Nonprofit founded in 2018 helps women, including those who may be homeless or subjected to domestic violence, a chance to recoup and rebuild

By Debora Gordon for Ashland.news

Before the nonprofit Parker House opened in 2018, there was no established place in Ashland for women and children in crisis to turn. Now in its sixth year of changing lives for women and women with children by providing, according to its website, “a Transitional Housing Program that helps women regain emotional well-being, independence and permanent housing by providing support, individual case management and a safe home environment.”

Serving women with a variety of needs, including safe haven from domestic violence, Parker House provides shelter for up to five women and their minor-aged children at any one time.

Parker House Manager Nancy Satterly, the sole staff member, provides a range of support services to the women who live there as they work on transitioning from unsafe situations.

“We just want people to know about us,” Satterly said. “We’re not a safe house, so we’re not hidden like that. We’re transitional housing for women in crisis. The adults are all single women and women with children.”

She handles case management, program management, reviewing applications, and doing intake. “I want the ones who are willing,” Satterly said. “You can tell right away the ones who are wanting to move forward in their lives and that they want to do well. They want this to be their house.”

As new residents are welcomed into Parker House, each woman is assigned a number (1 to 5) corresponding to numbered shelves and closets for their food and belongings. Shared facilities and amenities include a living room with computer access, laundry which residents can use once per week, shared bathrooms, and the kitchen, with residents preparing meals for themselves and their children.

There is a weekly “family dinner” to which everyone comes, with Satterly usually doing the cooking. “Everyone’s together; it’s so fun. I try to plan something fun for the kids to do some kind of a show or we do jokes,” she said.

The house also includes a community garden in the backyard, and which is maintained by volunteers.

As new residents arrive, Satterly helps them learn the rules. “I have to work through my vision, my goal, with each of them, to let them know we’re all broken; we all have issues. What I try to do is help them with their issues. How can I help?”

Satterly notes that it may take some time for the women to transition to their new homes after leaving Parker House. “We don’t have a limit on length of residence, but it can be about a year. It used to be six months, but sometimes longer, since housing takes so long to get into. As long as they’re making progress, we are going to house them.”

Progress is defined as “doing the things that they need to do to move forward, such as getting a job, or some want to go back to school. Everyone is different. I meet with them, see what they’ve got. Do they have a doctor? Do they have dentists? Where do the kids go to school? Those things are covered at the very first meeting. Then, what are their goals?”

While substance abuse may have been a concern for some residents, it is not allowed at Parker House. “This is a drug-free and alcohol-free facility. Moving forward in your life, you cannot be doing those things.”

Kathryn Thalden, president of the seven-member board, said that, to maintain Parker house, “funding is always a big issue, including bathroom and fence repairs/upgrades. We wouldn’t mind having a handyman, more volunteers, more board members.”

Thalden describes Satterly “as the heart of Parker House. She is so welcoming and supportive of everybody who comes to Parker House. She serves as a grandmother for the children. She also sets high expectations. So you’ve got to have that balance of loving care and high expectations to succeed in this. That’s what Nancy does. The Parker House vision is helping women in crisis, women and children in crisis. They do it out of the love of their heart to help the community.”

Maria, 30, a mother of four children aged from 4 to 12 years old, is a former resident of Parker House. (Her last name is not given to protect her privacy.) She came there in January 2023 from a safe house. “I was fleeing from the situation, from domestic violence. Eventually I got tired of it. I had to leave. I spoke to Nancy and also Kathryn. I didn’t have anywhere to go and I felt like I was in danger. I didn’t have any open doors. I just didn’t feel safe. And that was the safest place I could find.”

Now in her new home for about five months after leaving Parker House, Maria notes that Satterly was the greatest support in helping her to reach the stability she now has. “I’m able enough to work things out to my next step.”

She moved into her rental home with her children in December 2023, with some support through a stipend from the Jackson County Housing Authority. As she settles into her current home, she describes her days now compared to before she came to Parker House.

“I have so much peace,” Maria said. “I love it. I’m just really getting to know myself without somebody telling me the opposite. I’m growing.”

Maria hopes to go to college and study business management, possibly with a scholarship from Soroptimist International of Ashland. “I want to have my own business,” she said. “I’m aiming for a T-shirt business, mostly. And I also want to help women, to be connected to some type of shelter.”

To the Parker House staff, Maria offers a heartfelt thank-you for their support.

“I couldn’t have been here (in my new life) without them,” she said. “They had a really big impact on my life in a positive way.”

Debora Gordon is a writer, artist, educator and non-violence activist who moved to Ashland from Oakland, California. Email her at [email protected].