It takes a team to start over again. Anchor Her is a Kansas City recovery ministry that equips women impacted by addiction, incarceration, and domestic violence with resources and support so they can get back on their feet.
These women aren’t toying around with redemption. One by one, they’re rising up with boldness as they become leaders pointing other women toward freedom.
From Jail Time to New Life
Amy Mitchell was 19, a single mom, facing five years of jail time—and on the verge of being used by God.
Brokenness was all Amy had ever known. The night the cell door closed behind her, the fear of losing custody of her newborn daughter made Amy beg God for mercy. The next morning, she was suddenly released and reunited with her daughter, Mariah.
It took domestic violence and another baby before a volunteer at a safe home began coaching Amy and urging her to cultivate a vision for her life. Initially, Amy wanted a house for her kids. Years later, Amy and Mariah would share a new vision of helping women encounter hope.
Empowering Long-Term Independence
The first few months after leaving jail are a particularly vulnerable time, as good intentions give way to the crushing anxiety of not having housing, income, or transportation. After doing a critical reentry assessment, Anchor Her meets women’s immediate needs like food and clothing while providing transitional life coaching so women don’t feel lost.
Anchor Her isn’t a residential program, since those resources already exist. Instead, they connect women with community partners to meet tangible needs. They also provide rent assistance, but only for one month, so women feel an urgent need to find a job. True support is temporary, not enabling, as women discover their own capability.
With time, women end unhealthy relationships, get their kids back, and bring their entire lives into the light of Christ. Many become group leaders, coaches, and board members of Anchor Her and other recovery ministries. They don’t merely find stability; these women step into the strength of a calling.
Expanding Recovery in Kansas City
Five years later, Amy’s vision is still growing. She wants to go national one day, as she’s seen the orphans left behind by the opioid crisis and longs to see more women redeemed.
For now, Anchor Her plans to solidify its work in Kansas City by replicating groups and acquiring a facility. They need everything from funding to guest speakers, board members, and advisors for improved sustainability.
As for the coaches, Amy knows from experience that the best leaders come from within. She sees her own reflection both in the leaders proclaiming God’s goodness and the taut, tired faces of new members still feeling adrift. She sees where they’ve been, and she sees what’s ahead as they trade in loss and devastation for the destiny and new life that God provides.
To learn more about Anchor Her or make a donation, visit anchorher.org.
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Anchor Her is a group for women impacted by addiction, incarceration, and domestic violence. Founder Amy Mitchell shares the backstory, relevant impact, and future hopes of Anchor Her
