DES MOINES, Iowa — The Beacon is here to serve women on their darkest days. Now, its new executive director Amy Landrigan is going to be the guide who walks them through their trauma.
The nonprofit works with women experiencing trauma, whether that be homelessness, incarceration, addiction or domestic violence.
Landrigan will lead a team of 10, all of which happen to be women. She told Local 5 she wants to continue what’s working well and further The Beacon’s mission.
For over a decade, she has worked in nonprofits and civic leadership.
“I've worked with many different vulnerable populations, and I’ve had the privilege to serve adults with developmental disabilities and adults experiencing homelessness,” Landrigan said.
Originally she wanted to volunteer with The Beacon, but when the executive director position opened up, she decided to apply.
“That's really what brought me here, was that passion for that alignment with what I love to do, which is empowering women and making sure they have what they need to get out of that survival mindset and get into that thrive mindset,” Landrigan said.
Landrigan ended up getting the gig and will now oversee The Beacon, which is based in Des Moines.
“If I can lift up a voice of another, if I can empower someone else to speak out on what they need, if I can give someone access to the care that they deserve, if I can make sure somebody has a safe place to live and a place where they feel like they can be 100% themselves, I'm going to do everything in my power to do that,” Landrigan said.
Landrigan will also be in charge of two resources turning lives around. The Beacon at Sherman Hill serves as an addiction recovery center for women while The Beacon Village offers affordable housing to women with trauma.
“We're a community, and women feel that way here, and they feel that way in the Beacon Village, which is really beautiful,” Landrigan said.
A top priority of Landrigan’s is to further the work of The Beacon Village by adding more affordable housing across the metro.
“I'm excited to continue working with the board and our community members that are very passionate, involved to understand what is the need and how can we meet that,” Landrigan said.
Another priority of Landrigan’s is to introduce new training opportunities for women to prepare them for the workforce.
She took over The Beacon from its previous executive director, Melissa Vine, who stepped down in September to pursue a career in law.