Neighbor News
Always Home's Marlynn Benker Awarded Staff Member of the Year
Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT honors nonprofits at 10th Annual Social Service Recognition Breakfast
ALWAYS HOME’S SOCIAL WORKER NAMED STAFF MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Mystic, CT (November20, 2019) — This morning, Marlynn Benker, Always Home’s Social Worker, was awarded Staff Member of the Year at the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut’s Social Service Recognition Breakfast. This annual event, sponsored by SAVA Insurance Group, Inc. and Citizens Bank, brings together regional nonprofits to honor those who have walked the extra mile on behalf of others.
“I’m very touched that out of all of my colleagues I was chosen for this honor,” shared Ms. Benker “Preventing family homelessness involves working together. It’s a collaboration of agencies, staff, volunteers and the generosity of foundations, area businesses and individuals.” She humbly added, “I walk together with others because I couldn’t do it myself.”
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A long-time resident of Groton, Ms. Benker is well-known throughout the community. She is a Licensed Social Worker who has worked in the field for over 30 years, the last ten with Always Home. Others may know Marlynn as the water aerobics teacher at the Mystic YMCA or owner of Mystic’s Puritan and Genesta in the 1980s.
For Always Home’s client families, Ms. Benker is the face of the organization, providing them with the compassionate care they need to move beyond homelessness. In Fiscal Year 2019, Always Home served 232 families seeking emergency housing assistance (717 family members including 424 minor children). By combining case management support, short-term financial assistance and creative homelessness prevention services, Ms. Benker helps families find immediate solutions to their housing crisis and create a viable path forward.
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About Always Home
Always Home is a private 501(C)3) non-profit formed in 1998 to address the needs of Eastern Connecticut's homeless and imminently homeless families. Formerly known as Mystic Area Shelter & Hospitality, Inc. (MASH), the agency continues to pursue its mission of Preventing Family Homelessness. As a key player in the Eastern Coordinated Access Network (ECAN), Always Home works closely with the other service providers in the Eastern Connecticut regional network to ensure that at-risk families receive the services they need to attain housing stability.
For more information about Always Home, visit www.alwayshome.org