Minyard: "It's a transitional house for women coming from various abusive lifestyles."

43-year-old Denise Minyard was one of those women a few years ago, and now she wants to use her experience and one-on-one contact with women to help them succeed.

Minyard: "Instead of folks being a statistic, or just another person in a facility, we want to make it a house. We want it to be home for many people who haven't been able to say that for years, for months, for days."

Minyard's program will teach the women life skills, including financial literacy and GED prep.

Minyard: " We want to awaken those things that would cause them to not just stay in survival mode, but to actually go to a mode of victorious living."

Minyard has won a 5-thousand dollar Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, which will pay for beds, linens and appliances for the house.

Minyard: "Winning the award was wonderful because it was someone finally saying, yes, they agree with our vision, yes, I stand in agreement with your desire to help other people."