Leslie's House: a home for women who need a new beginning
By Kamryan Collis
December 19, 2023
As fall approaches, the weather begins to change, the nights become cooler and the city transforms overnight with its traditional decorations. The holiday spirit seems to affect everything around us and people seem happier despite the fast pace that often accompanies this time of year.
For some, however, this season comes with worries far more pressing than just whose party you must attend. For some, they don’t even have a place to call home during this holiday season.
That is where Leslie’s House, of High Point North Carolina comes in.
Located in the heart of downtown High Point, Leslie’s House is a shelter for homeless women without dependents. The Christian based organization was founded in Dec. 2007 as a branch of West End Ministries inc. Another initiative in the long line of service work that West End Ministries does for the High Point Community.
According to their website their slogan says, “We serve God by serving others.”
The name Leslie’s House wasn’t simply plucked out of thin air, the shelter got its name when pastor and founder Jim Summey encountered a homeless woman named Leslie. She impacted the community so much that they ended up naming the shelter after her. Unfortunately, she was never able to see what she inspired as she passed away before the shelter was finished. Though her memory and impact lives on every day at Leslie’s House.
Over the years the shelter has been a home to women in need in the area. One woman in particular is Mary Jane Hedrick, owner and founder of Crossover Roofing.
Hedrick found out about Leslie’s House from Summey, after struggling with addiction.
“I have struggled with drugs and alcohol my whole life and I had never been homeless before. But in 2011, after a divorce, I ended up back on drugs and alcohol and I found myself spiraling out of control,” said Hedrick.
I got to a point where I really didn’t have anywhere else to go,” she said.
At the time Hedrick described knowing that she needed to enter some sort of rehab facility but there simply weren’t any available. Leslie’s House was the first of many steps in Hedrick’s journey of sobriety.
Holding 20 beds, the House acts as an opportunity for the women to get themselves out of a bad situation. Some women are survivors of domestic violence, while others just need somewhere safe to sleep at night. The House offers resources for all its members, one important resource being weekly therapy for the women to receive counseling if necessary.
They make an effort to provide for their residents' needs as much as they can. If a woman has an allergy to a certain soap, they will buy her what she can use, the goal being to make the woman feel as comfortable as possible.
At all times the women are encouraged to save as much money as they can so that when they depart, they are able to provide for themselves as much as possible. Signs are posted in the kitchen prohibiting any of the women from purchasing anything for the home.
The main goal of Leslie’s House being to provide a safe place for women in need.
“They always had ladies come in and share their stories and other non-profits bring food in and I think that’s probably when I thought ‘I am safe and they genuinely cared about me’,” said Hedrick.
Today, Leslie’s House sits in the middle of the community that West End Ministries has created. All around the shelter rest the other branches of West End Ministries. Across from the shelter is the community center and food pantry that serves many people who are in need in the community. West End also runs two thrift stores that act as a way for their organizations to receive funding.
If you ever pass though this area you will see that everyone here looks like a family, people will be outside talking and laughing as they each help each other. They have fostered a community here that can’t go unnoticed even by the most inattentive eye.
After working at Leslie’s House for three and a half years, director Lakisha Medley understands how hard it can be for the women to get back on their feet.
Though the program is only meant to last 30 days the workers here know that life doesn’t often abide by the same clock.
“As everyone knows, sometimes it takes longer than 30 days, most of the time it takes longer than 30 days,” said Medley.
Oftentimes it can be hard for people to break a long cycle of homelessness and unemployment in such a short period of time.
“Sometimes we have women who stay here for two and three months. When someone is really trying it can be three months. But they have saved up their money, we have women here who have already saved up $2,000 but they can’t find anything,” she said.
This is often the case for many people facing housing issues today. As the cost of living goes up, it can get increasingly difficult to obtain affordable housing. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour. However, in the current housing market, the average person needs to make around $25 to afford an average two-bedroom rental, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.
To receive housing with Leslie’s House people can call and apply over the phone. The workers would then ask a few questions to better assess the person's situation. For instance, the women have daily chores and tasks that they must complete so they would ask if there was anything that might hinder a resident from doing such activities.
They offer handicapped accessible rooms on the first floor of the home as well as rooms upstairs. Leslie’s House has a team of devoted individuals who make sure women get the care and assistance they need. Hedrick was given resources not long after she arrived to obtain her social security card and her driver's license that she had lost.
Being one of the only shelters in the area for single women without dependents, Leslie's House is a place of opportunity for women. The residents have to wake up every day and work toward the future they want. Co-director Ty Quick explained what a typical day for the residents looks like.
“There is a wakeup call at 7 a.m. and the women can come down and eat breakfast if they choose to. At around 8 a.m. the ladies start doing their chores, anything from washing dishes, sweeping, mopping or cleaning the windows. Then at 9 a.m., the women must be prepared to leave. The House closes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.” said Quick.
The women who work and go to school just have to give their schedule to one of the directors. However, for the women that haven’t secured a job or schooling they find alternative places to go for the day according to Quick.
“A lot of our ladies go to the public library, there are a lot of resources up there. We have people that work at other agencies, county workers are there, state workers are there and sometimes paralegals are there, "she said.
This ensures that the women are actively looking for jobs and resources that can help them end their struggle with homelessness as quickly as possible.
Although Leslie's House has a limited capacity for residents, the winter months can be hard for those who weren’t able to secure housing with them. When the temperature drops, sleeping outside in the elements or in cars becomes less of an option.
These are referred to as white flag nights, which are nights when the temperature drops drastically. The title white flag earned its name from shelters waving a white flag outside to alert people of the extreme conditions. Shelters and facilities often open on nights like this to provide a warm and safe environment for those with nowhere to go.
Across from Leslie’s House, West End Ministries has a winter shelter that offers beds to people on nights like this. It’s open from Dec. 1 – April 1 where it holds 20 shelter beds for people in need.
Even though Leslie’s House only holds 20 people there have been moments where people have knocked on the door with no other options.
“You can come and knock on the door and if we don’t have a bed we can give you a couch,” said Medley.
They are dedicated to helping those in need to their best ability. Day after day that speaks to women who have been through countless obstacles, and it even affects the workers.
“Working here I’ve met a lot of women from all walks of life… everyone has a story. Just listening to them there are some touching stories, sometimes you may have a moment where you cry and it could be sad stories and it could be happy stories,” said Quick.
“It affects you and your life because sometimes you try not to take it home, but I have found for myself being here, working here I have taken other people's problems home and I think about that person,” she said.
Hedrick ended up only staying at Leslie’s House for about a month. However, after her time there her life changed forever.
“I have been sober for 7, my life immediately got better, I ended up in long term recovery and ended up in an Oxford house,” said Hedrick.
“From there I started my own company, I own a very large roofing company. I’ve done about 5,000 roofs in the last five years and I employ other people that have records and have been in addiction,” she said.
Hedrick continues to help out her community and West End Ministries in any way that she can, most recently her company even replaced the roof of Leslie’s House.
Leslie’s House is more than a shelter it is a place for women to find a fresh start. For people living on the street, it can be isolating and scary not knowing what the future holds. The holiday season becomes more of a burden than a time of happiness and cheer. However, the staff at Leslie’s House wants to make a difference by helping one woman at a time.
Currently, Leslie’s House receives funding from donors and uses the proceeds that they earn from their thrift stores. If you would like to volunteer at or donate to West End Ministries or Leslie’s House visit their website here.