Porchlight success story calls agency 'nothing short of a miracle'
Beth Lavender's divorce litigation lasted 12 years.
It caused her to go broke, to lose her car and then her home. Finally, she found herself homeless. It would be the first of 10 times that she found herself in that situation.
In 2005 she moved to Madison and found Porchlight, a local nonprofit agency that provides emergency shelter, food, employment services, counseling, and affordable transitional and permanent housing.
Lavender, 60, was honored with the organization's CUNA Mutual Excellence in Leadership Award during Porchlight's 2008 annual recognition dinner Thursday night in Alliant Energy's Exhibition Hall.
During her acceptance speech, Lavender said Porchlight has been "nothing short of a miracle" for her.
"Porchlight was there to help me make this transition from sick and homeless to healthy, safe, secure, and working professionally," she said.
Lavender's story of homelessness is unusual in that she is well-educated and has worked corporate jobs, including being assistant to the president of Hensel Phelps Construction Co., in Greeley, Colo., one of the largest industrial construction management companies in the world.
She taught management classes at the college level in Germany, was a star recruiter and team leader for Mary Kay cosmetics, spent five years as a senior customer service rep for Federal Express in Chicago, and even owned her own business at one point.
Originally from Denver, Colo., Lavender has two master's degrees and spent seven years in the U.S. Navy, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander.
Her divorce litigation dragged on mostly because of a custody battle over their one daughter, who is now 20 and lives in Louisville, Ky.
"I probably went to court 250 times, ballpark. I quit counting after 200," Lavender said in an interview before her speech. "People at work would say, 'I thought your divorce was done. What's going on?' I thought it would never end."
Her ex-husband just decided it was a fun way to live his life, she said.
"I was subpoenaed multiple times and just had to grit my teeth and show up," she said.
Lavender lost her job due to the turmoil of the lengthy court proceedings and had to act as her own attorney because she could no longer afford to pay a lawyer. The years of litigation took a significant emotional and physical toll on her, she told the audience at the recognition dinner.
She won three federal lawsuits "by the grace of God," and told her ex-husband, "don't mess with me again or I'll put you behind bars."
The whole ordeal left her with a mental illness, said Lavender, who was diagnosed as bipolar.
Lavender was living in Illinois at the time, staying with various friends and in homeless shelters. She had been to Madison for visits and always loved the city. As soon as her daughter turned 18 she moved here. As a veteran, she ended up at the VA Hospital for mental health issues. A social worker at the hospital got her connected with Porchlight.
The organization subsidizes her housing, a studio/efficiency on Pheasant Ridge Trail, near Badger Bowl. She's been there two and a half years.
"I was thrilled to have my own place," said Lavender, who said that while homeless she once lived with her daughter in the servant's quarters of a mansion. She prefers her small Madison apartment, which is energy-efficient, and said she thinks of it as a castle. It gives her a sense of ownership and empowerment, she said.
Having a permanent place to live gave her the strength to assume more responsibilities and find a new job. Since October 2007, Lavender has been working as a peer specialist coordinator for mental health at Access to Independence. Her job is funded through a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant.
Steve Schooler, Porchlight's executive director, said Lavender's story is one of the most moving he has come across, noting Lavender actively participates on the organization's board of directors and is eager to go out and do speaking engagements on behalf of Porchlight.
"She totally blows away the typical stereotype people have of a person who suffers from mental illness," he said.
Likewise, Lavender only has good things to say about Porchlight. "They are very sensitive. They are very reasonable, and they have integrity," she said. "Porchlight has provided me with a sense of safety -- psychologically, socially and physically."
At Porchlight she has never had anything stolen, no one has ever insulted her, and no one has made inappropriate sexual advances, she said, adding that the staff is professional and caring.
Lavender intends to stay in Porchlight housing. "I'm 60 and with the economy the way it is, I'm hoping to stay someplace relatively secure for me. I hope that people will support Porchlight because we have more homeless people than ever."
Samara Kalk Derby/Capital Times
Beth Lavender received Porchlight's CUNA Mutual Excellence in Leadership Award Thursday night.
