Nearly two years ago we interviewed JoAnn Zajicek, director of the Union Gospel Mission Center for Women and Children here in Coeur d’Alene. This beautiful facility opened almost eight years ago with wonderful community support. JoAnn has been the director from the beginning, and we wanted to follow up on what has transpired over the last two years.

JoAnn, you have been doing this for eight years and I am sure you are like the Farmer’s Insurance commercial, “You know a thing or two because you’ve seen a thing or two!” Can you give us an update since we last talked?

I think one of the biggest surprises for us is the number of children we are serving. We expected to serve women, and we knew some of them would be moms, but we did not anticipate having 30 to 40 children in the house at one time. Many of the moms are young (in their 20s), involved with Child Protective Services or the Department of Corrections, and working to recover from not only addictions, but abusive relationships, as well.

Their children have experienced a tremendous amount of trauma which leads to behavioral challenges. They may have been in foster care or staying with relatives. The children are confused and hurting and really need their own recovery program.

We have to start at a very basic level with almost all of the women, helping them find their identity and giving them a definition of what it means to be a woman and a mother that is different than the one our culture gives. We have to give them a definition of family and what is true love, joy and peace in your life. They don’t know these concepts. As you said, I’ve seen a thing or two, and I am now overseeing the women’s programs in Spokane, as well as in Coeur d’Alene, which helps us to have a cohesive approach throughout the ministry.

The challenges seem to be overwhelming when you are trying to start from square one with “adults” and then combining children with that. How do you start?

Every other Friday we have an orientation for women interested in pursuing real life change. They have to decide if they can do this. The program is 20 months long, and it is not easy. We often have a semester of separation of moms and their children. By doing this the woman can has the opportunity to focus on herself and her recovery.

The first phase of the program is about learning to live in community, letting her mind clear from drugs and alcohol and admitting that underlying problems exist. Then, in phase two, women begin to look at their relationships: what’s healthy and what’s not. They confront the lies they have believed about themselves, God and the world around them. They consider where they’ve been getting their significance.

In phase three, they dive deep into past trauma and start to think about the future, where do they want to be in five years and how are they going to get there. It’s step by step, and the process really can’t be rushed. That’s why 30, 60 and 90-day programs don’t work.

Phase five is about transitioning back into society, getting a job, finding a place to live, building a strong network of support. We recently purchased three four-plexes next to the Center and are in the process of renovating them. We know that if women have clean-and-sober, supportive housing, they are going to be more likely to succeed long term.

How has your role changed over the past few years and what changes have been implemented?

The Center is a part of the Union Gospel Mission in Spokane, and we have two women’s facilities there as well — one for crisis and one for long-term recovery. By serving as the Women’s Ministry Director for the entire ministry, I am able to bring cohesiveness to all three programs.

One of the ministry’s core values is the pursuit of excellence. Ultimately, we are working for God and want to love these women and children as best as we can. That means learning and growing and using the best methodology we can find. Trauma-informed care is an imperative. Women who have experienced abuse need to be listened to; they need to be heard. They need time to build trust, and they need to hear the truth that they are valuable and worthy and loved.

The children also need those same things. Recently we implemented a program called TRBI (Trust Based Relationship Interaction) that makes sense in this environment. One of our staff members has gone through the training and is teaching others but our goal is to have more of our staff go through this training. The training is $3,500, and right now we need additional funds for that.

The most exciting change has been the addition of supportive housing. We want to help women make it to five years of continuous sobriety because, at that point, their chances of continuing in ongoing recovery is 85 percent.

JoAnn, what other ways can people help in this important work and how do they contact the ministry?

Honestly, recovery is expensive. Food and shelter is relatively cheap, but giving women all the tools they need to re-launch their lives one-on-one and group counseling, life skills classes, voc-ed training, parenting classes and job training costs $1,000 a month per resident. So obviously we always need funding. We do not receive government funding and are exclusively supported by donations — 88 cents of every dollar go toward program services. The renovation of the apartments costs approximately $10,000 per apartment. Naming opportunities are available for those.

We have two thrift stores in Spokane and will be opening one in Coeur d’Alene this year, so gently used clothing, furniture and household items are a great help. We have a donations drop-off conveniently located next to the Center. Of course, we couldn’t operate without volunteers and mentors. We have volunteer orientations every month — check our website for dates and times, as well as additional information: www.uniongospelmission.org/cda

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A correction from last week, the North Idaho Young Life’s 20th Anniversary Celebration is Feb. 20, not Feb. 3! Please go to their website northidahoyounglife.org for more information.

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Bob Shillingstad’s columns appear Saturdays in The Press. Email Bob: bjshill@mac.com