‘Restructuring’ Of Women’s Shelter Leads To Questions

The Green Hills Women’s Shelter has announced a “restructuring” at the local shelter, however the exact nature of that “restructuring” seems to be a mystery.
When asked Monday morning if the Trenton shelter remains open, Shelter Director Lisa Dicks said that residential services are being provided through the shelter. But when asked if those services are being provided at the Trenton shelter, she said they “do not have anyone staying at the building” at the moment. She called it a “temporary situation” that would last “three to six months” and referred to a “Plan B.”
When asked about staff that had been employed at the shelter and if they are still employed, Mrs. Dicks said that she was only going to follow what she has been told she can and can’t say, which is that the shelter “is still providing all the services we were providing” and that victims are still being cared for.
The shelter recently sent information to the Republican-Times indicating its plans to restructure, but not providing any details on what that restructuring might mean to the shelter or its employees. The COVID-19 pandemic was mentioned, although it does not specifically state how the pandemic affected the shelter or its services.
“Green Hills Women’s Shelter is excited to announce our plans to restructure the Trenton Green Hills Women’s Shelter location. COVID-19 brought about many changes and our plan is aimed at improving accessibility and service delivery to better meet the needs of those we serve in our community,” the statement said.
The statement went on to say that services would continue, although there was no elaboration on the details.
“The people in the communities that we serve are important to us and we would like to assure you that we will continue to provide services to domestic and sexual violence victims.”
The organization operates shelters in Trenton, where a new facility was recently constructed, and in Cameron. The statement said the organization is continuing to accept donations to assist clients. When asked Monday morning what those donations would be used for if the shelter is closed, Mrs. Dicks reiterated that services are still being provided. She said the shelter is still paying for legal services and continuing to do things for the clients.