Our Story
A nonprofit, founded in 2017, walking with formerly incarcerated and homeless women toward hope, healing, and independence.
Our mission is to provide a place to stay, but not just a place to stay — a place of hope, and refuge. A place where our focus is truly on serving the people who walk through our doors, letting them know that they can dream again, and not only dream, but those dreams can become reality.
A world where every woman returning to society is met with opportunity instead of obstacles — where reintegration is treated not as a personal struggle, but as a community responsibility.
Our Team
Founder & CEO
Amirah Gibson Baxter is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Iradell & Elizabeth Center Inc., a nonprofit organization established in 2017 with a mission to empower formerly incarcerated and homeless women through support, resources, education, and opportunities for personal growth and independence.
Director of I&E Center
Shawn Baxter is the Director of Iradell & Elizabeth Center Inc. He has served on the Board of Directors of Iradell & Elizabeth Center Inc. since 2017. Before this, Shawn served in the Armed Forces for 30 years and continues to serve. He believes in second chances and has compassion for people who would normally be looked over or deemed "unqualified." With decades of experience in the military sector, Shawn brings his strength, resilience, and compassion to help anyone in need. Since joining I&E Center, he has assisted significantly in transforming lives, and he looks forward to making collaborative efforts that will leave a lasting impact for years to come.
The principles that shape every program, conversation, and decision we make.
Every interaction begins with respect, empathy, and the assumption of strength.
We grow alongside the women we serve, building programs shaped by lived experience.
Confidentiality, consistency, and follow-through — the foundations of healing.
Long-Term Vision in action
When a woman finds her footing again, the impact does not stop at her doorstep. It moves through her neighbors, her block, and her entire city — creating a wave of stability, purpose, and shared prosperity that touches us all.
Stable housing and a steady job bring clarity, pride, and routine. With mentorship and sisterhood behind her, she stops surviving and starts planning. Anxiety is replaced by focus, and she moves forward with confidence.
When a neighbor has purpose and stability, the whole block feels it. Property values hold, local businesses thrive, and people look out for one another by name.
Every successful reintegration saves public funds while growing the workforce and strengthening families. Cities that treat second chances as infrastructure become magnets for talent, business, and culture.
