wrap up 2024’s biggest achievements and raise a (mocktail) toast to the seasons ahead!
Family Reunification at Marvel Way
With 24 kids living in Marvel Way’s 42 sober apartments, the building is feeling livelier than ever! It’s hard to believe that just 2 years ago, our first group of residents lugged their suitcases through our doors. Our growing kid-contingent is mostly due to family reunification – and we couldn’t be prouder! After achieving sobriety, permanent housing, and steady employment, many of our residents were ready to bring their children home to live with them.
At Marvel Way, our moms and dads are busy being the best parents they’ve ever been and making up for lost time. Our staff are here to help them every step of the way, with family-friendly supportive services, community celebrations, and more!
Introducing: Our New Case Manager
Genevieve Delage just joined the Marvel Way team as its first-ever Case Manager. If you recognize her name, it’s because she’s not exactly new. Gen’s been interning at The Empowerment Center side of our organization while completing her Masters in Social Work at UNR. Coming from a background in the mortgage business, she’s excited to be helping people get back into housing and preparing them for their futures.
At Marvel Way, Delage’s role is to connect with every single tenant to identify their needs, as well as which services they could benefit from and link them with these resources. This includes everything from childcare and parenting classes (courtesy of our friends at the Children’s Cabinet) to counseling services to assistance with navigating access to public benefits. “Case management and permanent supportive housing is a match made in heaven,” explains Empowerment Center Executive Director Roxanne DeCarlo. “It’s been a missing piece since we opened our doors. Gen brings such a wealth of knowledge and experience to Marvel Way, is already getting to know the tenants, and is a perfect fit. I couldn’t be happier.”
Improving Workforce Development Programs
At The Empowerment Center, we’re taking a more personal approach to getting our clients in recovery back to work – and already seeing the difference! A big piece of this? Our new Workforce Development Specialist, Jessi Hall! Hall is focusing on identifying natural skills and talents and matching them with job search goals, allowing everyone to make the most of their career development time. She’s also teaching clients how to create their own resumes, so they’ll always have access to the skill.
This year, we’re sending more woman than ever to Truckee Meadows Community College to develop skillsets for long term careers, through their programs in business, clinical medical assistance, medical billing, and peer support and substance abuse counseling. Just as importantly, we’re focusing on the immediate employment needs of every woman who walks through our doors, especially women whose histories make finding work a bit more challenging. During our clients’ first few weeks at The Empowerment Center, Jessi helps prepare them for job searching by making sure all the necessary documents are in order: photo IDs, birth certificates, and social security cards.
Getting Ready to Break Ground on TEC2!
With the second Marvel Way supportive apartment building near completion, we’re turning our construction-attention towards TEC2, our soon-to-be 83-bed women’s treatment center. We’ve selected our builder for TEC2’, Apex Construction, and expect to break ground early next year. Roxanne DeCarlo shares, “Apex has a huge heart for helping their community, so I believe our missions are well-aligned! That makes them a great fit for completing this work with us.”
Similarly, we’ve enjoyed working with Mountain West on both phases of Marvel Way’s construction. They’ve done an excellent job, and it’s felt amazing to see the project moving so seamlessly, with something new every week. DeCarlo notes, “There’s still such a great need for housing, and the housing crisis identified years ago is still in play. Individuals completing programs need this. We can’t wait to bring Marvel Way to the forefront.