Anchor Her: A Safe Harbor for Women in Transition

Amy Mitchell has lived a story of redemption. Now, she inspires and changes lives with her positivity, her faith and the nonprofit she began. But once, her life was different. At 19, Amy was pregnant and on government assistance. A few weeks before her baby arrived, she was robbed of every dime she had. After giving birth to her daughter, Mariah, she made poor decisions to provide for her baby, was arrested and jailed. Her family had arranged for baby Mariah to be sent to a family member out of state. That night in jail, Amy dropped to her knees and prayed to God that if He would let her keep Mariah, she would change her life and become a better mother. The next day, she was released and sentenced to probation. She was able to keep Mariah, but three years later, an abusive relationship landed Amy in the hospital with stitches, two children and nowhere to go. Given a pamphlet about Safe Home, she called and a volunteer picked her up at the hospital. According to Amy, this was a pivotal moment in her life. Her Safe Home mentor encouraged her and connected her with the right resources, giving Amy hope. With mentorship, Amy’s life changed. She got a good job, bought her first home, and Mariah thrived.

Today, Amy and Mariah work side by side at Anchor Her, a faith-based nonprofit started by Amy with the mission to embrace, empower and ignite women impacted by incarceration, domestic violence and addiction. The seeds of Anchor Her were planted when Amy volunteered to tell her story of hope to women in correctional facilities and shelters. She launched Anchor Her in 2017. In December 2018, the Anchor Her ministry was born and in 2019 the organization became a 501(c)(3). 

Anchor Her is a successful reentry program that helps recently released women transition from local jails, detox centers and shelters back into their families and communities with the tools, support and resources they need to succeed. “In the community we are a conduit. We link women to community churches, transitional living homes and other nonprofits. We advocate for improved use of the resources that already exist in our community. The goal is to end recidivism and stomp out addiction, which continue to take lives and ruin families and communities,” Amy said.

Amy, Mariah and the Anchor Her team of 40 volunteers are investing in Kansas City women and the community to break cycles of incarceration, domestic violence and addiction. Their efforts are producing results. “We are seeing women get out of jail and successfully transition back into society. In 2020, no woman in our support group returned to jail or drugs. Our hope is to be a safe harbor for women in transition,” she said. “To help reach that goal, our ministry is in need of additional board members, financial support and volunteers.” To learn more about giving time or resources to Anchor Her, visit www.anchorher.org. ■

Ignite KC
No One Left Behind

May 22
City Center Church
17500 W 87th Street Parkway
Lenexa, KS

Free and open to men and women struggling with addiction; representatives from Gracious Promise, Celebrate Recovery, Johnson County Detox and transitional living centers New Beginning Sanctuary, Hope is Alive and others to immediately connect to help; performance by Team Xtreme, live music, testimonials and raffle prizes.