Christ Central Ministries announced the reopening of its women’s transitional shelter, Samaritan's Well.

Based in the heart of Lexington, Samaritan's Well has served the Midlands for over 20 years. The shelter temporarily paused its services at the beginning of May 2024 to renovate their shelter and update the program.

“After 20 years of serving women in the Midlands, we saw an opportunity to update our programs and renovate the transitional living facility,” President of Missions Group, Renee Stewart, told the Chronicle.

Samaritan's Well has been serving women who find themselves in need of a safe space and a fresh start. The transitional shelter is open to women and their young children escaping abusive relationships, homelessness or crisis. Women under the care of Samaritan's Well will go through their Residential Program, which takes anywhere from a year to 18 months to complete.

Before being accepted into the program, residents are interviewed and can share with staff what their needs and goals are. After completing the interview process, the women are placed with other residents who have similar goals and circumstances to help build community.

To help the women with a true “restart,” the transitional shelter is set up like a house. It is equipped with seven bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a community room, a private study, play areas and an outdoor social space.

“This definitely is the right place to encourage positive growth for those who seek our assistance,” Stewart said about the housing facility.

Not only does Samaritan's Well provide a housing need for those who seek refuge, but they also strive to help women become more independent. Each resident is encouraged to come up with personal and educational goals during their interview process for Samaritan's Well.

The organization will help and provide resources for women to best achieve those goals during their time at the housing facility. Whether it be developing a skillset, resume writing or working towards an educational certificate, Samaritan’s Well encourages residents to take the needed time to prepare and plan for life outside of their time at the shelter.

“We really believe in equipping our residents for life outside of the program. Yes, we speak into the immediate housing need with our transitional housing shelter, but we also want to help residents be skilled and set up for success for when they complete the program,” Stewart told the Chronicle. “We will help provide the resources to help our women achieve their goals and go from being in a place of dependence to independence.”

Christ Central is grateful to the community for 20 years of partnership as it works to reach women in dire situations. Within its 20 years of operation, it has been able to walk alongside just under 100 women through their Residential Program. Christ Central is thankful for their many community partners, church groups, local elected officials and law enforcement who have embraced their vision for Sarmatian's Well and have come alongside them in their ministry efforts.

“We can’t do this without the community coming together alongside us...our success for 20 years has been a community effort,” Stewart said. “We are excited to continue to build on our success and welcome a new group of women in January 2025.”