Meet Tammy Dindoffer | Executive Director/MyPlace

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tammy Dindoffer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tammy, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Human trafficking is a scourge on our community and every part of the world. The mission of MyPlace is to prevent trafficking in the Jackson, MI community. The impact is to support vulnerable youth to become self-sufficient, healthy adults which positively impacts our community directly.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
MyPlace is a non profit in the City of Jackson Michigan, which provides independent living and support to youths 16-21, aging out of foster care with no place to live, those in foster care with no home placement or other youths without safe housing. Our mission is to prevent human trafficking and homelessness within this very vulnerable population. MyPlace provides support for these youths to obtain the life skills needed to transition to self sufficient adulthood by making sure they are graduating from high school and acquiring post secondary education or job skills, working, receiving counseling and health care. We partner with other organizations in Jackson County which provide programs that our youth would benefit from such as education on healthy relationships, personal finance. healthy diets, etc. Currently MyPlace is able to service up to six females and is in the process of renovating a home and fundraising in order to open another home for young men. MyPlace also operates a social enterprise, MyBakery, which provides trauma informed employment and teaches job skills for MyPlace residents and other at risk youths in the community. The employees bake, take orders, sell at the farmers market and other venues, learn the POS system, and provide customer service.
MyPlace is the only organization of its type in Michigan. There are other organizations in Detroit, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor that provide housing, but do not provide the intense programming and personal care to their residents as MyPlace does.
I am most proud of our young ladies and how they try so hard to rise above the horrific traumas they have endured to become healthy, self-sufficient adults. I am also proud of our staff that works with our residents through their ups and downs and celebrate the small wins of each resident that add up to completing a goal, such as graduation, obtaining a drivers license, cooking a meal or simply displaying kindness and care to another.
MyPlace founders were active in Set Free, an international human trafficking organization. They wanted to make a difference and impact the amount of human trafficking in Jackson County. After conducting interviews and surveys of MDHHS, city officials, private and nonprofit organizations, it became obvious that there was a lack of safe, affordable housing for the youths in, and exiting foster care. National statistics point how vulnerable this group is to being trafficked and becoming homeless. After forming a board of directors, creating by-laws and registering as a 501C3, MyPlace partnered with the Interfaith Shelter to rent a home that they then renovated. The MDHHS provided guidance and support for policies and procedures, staff hiring and training. MyPlace opened its doors After 15 months of planning, MyPlace opened it’s doors in April, 2021.
It was easy in the sense that everyone involved was vested in the mission, and many in the community were willing to donate their resources, or time in renovating the home, and building the funds needed to operate. It was difficult in the sense of organizing the project. Since MyPlace has opened, we have learned how difficult it may be in providing independent living for youths that have been experienced trauma which results in needs to relearn how to process information, critically think through decisions, trust others, and plan for the future. We have also learned how important continuous mental health counseling is for each of our residents. We have also been challenged in fund development in order to pay our valuable staff a living wage. We have learned that partnerships with community organizations and individuals are imperative to provide the MyPlace program in our community. To date, MyPlace has served 25 young ladies.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In the summer I would definitely spend time with a visitor at on of the beautiful lakes in the area. We would visit downtown Jackson for some shopping among the great shops and boutiques. We would also antique in Allen and enjoy a meal on the patio at Rosalie’s in Jonesville. I would take them to Cherry Creek Winery for their summertime evening music series. There is also dancing and music at the Beach Bar and golf at one of the local golf courses. Cascades would be on our itinerary for a long walk or run and check out the falls. In the winter we would cross country ski instead of the beach and enjoy pizza at Klavon’s.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The Set Free Anti Human Trafficking Movement International and the local unit at the Arbor Church were instrumental in the founding of MyPlace. The local unit worked on the concept of MyPlace, the development of the board of directors and funding, as well as donations of resources and time by many volunteers who worked on restoration of the house we now call MyPlace. The International Movement worked with the MyPlace founders on developing our website and social media, messaging and financial support. MyPlace would only be a dream without the Set free Movement.

Website: https://myplacejackson.org

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