Changemaker Leah Droge, Executive Director, Friendship Home

The first day of school should feel ordinary—new shoes, a backpack, a steady morning routine. For many families escaping violence, that ordinary moment is an act of courage. We sit with Friendship Home’s Executive Director, Leah Droge, to explore what safety really takes: round-the-clock support, child advocates who meet kids where they are, and a community that knows how to listen without judgment. Leah brings 21 years of experience, from answering crisis calls to leading a team that serves over 150 people across 62 households, and she explains why demand for services has climbed more than 30% since 2021.

 If you care about safe housing, survivor advocacy, and building a compassionate, coordinated community, this episode offers both a roadmap and a reason to act.

Welcome to the Agency for Change podcast.

Connect with Leah and Friendship Home at:
· Website – https://friendshiphome.org/

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Mission of Friendship Home
• 2:10 Why Domestic Violence Needs Urgent Action
• 4:05 Serving Entire Families, Kids to Parents
• 6:20 Back-to-School Amid Crisis
• 9:00 Leah’s 21-Year Journey to Leadership
• 12:30 Survivor Resilience and System Gaps
• 15:20 24/7 Support and Care Model
• 17:40 How Communities Can Truly Help

Transcript

Connect with Leah and Friendship Home at: 

·       Website – https://friendshiphome.org/

Leah Droge: 0:00

Let's do better together.

Announcer: 0:05

Welcome to Agency for Change, a podcast from KidGlov that brings you the stories of changemakers who are actively working to improve our community. In every episode, we'll meet with people who are making a lasting impact in the places we call home.

Lyn Wineman: 0:28

Hello and welcome back to the Agency for Change podcast. This is Lyn Wineman, president and chief strategist at KidGlov. Today's guest, Leah Droge, has dedicated over 20 years to walking alongside survivors of intimate partner violence. As executive director of Friendship Home, she leads with compassion, with advocacy, and with a deep belief that we are stronger together. She's going to talk about that in this episode. Leah's work centers around survivor voices and helping to build powerful partnerships that create safer and more supportive communities. Leah, welcome to the podcast. 

Leah Droge: 1:15

Thank you. I'm looking forward to our conversation. 

Lyn Wineman: 1:20

Oh, me too. Me too. I wish most people won't see our picture because they'll just be listening and they'll probably be driving. But you're in this beautiful office with a pretty background and a great smile on your face. So I always know we're off to a good start. And I just love to have you tell us more about Friendship Home and the work you do in the community. 

Leah Droge: 1:43

Friendship Home provides safe shelter and supportive services for domestic violence survivors and their children. And we serve as the only emergency domestic violence shelter in Lancaster County, Nebraska.

Lyn Wineman: 1:56

Wow. That's a that's big work. And you are seeing people probably at one of the most devastating times in their lives. So this next question may seem obvious, but I'd really love to hear your perspective. I mean, domestic violence is such a critical issue. Why is it, Leah, that the work that you and the Friendship Home do, why is it that it's so important right now?

Leah Droge: 2:24

Yeah, it is a critical issue. And we have seen in times of uncertainty and crisis, whether that's on a local level or a national level, that violence tends to intensify. And so it feels like we're living through that again right now. And we're seeing more survivors reach out for services. We've seen a more than 30% increase since 2021.

Lyn Wineman: 2:48

Wow, Leah, that's a big number. Wow. And there has been a lot of uncertainty. I mean, since the pandemic, I think we all went through this period of trauma that it'll take decades to unravel really what the effects of that were. And then we went, it seems like we went from the pandemic to economic uncertainty to political uncertainty to just kind of a time of unrest and uneasiness. Does do you feel the same?

Leah Droge: 3:22

I do, yeah. And when I think about some of the things that are really core that we all need, they include safe housing and social connection and economic resources. And I feel all those things were absolutely impacted by the pandemic and feels like they're being impacted in some ways now as well.

Lyn Wineman: 3:41

Yeah. You know, I want to ask you, Leah. I mean, you're taking care of parents and kids. You know, what do you have to do as an organization to prepare to take care of both adults and children? That feels like a kind of a unique situation, isn't it?

Leah Droge: 4:00

It is, yes. Yeah, I think when I looked today, we were serving, let me double check, 62 different households. So that's over 150 people in 60 different locations, every quadrant of our city. And yes, many different ages of children. We have folks who come in that might even be pregnant and have their children there stay with us.

Lyn Wineman: 4:23

Oh my goodness. Wow.

Leah Droge: 4:25

Yeah, kids in their late teens or even into their 20s. We're really fortunate to have three children's advocates as part of our team, and that is their role is they engage with those children and youth, and they get to give that individual time and attention and really invest in them at the same time that we have amazing case managers investing in their parents.

Lyn Wineman: 4:45

Yeah. As we're talking about kids, I wasn't preparing to ask you this question, but when you think of 62 households and over 150 people, and we're having this conversation at the end of August of 2025. It will air in October of 2025. And I just put the year in there because people listen to these episodes, you know, years into the future. But school has just started. What is that like for your organization and your three child advocates to help 62 families get ready for school? That's a big back to school list.

Leah Droge: 5:22

It is, yes. Yeah, I actually saw one of my coworkers who is a child advocate earlier, and I said, How are you doing? We made it through back to school.

Lyn Wineman: 5:31

Yeah, right. I remember what it was like just for a family with three kids and getting the lists and the things and just mentally getting ready, getting the sleep schedule back ready and the waking up schedule back ready. And I mean, that's gotta be a lot of work, but also very satisfying, too, to know that hey, maybe start of school would not be possible without the work that you're doing as well. 

