By Copper Williams
Armenia Pereira has some pretty big shoes to fill as both the Director and Case Manager of the McHenry House Tracy Family Shelter. Her dual positions require her to be financially savvy, with the strength to help each and every person that passes through the shelter doors. With an average of 65 families per year staying with the shelter and more requesting assistance, there could be no better person fit for such arduous roles.
Originally from the Azores, Armenia moved to Massachusetts with her parents in 1979 and then to California with her husband in 1987. After tackling school and introducing their second child into the world, Armenia began looking around the Tracy region for work as a case manager.
“When I applied for the job, I knew there was a shelter in Tracy, but I didn’t know a lot about it,” Armenia recalls. “I was impressed by how the place was run.” After applying in 1999, the shelter snapped Armenia up and never let her go. She’s been their case manager ever since, and as case manager “I’m making sure [each] family succeeds. That they’ll be saving 90% of their income. I make sure the kids are enrolled in school, that the family receives counseling. All the necessary things they’ll need to succeed.”
But in 2011, the McHenry House had its own needs to fill in order to succeed. “We had to cut one job so that we could provide the same quality of service to families in need,” Armenia explains. A quality that families have grown to trust. Armenia tried the Director’s title on for size and all the responsibilities that came with it. “As Director, I work towards the financial stability of the shelter, grants and oversee the staff. I am making sure everything is going smoothly.”
It can be a little difficult, providing so much support in two very important roles, but Armenia tackles it with a devotion she’s built up for years. “I wear both hats every day!” Chuckles bubble up from Armenia at the thought. “My mornings are kind of chaotic. Especially if [we] have a family moving in. And I have the Director’s tasks to do daily. But we keep going.”
The Director and Case Manager of the McHenry House has high hopes for her shelter. With so many families calling in daily, she’s dreamed of expanding the non-profit to provide more assistance. And fundraisers like Kids in a Box, an annual event which brings children together to camp out in their own decorated box to raise funds for the shelter, help tremendously in making that dream a reality.
In the meantime, Armenia works diligently to help her families learn the skills they’ll need to flourish once they leave their temporary home.
Give A Helping Hand To:
McHenry House Tracy Family Shelter
757 A. St., Tracy
(209) 835-2328
MchenryHouseTracy.org