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Lodi House Snapshot
Civic & Social ServicesIndustry
We exist to provide compassionate support, counseling and shelter to homeless women and children to empower them to live courageous, healthy and independent lives.
In the mid-1990s, Annette Murdaca was volunteering at the Salvation Army and learned that homeless women and children had no place to go in Lodi. Homeless men, dogs and cats had a place to go, but homeless women and their children did not. Murdaca decided to change that.
By 1997, Annette Murdaca and Nancy Watts developed a vision of hope and a place of security for women and children.. The two women attended a meeting of church and community members and discovered they were not alone in their desire. The group formed a task force in 1998.
The vision continued to gain momentum and supporters as they did research and developed a concrete program and plan to assist homeless women become self-sufficient. Public agencies, churches, businesses, social groups and the community all came together to bring the vision to fruition. The first board of directors was composed of task force members Ken Smith, Jola Bortner, Judy Clemons, Sherry DuBois, Keith Land, Janet Hamilton, Carol Farron, Dr. Ken Mullen and Frank Sasaki.
Shelby Young, was hired as a consultant in early 2000 to raise awareness, secure additional funds and recruit volunteers to transform the large home that was purchased at 801 S. Washington Street. In August of 2000 Suzanne Clay Mangum was hired to run the shelter as the executive director. Shereen Scherle Hays was hired to cook for the house residents. Lodi House officially opened on Sept. 7, 2000 with an open house celebration. On Sept. 11, the first resident moved in with her two children and started the program. The program grew strong, but Lodi House was in need of developing more means to generate revenue.
Lodi House opened the Lodi House Thrift Store in 2010 in a rented building on Lodi Avenue. This allowed Lodi House clients and graduates to receive needed clothing and household items for free while also creating a revenue stream from the donations that were given from the community.
The Lodi House program was further expanded in 2011 to include three transitional apartments as well as an enrichment center where clients and graduates can receive free counseling and attend personal growth workshops.
Rent increases and a large donation prompted the board in 2014 to purchase the building at 221 W. Lodi Avenue for a permanent thrift store location. Lodi House Thrift Store was able to raise over $98,000 in 2017 to fund the House programs while offering free clothing and household items to clients and graduates.
Today, Lodi House has a strong strong record of working closely with its clients to identify their specific needs in order to support them in developing pathways to self-sufficiency succeeding in its mission to provide compassionate support, counseling and shelter to homeless women and children to empower them to live courageous, healthy and independent lives.
By 1997, Annette Murdaca and Nancy Watts developed a vision of hope and a place of security for women and children.. The two women attended a meeting of church and community members and discovered they were not alone in their desire. The group formed a task force in 1998.
The vision continued to gain momentum and supporters as they did research and developed a concrete program and plan to assist homeless women become self-sufficient. Public agencies, churches, businesses, social groups and the community all came together to bring the vision to fruition. The first board of directors was composed of task force members Ken Smith, Jola Bortner, Judy Clemons, Sherry DuBois, Keith Land, Janet Hamilton, Carol Farron, Dr. Ken Mullen and Frank Sasaki.
Shelby Young, was hired as a consultant in early 2000 to raise awareness, secure additional funds and recruit volunteers to transform the large home that was purchased at 801 S. Washington Street. In August of 2000 Suzanne Clay Mangum was hired to run the shelter as the executive director. Shereen Scherle Hays was hired to cook for the house residents. Lodi House officially opened on Sept. 7, 2000 with an open house celebration. On Sept. 11, the first resident moved in with her two children and started the program. The program grew strong, but Lodi House was in need of developing more means to generate revenue.
Lodi House opened the Lodi House Thrift Store in 2010 in a rented building on Lodi Avenue. This allowed Lodi House clients and graduates to receive needed clothing and household items for free while also creating a revenue stream from the donations that were given from the community.
The Lodi House program was further expanded in 2011 to include three transitional apartments as well as an enrichment center where clients and graduates can receive free counseling and attend personal growth workshops.
Rent increases and a large donation prompted the board in 2014 to purchase the building at 221 W. Lodi Avenue for a permanent thrift store location. Lodi House Thrift Store was able to raise over $98,000 in 2017 to fund the House programs while offering free clothing and household items to clients and graduates.
Today, Lodi House has a strong strong record of working closely with its clients to identify their specific needs in order to support them in developing pathways to self-sufficiency succeeding in its mission to provide compassionate support, counseling and shelter to homeless women and children to empower them to live courageous, healthy and independent lives.
