Behind the Namesake:

Jo Ellen was a beautiful soul that wanted nothing more than to help those that didn’t have help.  

Jo’s mother gave her the helpful bug as she was a nurse and took care of all that she could. This passed to Jo then in turn to her son Ron and daughters Jacqui and Stacci. 

Jo married early in life and had three children before she knew it. she realized that her husband suffered from mental illness (schizophrenia) and raising a family with him was to be a struggle if not impossible without help (that he did not want).  

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Jo became a single parent, of three kids, before she was 30 years old. Although Jo worked tirelessly through the 70’s, it was a time of inequality for women and her family ended up homeless for a few periods of time. During this time, she also fell into substance use disorder (alcoholism), all while keeping her kids safe and together. Jo worked two jobs, while singing in bars for money and still trying to find what she could do to help the community. Jo opened her home, her heart, and her mind to help others for the entirety of her life. You could say that we, her children, were raised “…for such a time as this.”  

 

Jo Ellen worked at a home for the criminally insane, and often took her kids to work with her, which instilled empathy for others into them. She then opened a AFH for those with mental illness and her children watched her work on her sobriety while working with her AFH and raising her children. Jo realized at some point that her son worked with some sever mental illness and began learning all she could to give him every chance available. She dug in and still reached out her hand to help the ones she could only asking “…do the same." 

All through her life Jo lived through domestic violence, substance used disorder, homelessness and was still able to pull her three kids and herself out of poverty while assuring they all had the ‘help others’ genes in them. Without Jo Ellen there would be no, JoEllenssafehaven.org, EASE/SHES.org or Soar services. This gene went from Jo’s mom to Jo to Jo’s kids (Ron, Stacci and Jacqui) to their kids and even the great grandkids work at these organizations with the thought of helping others. 

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The making of Jo Ellen’s Safe Haven: 

After the death of their precious mother, Jacqui and Stacci began brainstorming, ‘how can we honor her?’ They came up with ideas of a place that was wholly beneficial for all who are in need. Meeting them where they are in any addictions, abuse or SUD, and giving them somewhere safe to lay their heads. Then through the process of modeling for them how to become what their dreams tell them they should be, we bring them along, having mental health services where they are, substance use services, where they are and medical services where they are.  

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We realized that this dream was going to take longer than we hoped and cost more than we had, so we began Jo Ellens with a dream and a prayer. Ron joined the two sisters with building this company and soon Jacqui and Ron were off and going with services. They would cook two to three times per week and take it out to those who had no local service. They began getting donations for the homeless and taking them out to those in need of clothes, tents, phones etc. They would refer people to needed services for mental health and SUD services. They would help domestic violence victims find safe shelter, and the ill find doctors. They would allow the homeless to charge their phones in the car and help them find services for showers, laundry and religion. They had success and were so very happy to do what they were doing. Ron, worked in outreach until his cancer took him from us and to God. Jacqui still does the good work that they all three started together, Stacci helps when she is able. 

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A Powerful Resolve:

Jacqui is out there in the community three to four times per week with food, clothes, a warm truck, a ride to the hospital and friendly smile and an ear to listen. She takes cold water out daily when it is too hot and warm coffee and hot cocoa when it is too cold. Jacqui takes hope out to everyone, keeping the dream of a community that pulls people from the streets (no matter what their disorder is) and gives them a step up, a hot meal and somewhere safe to lay your head. Where they see from others, examples that they can be clean from drugs if they want, they can be housed if they want and they can be employed if they want.  

Jacqui awaits others to join her in this dream; Let’s make it happen.