Pivotal Point executive director set to retire

By Jenna Wilson

After more than seven years serving as the executive director at Pivotal Point Transitional Housing, Melissa Frakes has announced her plans to retire later this year.

Pivotal Point Transitional Housing helps families and individuals overcome homelessness. Under her leadership, the organization has transformed into one that offers hope and positively impacts the lives of countless families, helping them pursue self-sufficiency.

Frakes, who will officially retire in September, also led the expansion of many important services this past year, including opening a youth transitional home, providing more than 29,000 meals to individuals in need and housing over 80 adults and kids combined.

“It’s been a huge blessing for me to serve this community, and to help adults and now teenagers, in transitional housing,” Frakes said. “Our goal is to help them get a second chance to be productive members of the community and it’s been an honor and a pleasure for me to be able to participate in that.”

One local family completed their term at Pivotal Point’s extended graduate housing in November of 2023. While living in the home, they got married, grew their family with the birth of a baby boy and budgeted their money to buy a house of their own.

For Frakes, it’s about more than changing these individuals’ physical lives; it all comes down to building relationships.

“I recently got a call from a young lady we served that now lives in Washington,” Frakes said. “She checks in with me all the time and said, ‘I just want to check on you because I want you to be there for my wedding.’ There’s just so many wonderful stories from each of our families, but the young adult stories are the ones that make me feel I’ve done something right in this world and in this community.’”

While much has been accomplished with her leadership, Frakes and other board of directors with Pivotal Point believe there is more ahead for the organization to accomplish.

“We may go even bigger like having that youth building open last year,” she said. “We didn’t know that was going to happen four years ago and it did.”

Board President Tom Richmond said the search for a new executive to fill her shoes now begins, and they are optimistic they will find someone just as equipped for the role.

“Our board of directors is quite active and provides a level of support as well so I think the industry is positioned to go forward,” Richmond said. “But I don’t discount the importance of how Melissa has been able to tie everything all together and certainly as we move forward, we will be looking for a leader that can provide that same kind of vision for the ministry.”