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When Lucretia Bowman went before the judge after spending 17 years in prison, she told him she needed help and had nowhere to go. The judge sent her to Talbert House, known most for addiction recovery.
“I didn’t fit into the recovery piece of Talbert House, but I thought about how I could use the same information to help other women with what I call ‘life-controlling issues,’” Lucretia says.
She created a program in 1995 called “Having the Courage to Change.” “We had five women living with me and my husband, and we were teaching them, when City Gospel Mission first approached me in 1996.
City Gospel Mission wanted to adopt Lucretia’s model, built on changing women’s lives in seven key areas:
“We merged our two rivers into one in 1999,” Lucretia recounts.
For 30 years, Lucretia has been a life coach, spiritual counselor, administrator and fundraiser to help women at City Gospel Mission break the cycle of hunger, homelessness, poverty, unemployment and addiction.
The Martha S. Lindner Center for Transformation in Mt. Auburn helps women to get a fresh start in life.
Remaking their lives one day at a time, half a dozen women carry plates from their evening meal in the dining room to the gleaming stainless steel kitchen at the Martha S. Lindner Center for Transformation in Mt. Auburn. Other housemates stand at the sink or grab towels as they chat while washing and drying the dishes together.
Impact 100 helped furnish the center’s kitchen with a $100,00 grant, but funds didn’t pay for a dishwasher, because, Lucretia emphasizes, “washing dishes together is where community is built.”
Volunteers build community in the kitchen Impact 100 helped fund at the Martha S. Lindner Center for Transformation.
For the women living in the center since July 2023, this welcoming space is helping them to overcome barriers such as homelessness, addiction or unemployment. They are transforming themselves into strong and self-sufficient women with hope for a new beginning.
Lucretia led a $10 million fundraising campaign over three years to open the center on Goethe Street and renovate additional affordable housing units a short walk away.
The Lindner Center for Transformation houses up to 30 women. “Here, the women are harnessed with structure. That harness will fall off as they transition to independence,” Lucretia says.
“Our life coaches give them the plays, and they’ve been practicing for months. Now they’re ready to put the plays into action,” she continues.
Moving on to the next phase of their lives in April 2026, seven women moved from the center to newly renovated housing units of City Gospel Mission’s “Promised Land” initiative. Lucretia emphasizes that safe, affordable housing is a key factor of independence. Typical monthly rent in Cincinnati for a 500- to 700-square-foot unit can be $1,200 to $2,700, depending on the neighborhood. “Our women only pay $500 to $750 per month.”
Lucretia recently retired from her role as Executive Vice President of City Gospel Mission’s Community Engagement to form her own nonprofit, Embracing Change. She continues to consult with City Gospel Mission and to coach the women in the units on Goethe Street.
Inspired by Impact 100’s work, she joined our collective giving group in 2026. “I’m observing and learning this year,” she says. “Seeing how much work and effort members put into the process is uplifting, amazing and insightful.”
Lucretia Bowman proudly stands in a new kitchen in City Gospel Mission’s affordable, newly renovated apartment building on Goethe Street.
Lucretia sits in a comfortable gathering space for residents of City Gospel Mission’s newest apartment building.
See how Impact 100’s investment in bold, transformative projects promotes thriving communities throughout the Greater Cincinnati region.
