ABOUT US
Ladies In Need Can Survive, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) 3transitional home for women who are battling homelessness, substance abuse and domestic violence. Women admitted to the program can stay up to one year. Amenities include daily meals, clothing, transportation, basic necessities, and wraparound services. LINCS is located in a quiet residential area in the Frayser community in Memphis, TN. The home is fully furnished; it has three bedrooms, two baths, a huge den, kitchen, laundry area, and a fenced in backyard. The home is monitored 24 hours a day with video recording surveillance cameras indoors and outdoors, and on-duty staff.
HISTORY
Ladies In Need Can Survive, Inc. was founded in the fall of 2013 at 2155 Hillside Avenue in Memphis, TN. It was created as a result of Wanda Taylor’s troubled past. After accepting Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, she was compelled to help others overcome the problems that once caused her to stumble in life. She soon began volunteering for various organizations throughout Memphis and Shelby County and shared her story of hope. Years later she transformed her private home in the Frayser community to provide opportunities and a safe haven for women in need of a second chance – including, but not limited to, women who’ve been battered, battling addictions, and homeless.
Vision
The vision of Ladies In Need Can Survive, Inc. is to provide holistic support and services to every woman who walks through the doors of LINCS, where beating the odds of her addiction, regaining and maintaining dignity, and preventing further homelessness is the intended outcome.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER WANDA TAYLOR Founder and Executive Director of Ladies in Need Can Survive, Inc.
Wanda Taylor comes from a splintered family of neglect, abuse, and addictions. A native Memphian, she grew up in a single parent home with her mother, who battled a long-term drug addiction. Her father also battled a long-term drug addiction. She lived in two housing projects – Lemoyne Gardens and Claiborne Homes – and was raised around gangsters, pimps, drug dealers, prostitutes, addicts and alcoholics.
At the age of 11, Taylor became a substance abuser, experienced domestic violence at 13, became a teenage mother at 15, dropped out of high school at 17, was in and out of the court system at 18, and was homeless by the time she turned 20. When she turned 21, she made a decision to walk away from a lifestyle of corruption and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and personal Savior.
Trying to turn her life around for the better, Taylor returned to the classroom; she was 26. At age 28, she received her high school diploma from Messick Adult High School. Upon graduation, she attended Southwest Tennessee Community College, where she received a Technical Certificate in Substance Abuse Counseling, and an Associate of Science degree in Human Service. Then she matriculated at the University of Phoenix and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.
Taylor finally arrived. She’d shaken off her old baggage and developed a new purpose and outlook on life. Next was the job market. An educator for 20-plus years, she worked for The Salvation Army, Serenity Recovery Center, Shelby County Rape Crisis Center, Department of Human Services, and Shelby County Child Support Office.
In 2004, Taylor decided to go public with her life story and self-published the book “A Woman of God: An Inspirational Book for Women.” People who read her life story were touched; and those she knew shared their own experiences with Taylor. She was on to something special: touching the lives of others.
In her spare time, Taylor is committed to volunteering at various organizations to give hope to young teenage girls, women and men who’ve traveled similar paths. Some of the organizations include St. Peter Home-Children Alarm, Shelby County Juvenile Court, Youth Village, CAAP, Inc., and the Mark H. Luttrell Correction Center for Women.
While volunteering is germane to reaching the “least of God’s people,” Taylor also reaches people as a motivational speaker and community activist. She’s also a recipient of several honors and awards, and has been seen on TV, heard on local radio stations, and featured in several magazines and newspaper articles.
In 2013, Taylor founded Ladies In Need Can Survive, Inc. (LINCS), a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization helping troubled women to transition back into society. The mother of two daughters and the grandmother of five, she has a heart for helping troubled women.
Wanda Taylor comes from a splintered family of neglect, abuse, and addictions. A native Memphian, she grew up in a single parent home with her mother, who battled a long-term drug addiction. Her father also battled a long-term drug addiction. She lived in two housing projects – Lemoyne Gardens and Claiborne Homes – and was raised around gangsters, pimps, drug dealers, prostitutes, addicts and alcoholics.
At the age of 11, Taylor became a substance abuser, experienced domestic violence at 13, became a teenage mother at 15, dropped out of high school at 17, was in and out of the court system at 18, and was homeless by the time she turned 20. When she turned 21, she made a decision to walk away from a lifestyle of corruption and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and personal Savior.
Trying to turn her life around for the better, Taylor returned to the classroom; she was 26. At age 28, she received her high school diploma from Messick Adult High School. Upon graduation, she attended Southwest Tennessee Community College, where she received a Technical Certificate in Substance Abuse Counseling, and an Associate of Science degree in Human Service. Then she matriculated at the University of Phoenix and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.
Taylor finally arrived. She’d shaken off her old baggage and developed a new purpose and outlook on life. Next was the job market. An educator for 20-plus years, she worked for The Salvation Army, Serenity Recovery Center, Shelby County Rape Crisis Center, Department of Human Services, and Shelby County Child Support Office.
In 2004, Taylor decided to go public with her life story and self-published the book “A Woman of God: An Inspirational Book for Women.” People who read her life story were touched; and those she knew shared their own experiences with Taylor. She was on to something special: touching the lives of others.
In her spare time, Taylor is committed to volunteering at various organizations to give hope to young teenage girls, women and men who’ve traveled similar paths. Some of the organizations include St. Peter Home-Children Alarm, Shelby County Juvenile Court, Youth Village, CAAP, Inc., and the Mark H. Luttrell Correction Center for Women.
While volunteering is germane to reaching the “least of God’s people,” Taylor also reaches people as a motivational speaker and community activist. She’s also a recipient of several honors and awards, and has been seen on TV, heard on local radio stations, and featured in several magazines and newspaper articles.
In 2013, Taylor founded Ladies In Need Can Survive, Inc. (LINCS), a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization helping troubled women to transition back into society. The mother of two daughters and the grandmother of five, she has a heart for helping troubled women.
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Ladies In Need Can Survive, Inc.
LINCS is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 transitional home for women who are battling homelessness, substance abuse and domestic violence. Women admitted to the program can stay up to one year. Amenities include daily meals, clothing, transportation, basic necessities, and wraparound services.