Today we’d like to introduce you to Janet Collinsworth.
Janet, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The first chapter in my adult working life was as CPA in public accounting where I migrated to the more creative aspects in that field. I fell in love with the challenge of fraud investigations, forensic accounting and litigation support, so much so that I started my own boutique Texas CPA firm, became a Certified Fraud Examiner and embarked on an exciting, entrepreneurial chapter. One of the most exciting cases was a three years case serving as expert consultant for the Department of Justice on a $500 billion case – in which we prevailed.
In 2003, I went on church mission trip with my son to build houses for homeless families in Nuevo Laredo, Texas. That trip changed my view of the world and my life. We build 12 x 14 feet houses of plywood & tin on cinderblocks, and the families were filled with joy and gratitude. Their faith had sustained them and their prayers for a safe roof over their heads were answered by two busloads of middle and high schoolers from the bubble of Plano, Texas. When we have safe homes and warm beds it is hard to imagine and remember there are so, so many people who do not. And that hurt my heart. A couple of years later, I started seminary part-time while maintaining my CPA practice and raising two amazing kids. I entered the ministry and joined the staff of a local church in Plano where I was co-founder of 2 outreach missions, one a global health ministry to provide basic health care to the poorest of the poor in Costa Rica and the other a food pantry in Plano.
Having raised my children in Plano, I was astounded to learn there were thousands of hungry, impoverished and homeless people right there in my community. What I learned is that as early as 2012, over 4,000 people were being turned away from the handful of housing agencies that served the homeless, and that 75% of those turned away were women-led families, most with small children. I learned that 80% of those women-led families were homeless as a result of domestic violence, sexual assault and sex trafficking. I learned there were less than 300 beds available to help our homeless neighbors and they were chronically full. I learned the impact of homelessness, abuse, hunger and trauma on our children has a life-long, debilitating developmental impact. I learned that of the children who spend more than half their childhood in poverty, 45% are in poverty at age 35.
Feeling compelled to proactively create solutions to the problems of poverty, homelessness, abuse and trafficking in our community, I stepped out of the local church and started Agape Resource & Assistance Center, Inc.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We started with nothing but a vision, we acquired a single family home that was our “everything” place: housing for two young woman and a baby, counseling & casework center, office, and childcare center. We had no money and staff was 100% volunteer. But in those first months, two teens and baby stopped sleeping on the street and began to see hopeful futures. In its 1st six years, Agape has grown from 2 beds & a crib to 8 housing units with 45 beds and has provided housing & hope for 155 unduplicated souls, including 64 women led families with 91 children.
Our work is hard, and filled with many daily struggles about everything from having enough to pay the rent and electricity to crying with a mom when she lost a job or feels she can’t go on. But, no matter how hard things have gotten, God provided all we need and our community is incredibly supportive. So many times we wonder how in the world we were going to get by, and something happens to remind us were are not alone and the work we do is critical. Once we had no money to pay the electric bill, went to the post office and there was a check with a note “thought you’d need help with electricity this summer.”
Please tell us about Agape Resource & Assistance Center.
To proactively address the oppressive impact of situational homelessness on women & children, Agape was established 11/2013 to provide housing & transformational services to homeless women, moms & their children that empower them to move from crisis & poverty to fulfilling self-sustaining lives. We do this through a collaborative community continuum of care that enables Agape to connect with like-minded groups & work together to provide safe, stable housing, transformational support services & empowering hope to single women with a specific focus on their children. In response to the urgent needs of this vulnerable demographic, Agape created Housing 4 Hope (H4H), a unique, holistic, faith-based program serving women led families by providing safe, stable housing, developmental childcare, transportation assistance, vocational coaching & scholarships for education towards workforce jobs. Agape serves single women, moms & their kids in crisis or living at or below the poverty level in Collin County & zip codes within 5 miles of Agape’s office in East Plano.
Over 85% of Agape families are survivors of family violence, sexual assault or trafficking.
Of the 64 families Agape has served, 37 women (70%) with 46 children have graduated with higher-paying jobs, in housing they can afford to provide homes & stability for their children whose past experiences no longer define their future hopes.
Agape changes lives and futures, one family at a time by providing home, help & hope.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in Mesquite were I was a tomboy, playing army and rough-housing with the boys on the block. I caught my first fish at the age of 6 in White Rock Lake – and cleaned it and cooked it with my dad’s help. I loved horses, dogs and anything outdoors and could not wait to head off on a Girls Scout camping trip or pitch a tent in the backyard. My families idea of a vacation is load up the station wagon and head for backpacking in New Mexico. In high school, I was on the gymnastics team which carried over to college at Oklahoma State University. My love of the outdoors was jumpstarted again with my son and his Boy Scout campouts – I did not miss a single one.
Contact Info:
- Website: WWW.Hope4Agape.org
- Phone: 469-814-0453
- Email: info@Hope4Agape.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeforagapewomen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hope4Agape/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hope4agape
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