Local ministry expands reach

Powerhouse Ministries, a Christian nonprofit organization in Folsom, "exists to inspire and empower people to rise above their circumstances, change their lives and impact their community," and have been doing so for almost three decades. Now, they are expanding. "This dream that I'll always remember happened in 1992. Just having purchased our property on Wales Drive in Folsom, California, Powerhouse Ministries was now incorporated and ready to launch. From the very beginning, I knew that Powerhouse was to be a place that offers hope and help to people trapped in crime, addiction, abuse, and poverty. Filled with excitement and anticipation in how God might transform the lives of the hurting, our mission was clear, rescue," said Nancy Atchley, Powerhouse Ministries president. Atchley has always had an affinity for helping those in need and a servant to humanity spirit. "We moved to Folsom. My husband had been hired to work on the construction of the new Folsom Prison and I found out that a lot of these families from the prison had moved to Folsom to be close to their loved ones and they were in a few pockets within the city and weren't really accepted in the community. I had this tremendous desire to touch these families and to help them. I began meeting with them. From there, I guess I never would have imagined the kind of poverty that existed," said Atchley. A mother herself, Atchley shared she would often invite the families and children on outings to places such as the lake, an adventure those children had never been on before. "I began to meet the moms, seeing single moms trying to make things work, some of them addicted to drugs and alcohol, struggling with mental illness, and I began to meet their neighbors and my heart just broke for what was happening. I wanted Powerhouse to be a place where people could come that wanted to change and the support to make those changes … find hope," said Atchley. The organization has grown over the years and Atchley and her team are now nearly ready to debut their expansive build of more residential housing, dubbed the "Transformation Center," to include counseling and child care services for women wanting to better their circumstances. The expansion is expected to be open in early May. "This is a two-year program for homeless addicted women, with or without children, to actually heal and get some of those skills they might not have gotten and launch into a life that is not only sober and stable but we have a vision for our people that they actually become leaders, that they are the best able to help others in those circumstances," said Atchley. The new space, sponsored by the Home Aide organization. The buildings will feature child care, including after school and preschool, a strategist (case management) conference space and residential center (a great room, 13 bedrooms and some bathrooms). Renovations will be made to the fully functional kitchen and dining area. "Taylor Morrison is our builder, they allowed us to walk through their model homes, here and in Roseville, and pick out what we wanted for furniture, art work and knick knacks. They are going to have their designer stage the whole thing; it's going to be beautiful," said Atchley. A need for the kind of support Powerhouse Ministries provides has grown, shared Atchley, especially during the pandemic. "It's a frightening time and it's a time where people are relapsing. We try to help people with whatever level of help they want. From there, we invite them to community, because for a lot of our people, they have been cut off from family. Normally when we are not in Covid, we have a lot of groups that meet. We also have an extended outreach for children and youth," said Atchley.