Today we’d like to introduce you to Her Place.
Hi Her Place, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In November 2019 Regeana Phillips and Sue Fullerton were volunteering at St. Mary Outreach on Crawford Road when they saw many single women who were living in the woods, sleeping on benches or in their cars. Regeana and Sue began to talk and dreamed of a home for women that would be open seven days a week twenty four hours a day – different from the shelters. They dreamed of having a program that would help women rediscover their purpose in life and learn new skills of communication, anger management, stress relief, cooking, gardening, among other skills. They purchased a property with donations, renovated a house and cottage, and opened in July 2023. After two plus years they have three women who have graduated into their own apartments and have become contributing members of society.
Her Place is a small home – never more than seven residents. Each woman is taken to doctors, therapists, eye doctors, and dentists. Each woman receives individualized care in working through her goals.
Each resident participates in menu planning, cooking, cleaning, and candle making.
The women are involved in all aspects of candle making. Every candle is created from start to finish by the residents. They receive $15/hour for their work – the money is placed in savings for when they leave.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a roller coaster from the time we bought the property until today. There were problems with the seller, problems with the city, and when we had been open six months we had a flood and water damage that needed repairing.
The first day we opened we interviewed and invited six women to join us. On that first day five women showed up and one left that night – just walked out.
We have had many women come and go. It is very difficult to change the patterns that led them to homelessness. Trauma, mental health issues, PTSD, and anxiety plague the women.
It is hard to live in a community of women who come from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Each day we have classes that address various issues around our values and nine aspects of wellness.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Regeana and Sue, co-founders of Her Place, are both volunteers. Her Place is all volunteer run.
Regeana comes from a HR background. She has been a lifetime volunteer in many areas. She coordinated a Christmas dinner at St. Mary Parish in Rock Hill that sent out over 700 meals on Christmas day.
Sue was part of Campus Ministry in a Catholic high school. She and her husband had a nonprofit, Truck of Love, that had served various poor communities in California, Mexico, Arizona, and South Carolina since 1968.
What were you like growing up?
Regeana was outgoing and talked with everyone. She was a tomboy, played flag football at the YMCA Junior and Senior year of high school. She has always been family oriented and still cooks Sunday dinner for her extended family.
Sue was quiet, studious, and serious. She loved reading. Two books lit the social justice light for her: “Cry the Beloved Country” and “The diary of Anne Frank”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://herplacesc.org
- Facebook: Her Place
