Assurance Home sets up emergency youth shelter
Lisa Ridgely, Record Staff Writer
Roswell Daily Record

After 25 years of operating in Roswell, Assurance Home has taken on a program many would argue is badly needed here — an emergency youth shelter.

The new venture, James Ranch Youth Shelter, is possible because of a generous contribution from local beneficiary James Atterberry, who died in 2002.When Atterberry left the home his estate, an opportunity to fill a need in the community fell into the lap of Executive Director Ron Malone. “We were aware of the need for shelter care for children, but we didn’t feel like it was something we’d be able to do,” he said. “It wasn’t until Mr. Atterberry left us his estate that this other dream sort of crept into our brains.”The gift was completely unexpected, Malone said; he had never even met Atterberry, but later heard the donor “admired and respected the work we do and wanted some of his life’s work to help support that.”

Proceeds from the estate’s sale will provide the initial funds to open up the program at Assurance Home, 1000 E. 18th St., where the staff and facility are already in place to help get it off the ground.“The goal is to start providing shelter care for kids in crisis,” he said.

Presently, the Assurance Home is a long-term residence for up to 14 kids ages 12-18 who have suffered abuse, neglect and homelessness. The children and teens who end up there have well-documented histories, Malone said; those who will use the ranch — kids who are homeless, have been stranded, are runaways or need to escape an abusive situation — will not have that level of documentation.“Our dream is to have at least three-to-four emergency beds available by March this year, and about four more beds in July,” Malone said.

Last fall, the home used a state grant to hire an emergency care coordinator, Jean Marie Snyder. Formerly employed by the Secret Service, she started the statewide DARE programs, worked in the Income Support Division of the state Human Services Department and most recently worked as a juvenile probation officer.“I had worked for the state for 12 years and I had every intention of retiring in state government,” she said.

“Then I met Ron Malone and my whole life changed.” All of her previous career experience, she said, has led her to the position at Assurance Home.“I dealt with lots of kids who ... didn’t have a place to stay, didn’t have enough food, didn’t have the things they needed and I wanted to serve that need,” Snyder said. “I always said about some of my kids, I wish I could take them home. ... Well, now I can take them home. I can give them food.”

Snyder is no stranger to troubled children and the hardships they — and their families — face. Her jobs helped her learn what desperation meant, and what hungry was, she said. She became emotional describing deaths of teens close to her on both professional and personal levels. Her experience, along with her sincere concern for children, made her a perfect candidate for the job, Malone said. “We’re very fortunate to have her.”Snyder will be completely in charge of crisis referrals and assessments, he said.

Now that Atterberry’s estate is settled, the program must wait for those properties to sell before they can start building the addition that will house the shelter. Sources of long-term funding include state and federal contracts and community support.Malone explained that many kids from this area are sent to Hobbs or Las Cruces when immediate foster care cannot be found.

When James Ranch finally does open as a youth shelter, area kids — from Roswell, the Pecos Valley, Artesia and Ruidoso — will have a closer place to stay. “We want to make absolutely sure it’s the best shelter care and kids are getting the best shelter care they can,” Malone said.

For more information about James Ranch Youth Shelter, Snyder can be reached at 626-5855. To donate to Assurance Home, a United Way agency, please call 624-1780.