Our Story
The Dorothy Mae Hall Women’s Center—known as The Center—began with a simple but powerful belief: every woman deserves a safe place to rebuild her life.
Founder Freda Bullock spent more than twenty-five years working in human services. During that time, she saw many women and children trapped in dangerous and unstable situations. Often, they wanted to change their lives, but they lacked one critical thing—safe and stable housing.
“If I had a stable place to stay, I could leave this situation.”
Some wanted to escape abusive relationships. Others needed a safe place to recover from trauma or seek treatment. Without stable housing, breaking those cycles often felt impossible.
Seeing this need firsthand, Freda Bullock founded the Dorothy Mae Hall Women’s Center on August 5, 2016. Her goal was to create a place of hope, support, and stability for women and families in rural communities.
In October 2017, the Center took an important step forward when Freda met Marty Greer in Wendell, North Carolina. After recently retiring as a social worker, Ms. Greer recognized the urgent need for transitional housing and community support services. She believed in the mission and helped the Center secure affordable office space so the work could begin.
From those early days, the Center focused on meeting immediate needs while helping families move toward long-term stability. The organization began providing essential resources such as diapers and baby supplies, food assistance, career development support, and community support groups.
These services quickly gained strong support from the community and helped stabilize vulnerable families.
In February 2021, the Center reached another milestone when Coastal Credit Union awarded a grant that helped launch the organization’s housing program. Through this program, families receive stable housing and intensive case management for up to twenty-four months, giving them the time and support they need to rebuild their lives.
Today, the Center continues to grow through the generosity of community partners, donors, and volunteers who believe in the mission.
Through housing assistance, support services, and compassionate care, the Center helps women and families move from crisis to stability—and from instability to independence.