5 minute read
Acceptance. Life. Purpose. Hope. Accomplishment: ALPHA
ALPHA House is located at 701 5th Ave N. Photos courtesy of ALPHA House
by Tina Stewart Brakebill
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COVID-19 has affected almost everyone, but not everyone has experienced its effects equally. In reality, the pandemic has “reinforced important truths: Economic instability, unsafe housing, neighborhood violence, and lack of safe and stable child care and social support can worsen already tenuous situations.” (New England Journal of Medicine, Dec. 10, 2020)
The ALPHA House of Pinellas County knows that these factors are especially dangerous for expectant mothers. Despite increasingly strained resources, it offers hope and helps families in need.
ALPHA House: Transforming Lives
Founded in 1979, ALPHA House’s mission is “to provide housing and supportive services to homeless pregnant women and teens, new mothers with infants, and families experiencing crisis pregnancies.” As the only residential maternity program in Pinellas County, ALPHA House offers a safe and educational environment where women and teens affected by poverty, homelessness, neighborhood violence, domestic abuse, or trafficking can transform their own lives and their children’s futures. Licensed by the Department of Children and Families, ALPHA House provides a transitional living program where women and teens can move toward the ultimate goal of selfsufficiency. Designed to provide a stable environment, rather than a short-term emergency stop-over, ALPHA House allows minors to stay until they turn 18. Adults can stay up to 24 months after the birth of a child. These extended stays allow women and girls the stability necessary to attend high school or college or pursue their GED. They also develop skills needed for self-sufficiency such as budgeting, stress management, nutrition, child-care competency, and substance-abuse prevention.
2020: “It’s been challenging.”
As a formerly homeless teen mom and abuse victim, ALPHA House Executive Director Jennifer Stracick understands, better than many, the importance of a place like ALPHA House. Since 1979, more
ALPHA House provides a transitional living program where women and teen moms can move towards the ultimate goal of self-sufficiency.
than 3,000 women have completed the program, with more than 90 percent successfully transitioning to independent lives. But the staff’s dedication and passion are not enough on their own. ALPHA House needs funds to survive. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, ALPHA House relies on grants and donations to finance the House and its programs. Last year, nearly 20 percent of expected operating funds failed to materialize because of COVID-19 grant reallocations and reductions. The deficit has made providing necessary services difficult and spread the remaining staff thin. It’s not just the loss of direct grant funds that have affected the bottom line, however; it’s also the loss of person-to-person connections that help raise awareness and encourage donations.
Hoping for a Better 2021: How Can We Help?
Visit www.alphahousepinellas.org for information about making online donations, dropping off needed items for ALPHA’s Community Assistance Program, and volunteering. To do more or donate directly, contact Jennifer Stracick at (727) 822-8190 or alpha@ alphahousepinellas.org
Josh and Brooke Anderson, owners of Big Man’s Moving Company. Voted ‘Best of the Best’ for Tampa Bay Times people’s choice 2020 awards.
Josh and Brooke Anderson started Big Man’s Moving Company 4 years ago following a terrible moving experience with a well-known company, using their wedding gifts to partially fund their first truck. With a lot of sweat equity (literally), they’ve grown to 6 new trucks and 19 employees and were voted the #1 Mover by readers of the Tampa Bay Times in 2020.
Adding a woman owner to a traditionally male-dominated industry brings a unique perspective. One of Brooke’s responsibilities is screening and hiring the movers. “I look for people who are upbeat with positive attitudes. Moving is a skill and can be taught. However, having an innate demeanor that fits our company’s culture cannot (be taught). Our movers are the faces of Big Man’s Moving Company and represent us. If I wouldn’t send someone to my 93-year-old grandmother’s home, I wouldn’t send them to your home.” Josh jokingly says the team is “woman-approved.” It’s disappointing when we’re fully booked and have to turn jobs away due to a lack of man-power. However, we are only as good as our weakest link and refuse to dilute the quality of our product.”
Another benefit of having a woman owner is the cleanliness of the moving trucks and blankets. “In my 20’s, my roommate and I used the cheapest mover we could find. The movers, smelling like stale cigarettes, arrived with a disgusting, filthy truck that had probably never been swept. Did you know your furniture can get cockroaches from a moving truck? Believe me, it’s true! At that time, I never thought I would own a moving company with my husband, but it was a great learning lesson. Cleanliness is our standard: for our trucks, our moving blankets, and our movers!
In fact, for the first 3 years we reinvested all of our profits back into the business and have 4 brand new trucks. Personally, we have never purchased a new car off the lot, but for our business, reliability is just as important as cleanliness. Many movers have trucks older than I am (ok, slight exaggeration), but take it from someone whose first truck was old- they break down- frequently. We have never canceled a move due to truck maintenance issues.
Another unique feature of our business: we email our clients an agreement to e-sign upon booking; guaranteeing we will “show up” and giving the client plenty of time to read the agreement.
