Community

The Motherhood Foundation Provides a Safe Haven for Women

Published

10 years ago

April 24, 2014

When Tree of Life Empowerment Ministries started The Motherhood Foundation, they wanted to bring more resources and support to a community in need. Having mentored sexually exploited young women and fed the hungry in the city of Oakland, the plight of young mothers and single mothers was their call to action.

Designed to support the mental, spiritual, and physical health of women in need, The Motherhood Foundation has partnered with over 25 local agencies such as WIC, Healthy Oakland, and the Oakland Private Industry Council (PIC) to give women access to multiple resources. Mothers struggling to provide for their families can get help with their finances, women exiting the prison system can receive assistance in finding housing or employment, and grandmothers raising their grandchildren can get the support they need.

“When the pride of motherhood began to slip away, the church looked around and found a new generation of women,” said Pastor Phyllis Scott of Tree of Life Ministries and executive director of The Motherhood Foundation.

“We don’t want to enable them, we want to empower them. We’re here to restore economical, social, medical, and mental support back to women and their children,” she said.

Each family that comes to Motherhood is given wraparound services according to their needs including classes on nutrition, domestic violence, and how to deal with grief.

The organization is also focused on helping formerly incarcerated women reconnect with their families and make healthier choices. They hope to encourage them with support in job placement, counseling, transportation assistance, computer training, housing, and other services.

“Our role is to be an advocate for those women and get them where they need to go, to fill that gap between prison and success. We understand that we don’t have all the answers, but together we have answers. Many women just don’t know how to get those answers.”

“We begin to put the wheel in motion and help them begin to be successful,” Scott said.

For more information on The Motherhood Foundation, contact themotherhoodfoundation@gmail.com or call (510) 688-7437.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

A Safe Place, Bay Area Domestic Violence Community Organization, Opens New Service Center in Oakland

Oakland-Bay Area non-profit, A Safe Place, announces the grand opening of its newly purchased building in Oakland that will be a service center for families that have suffered from domestic violence. The new, two-story building has over six new service rooms for counseling, mental health support groups, legal services, children’s treatment, safe space for community engagement, and partnership activities.

Published

12 mins ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Façade of the new community center for A Safe Place opening on May 10 in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Courtney Slocum Riley

Special to The Post

Oakland-Bay Area non-profit, A Safe Place, announces the grand opening of its newly purchased building in Oakland that will be a service center for families that have suffered from domestic violence.

The new, two-story building has over six new service rooms for counseling, mental health support groups, legal services, children’s treatment, safe space for community engagement, and partnership activities.

Domestic violence occurrences and offenses account for a considerable amount of all violent crimes in Alameda County. A Safe Place is attempting to provide a safe place for families to heal. A Safe Place is the only comprehensive domestic violence assistance program including a safehouse, in Oakland.

The grand opening celebration will also serve as a fundraiser to build out healing, therapeutic spaces for children and adult victims and survivors and survivors of domestic violence (male and female).

The new service center will expand the work of the organization, founded in 1976 when a group of women working in San Francisco came together to address the urgent need for a shelter in the East Bay. A year later, they founded A Safe Place (ASP) in Oakland. Run solely by volunteers, they set up a crisis line to offer crisis counseling and information to battered women and their children.

The organization serves over 500 adults and children annually through a host of services including crisis counseling via 24-hour crisis line, emergency motel and safehouse sheltering, mental health services (counseling and support groups).

Under the leadership of Executive Director, Carolyn Russell, the organization has grown from a single program into the comprehensive domestic violence and assistance program. ASP strives to meet the growing and diverse needs of our growing community.

The organization hopes to complete all the upgrades and therapeutic room improvements by August 2024. The public is invited to donate to the effort by using the website at www.asafeplace.org/donate. The organization also accepts in-kind gifts as well as items from the organization’s Amazon Wishlist.

Oakland Post

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Art

Mario Van Peebles’ ‘Outlaw Posse’ Screened at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre

Published

23 mins ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Film director Mario Van Peebles, who also stars in “Outlaw Posse,” appeared at a press conference held at RBA Creative on MacArthur Boulevard hosted by the Oakland International Film Festival. Photo By Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Oakland International Film Festival hosted a screening of “Outlaw Posse” at the Grand Lake Theatre on Monday. Special guests included director/actor Mario Van Peebles and his co-star, Oakland native Scytorya Rhodes. The film is Peebles’ second western, the first being ‘Posse,’ 13 years ago. Filmmaker Van Peebles shared his passion for independent artistry and producing projects with his son, Mandela, who also starred in the film, along with Whoopi Goldberg and Cedric the Entertainer. Next week, The Post will publish an in-depth interview featuring Peebles’ reflections on his work, future projects, and continuing his father’s legacy and Rhodes on her grandfather, a real-life cowboy.