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Fresno’s Gabelcrest program provides housing, case management and a supportive community.
It was Cristal Hill’s last day at Gabelcrest. She was packing up the apartment she and her 5-year-old daughter, Sofia, had called home for two years.
“It’s scary and good, because I know it’s a new chapter in my life,” Hill said, taking a break from sorting her belongings. The pair were ready for their new home—one without an onsite case manager.
For three decades, women like Hill have found support in The Salvation Army’s Gabelcrest program in Fresno, California. Gablecrest offers women in recovery not only a place to stay but also the resources and the time—up to two years—to rebuild their lives and strengthen their relationship with their children.
Funded by an endowment, this gated transitional living community comprises 11 two-bedroom/two-bathroom townhome units for women and their children, with a large outdoor area where kids can play. Residents cook their own meals, manage their own households and follow a structured weekday schedule of case management, classes and appointments, guided by staff who have walked the same road.
In its first 30 years, Gabelcrest has served 277 women and 609 children. Of those women, over half arrived with open Child Protective Services (CPS) cases.
Gablecrest operates with clear rules and routines: residents come directly from a recovery program, follow a weekday schedule with written plans, sign out when they leave, meet a 7 p.m. curfew, keep their units clean with nightly chore checks and open blinds by 9 a.m.
About 52 percent of participants have completed the program. Others left before the six-month completion mark—many moving directly into permanent housing, according to Gabelcrest staff.
Participants pay a program fee equal to one‑third of their income, save at least 10 percent toward future housing, and closely supervise their children under Salvation Army child protection policies.
Life at Gablecrest is closely linked with the Fresno Citadel Corps and Corps Officers Majors Beth and Frank Desplancke. Residents attend Sunday worship, weekly Bible study and women’s ministries, while children participate in their own programs.
For the Desplanckes, the program is far more than a set of apartments to manage.
“I don’t want to be just a landlord,” Beth Desplancke said. “This is a ministry. This is a huge ministry.”
Desplancke said she wants women to succeed as much as they want it for themselves.
The community is strengthened through shared activities. From Easter egg hunts in the courtyard to birthday and holiday parties and special outings like a recent trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the beach.
“During the trip to Monterey, the ladies all got involved,” said Assistant Program Manager Jody May. “Everybody got along, had great conversations—they had a really good time.”
May knows the power of sisterhood at Gablecrest firsthand. A graduate, she now lives onsite with her young son, Andrew—he has never known any home but Gablecrest and its built‑in friends.
Beth Desplancke calls May’s spiritual gift “the gift of giving.” She said May constantly goes above and beyond for current residents and alumni.
May said she’s driven by the desire for women to know what’s possible.
“We’re a new creation,” she said. “That’s one of my favorite things to tell these ladies—that we are redeemed, if you want to be… You’re not who you used to be. You don’t have to be that version of yourself anymore.”
Fellow Gablecrest alumna Program Director Kathleen Kodman has held the position since 2011. For Kodman, the biggest measure of success is the children who come home.
“I’ve seen so many women reunite with their children—many of whom were in CPS,” she said. “I’ve watched families come back together, women get apartments, find jobs, buy cars and earn their licenses while they were here.”
The support continues after women leave the program. Alumni stay in touch with staff, return for events and, in some cases, like Kodman and May, pursue training to become substance use disorder counselors.
On her last afternoon at Gablecrest, Hill looked to the future. She plans to balance school, work and parenting while saving for a home of her own.
Her advice for women entering Gabelcrest?
“Never give up, and keep an open mind—be willing to learn and to do what you need to do to structure your life,” she said. “Because without structure, we’re powerless, and we just do whatever we feel like… Being here helps us open up, let go, and live the life God wants for us.”
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