Tina Hayward received three phone calls through the morning Tuesday regarding women who needed a place to sleep.

One woman was seen walking down U.S. 61 South wrapped in a blanket and wearing no shoes, she said.

“She had been hiding out in the bushes with no place to go. She said she was praying that God would show her where to go,” Hayward said.

Another phone call came at 5 a.m. It was about a mentally disabled woman who had been forced to leave her home.

The phone rang again around 9. A new mother had been kicked out of her home at 4 in the morning because her newborn baby was crying, Hayward said.

When law enforcement officers see a woman wandering around Vicksburg, the first thing they do is try to contact the family of that person, but they often have to contact a local shelter, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said.

“Many of the females are victims of some type of domestic abuse,” he said. “You never want to see anybody on the street. It’s great there are places for them to go.”

Haven House Family Shelter, a United Way agency, has operated in Warren County for 20 years and serves abuse victims.

Haven House also operated a homeless shelter for about six years until it was closed about six years ago and now provides short-term and motel stays for homeless women.

But for others, those needing longer-term help, there is no sanctuary.

Mountain of Faith’s mission is to provide shelter for women and their children for up to 90 days, Hayward said. But because Hayward doesn’t have a staff for the women’s restoration shelter that partially opened in January, she can only take names and numbers from the people who call her about the women in hopes that the shelter’s financial condition changes.

Hayward has worked to fulfill her dream of operating a shelter in Warren County for women and children since 2001. She said the goal is to provide services to help restore the women by providing them with food, clothing and other services like job placement and transportation. Hayward hopes that the women who come to the shelter will be able to use services provided by other agencies throughout the county. These are all things she hoped would be in order by now.

But, since the shelter opened its doors, Hayward has realized that her efforts alone are not enough.

“I can’t understand why people are not contributing,” she said.

Hayward, who said they have had 13 women stay in the shelter since it opened, has not received much support from the city or the county, she said. And, the number of women needing shelter is increasing daily.

“If (the city and county) could just give $25,000 each, I could maximize that and use it just for staff,” she said.

Vicksburg Mayor Laurence Leyens said the city has $1 million allotted in its annual budget to divvy out to agencies like Hayward’s. The mayor and the board of alderman have to decide each year which services receive the money.

“We allocate the funds the best way we can,” he said. “I can’t just say today that we will be able to give her $25,000 next year.”

North Ward Alderman Gertrude Young said Hayward signed a contract with the city when a house on Old Cain Ridge Road was sold to Mountain of Faith Ministries for $1 by the city. The contract stated that she had one year from the time she signed until the city could give her anymore financial assistance.

“I reminded her that she can’t come to the city for a year – until she is well-established,” Young said. “We have to see for sure that (the shelter) will still be vital. We have been working closely with her and encouraging other entities to donate funds.”

Leyens said the city has given her as much support as they can for now.

“There were other people interested in the property – for other social services, but we chose her because her plan best suited it and she was the most qualified person,” he said.

Michael Mayfield of the Warren County Board of Supervisors said the county is trying to find a way to provide emergency help for the shelter, although he is unsure whether they may lawfully donate.

“We will turn over every stone that we can,” he said. “This is a much-needed service. It behooves the county – if there is any way possible for us to help – to be on the front line.”

The shelter currently has a four-member volunteer staff in addition to Hayward. One of the volunteers is her daughter, Nickole Brasfield, who moved from Houston to help run the shelter after her husband was sent to Iraq. She is the resident house manager.

Hayward said there has been little response from organizations, even those who refer people to her shelter.

“The United Way and the Salvation Army are sending people without saying, ‘Here’s $250 out of our budget,’ until we get our feet on the ground,” she said. “We are a restoration shelter – we are trying to restore these women and children by using the resources already available in the community.”

Hayward applied for a venture grant from the United Way that would give the shelter up to $2,500 in February, but the organization has put the process on hold for six months to give her time to become financially stable. The volunteers, who decide what agencies will receive the grant, will revisit the shelter and decide whether Hayward fits the criteria.

“I hope she has something she can show,” said Susan Ivins, campaign associate director for the United Way. “The volunteers want her to succeed. There’s no question that (the shelter) is needed.”

Ivins said most nonprofit agencies who receive the grant are well-established and have financial stability.

“We don’t fund agencies. We fund programs,” she said. “The volunteers are trying to be wise stewards of the dollars raised by the community. They’re giving her time to gain financial footing.”

In the meantime, the United Way will continue sending donated clothing to the shelter, Ivins said.

Since the women’s shelter, located in a building once owned by Southern Christian Services, was sold to Hayward by the city in August 2004, the 4,500 square foot, six-bedroom home has been renovated and filled with beds, kitchen supplies, computers and everything needed to run the shelter. What’s lacking is funding and a proper staff.

“There is not enough help and support. I knew (a shelter) was needed, but I didn’t know it was needed this much. People call every day, and I’m having to tell them, ‘I can’t help you,'” she said.

Without funds, Hayward said it’s tough paying the bills for the shelter, much less providing for the women. Mountain of Faith’s annual fund raiser, ‘Walk for Jesus,’ on March 27 raised enough money to pay two months of the shelter’s electricity bill, leaving no extra money.

After receiving the three phone calls Tuesday, Hayward worked on a budget to find out how much it will take to run the shelter.

A full-time staff, paid at minimum wage, will cost about $45,000. Hayward said she will probably quit her job at Nissan in Canton and take a significant pay cut in order to run the shelter sufficiently. She allotted $25,000 in the budget for her personal salary. About $70,000 will be needed for utilities, which includes insurance, transportation, water, telephone, electricity and Internet service.

“All the luxuries – we’re not worried about that, but we need the Internet. Someone donated all these computers so I can help (the women) find jobs,” Hayward said.

By cutting some corners, she decided it will take about $100,000 to run the shelter annually.

In the beginning, Hayward planned to receive support from the 230 churches across the county, but only five have provided funds.

Hayward feels like a little help from a lot of people could go a long way, and could supply the shelter with the funds it needs.

“If we had 100 churches and 100 businesses, and they give $250 this year, the budget will be met,” she said.