MAGDALENA MINISTRIES INC

Our overall goal is to equip and empower families with the tools and resources to break out of cycles of abuse and neglect. This transformation is only possible when undergirded with long-term stable housing. We aim for these results:

1) Mothers and children find safety, stability and nurturing.
2) Mothers and children flourish academically, physically, mentally and emotionally.
3) Mothers are able to nurture their children and develop family resiliency against future adversity.

We will achieve our goal by living and encouraging the residents to live by these strategies and guidelines:
We will offer safe homelike transitional shelter and loving community for each family, requiring participation in accredited education, parental support and diverse Enrichment Programming, providing professional, financial and daily needs for each mother and child to flourish, and empowering each resident to recognize and use their God-given talents to improve their community.
We will engage in authentic, life-changing relationships while honoring acceptable boundaries.
We will practice hospitality with justice to one another, the stranger, the poor, the oppressed through provision of safe refuge, dignity, unconditional love and compassionate accountability.

We will govern and operate with effective stewardship and fiduciary responsibility to ensure a vital future of serving mothers and their children.

We will use evidence-based programming in order to transform each family during their stay at Magdalena House.
Our staff will be trained in trauma informed care.

Since 2007, we have offered safe, loving, home-like shelter for 127 mothers and children who have typically stayed 12-24 months.
Our staff offer 24/7 support to create a home-like environment, full of hope and accountability for these families. We rely on over 250 volunteers, many with professional skills, who contribute over 3,000 hours/year.

Rev. Denise Barker is the Founder and Executive Director of Magdalena House. She has 13 years of experience in running and staffing Magdalena House. With her civil engineering background, she brings strong attention to detail and project management. She is an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church who has served in multiple roles on staff at University United Methodist Church and Spring Creek United Methodist Church in the past 25 years. She has a B.S. in Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois and a M.S. in Theology from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She is an original member of the Alamo Area Coalition Against Trafficking and has served on city-wide task forces on issues of child abuse, domestic violence and human trafficking.

Corinne Kurth has been the Program Director at Magdalena House since 2017. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor - Supervisor and Advanced Certified Trauma Practitioner, holding a Master's degree in counseling from UTSA. She has been in practice 17 years in a variety of settings including schools, a mental health crisis unit, a child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric facility, the Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas and private practice. She has specialized training in bereavement and traumatic loss as well as vast experience treating children with emotional and behavioral difficulties and serious mental health diagnoses.

Janice DaSilva has been the Senior Development Director at Magdalena House since 2020. She works closely with our bookkeeper, our Executive Director, and our Board Treasurer to ensure the financial management of grants. She brings 7 years of experience in development and 4 years in practicing law.

Magdalena House partners with several other agencies to provide services. We partner with Methodist Healthcare Ministries and Depelchin Children's Center to provide parental coaching. We partner with Methodist Healthcare Ministries Wesley Nurses, the Texas Diaper Bank, San Antonio College Services for Women and Non-Traditional students, Restore Education, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Head Start. We are active members of the Alamo Area Coalition Against Trafficking.

Magdalena House is governed by a dedicated Board of Directors. The Board consists of community leaders, business owners, and CEOs who believe in the organization as bring their connections and work ethic to benefit the organization. The major revenue stream, the annual gala, is chaired and executed by a vibrant Gala Committee. They secure donations and sponsorships in order to make the event incredibly successful.

Since inception, the organization has served 127 women and children. Each family is allowed to stay with the organization until the mother completes her educational goals. Over 75% of the mothers who have invested in the program (stayed over six months) have completed significant educational milestones such as their GED, ESOL program, Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree or certified training.

In 2018/2019, we completed construction of a family wellness center and two new homes and renovated our original home. With this new space, we have tripled the numbers of families we serve. We have also expanding the amount of services, such as counseling and play therapy, which are provided on-site, thus reducing the barriers for families to avail themselves of these services.

Our long-term goal is to build four additional homes and provide services for 28 families at a time.