Leah Droge: 5:58

Absolutely. Yeah, we always think of it as we're working to provide safety, but also build stability with surviving households. Routines part of that. Setting people up for success on that first day of school is part of it. We always want folks to have what they need. So, you know, backpacks and maybe new shoes and a new outfit, all those things that help us start on the right foot.

Lyn Wineman: 6:21

Yeah, everybody wants a new outfit for the first day of school. Yeah, I remember that. I remember that fun and that chaos as well. Leah, I know you've been with the Friendship Home for a long time, and I'm always interested in people's journeys to get where they are today. Could you tell us a little bit about your path to this role? 

Leah Droge: 6:44

Absolutely. Yeah. So I just celebrated my 21st anniversary.

Lyn Wineman: 6:47

Congratulations.

Leah Droge: 6:48

Wow. Thank you. Some days it feels like a long time, but sometimes it feels like just the blink of an eye. I think it's something where I have seen domestic violence and dating violence up close in my personal life. And then when I was in college, I went to Nebraska Wesleyan University and I was taking a child and adolescent psychology class, and I said, you need to go out to the community, you need to have some practicum experience. And I chose Friendship Home. And I've just never turned away from it since then. It's a really core belief I have that everyone deserves to be safe in their own family, in their own home, in their own relationship. And so when that's not possible or people need space to work on that, we provide that space for them. And I've done a lot of different roles over the years from answering that first crisis call to case management, walking alongside survivors as they navigate, children's advocacy. And I've worked a lot with community partners. Probably one of my favorite roles is I oversaw our interim program for a period of time.

Lyn Wineman: 7:54

Oh, wow. Yeah, because you started in college. You, I mean, I've got to believe both your passion and that experience, kind of in almost every aspect of the organization, has to be really valuable to you at this point. 

Leah Droge: 8:12

It does, yeah. I think all that I've learned directly from survivors, I've walked alongside, from my amazing teammates and coworkers, and just life lessons really culminate in the role I'm in now as executive director and allows me just to have a fuller picture of the work we do and really think about how we keep survivors at the center of our response and really encourage that with our community partners too. How do we continue learning from survivors and building connections that really meet their need?

Lyn Wineman: 8:40

Yeah. You know, Leah, speaking of survivors, I'm really curious what has surprised you most about the resilience of survivors and the strength of this community over that time.

Leah Droge: 8:53

Yeah, I think survivors are so courageous. When you think about experiencing harm from someone and the person you probably trust most. That's a very disarming experience. And it takes some time for people to be able to learn to trust again and also learn sometimes to trust themselves again. And I think about you know, survivors are often people I see that they're trying to build a better path forward for others who are coming behind them because they've had that experience with that partner, but oftentimes with some of our systems as well, and they want there to be a smoother path for others.

Lyn Wineman: 9:32

Yeah. Sometimes you think about that, you're at a really difficult time in your life. You're worried about your safety, your stability, maybe even, yeah, where your housing is going to be or where your next meal is going to come from. How are you going to get your kids into school? And then on top of that, the system you need to navigate doesn't always flow as easily as we would hope. How do you help support, you know, kids and families through this time?

Leah Droge: 10:03

Yeah, so we do a lot of work every day. We have an amazing team. We offer 24-7 support. So that might be someone calls, it's the middle of the night, they can't need to talk through it. It might be meeting with that designated counselor, it might be they're coming to support group and processing that. And then we have teammates who are really, again, walking alongside, have oftentimes an understanding of that system. And so it's that survivor's lived personal experience paired with that framework understanding that we want to partner up with them and help them think through what their options are next.

Lyn Wineman: 10:39

Yeah, Leah, I know you have an incredible and committed team. This is not a job that you can just turn off at five o'clock. It is a job that goes on around the clock. So I really appreciate what your folks do for the community and people who are in need. I'm really curious, based on your experience, what steps can each of us take to help create safer, more supportive communities for people who might be going through this struggle of domestic violence?

Leah Droge: 11:14

Yes, I think you know, one really core thing is learning about what are the warning signs that someone might be experiencing violence and learning how to hold space. So that's building skills. How do we learn to really engage, to listen, to be able to validate someone's experience? And that all signals to survivors that this is a safe place. Able to step forward. And um, you know, I'm part of one agency and one community, but we're part of a statewide network, and that exists in every state in this country. And so knowing who's your local program, I always tell my community partners you don't have to know everything, but know where to start.

Lyn Wineman: 11:57

Good advice. That's great advice. Thank you for that. You know, Leah, the relationship between our two organizations, KidGlov and Friendship Home, goes back a few years because we got to work with your team to do a brand refresh a few years ago. And it's one of my favorites. It's got this friendly gold and blue sunshine, but I'm really curious for you as you get to live out the brand or carry it through. What do you think about when you see that new brand?

Leah Droge: 12:33

Yeah, I think you know, that that burst of sun, I think, is very welcoming. And that's a piece that's so core to who we strive to be, to be a warm and welcoming place. And I think that very much shines through. I think the way that we've added that piece about empowering freedom, violence and really clarifying for people, it is a journey, and it's about we're helping people along that path. I think those things really stand out to me. And I'm always proud to wear that emblem on whatever shirt I'm wearing out into the community.

Lyn Wineman: 13:04

I love that. That's just exactly what we were trying to achieve, Leah. It's so good to hear you say that. So I'm really curious what's on the horizon for friendship home? Any upcoming initiatives or projects that you're excited about? 

Leah Droge: 13:22

Absolutely. There's always something new. We recently, over the last two years, were part of an assessment in our community asking survivors directly what were their experiences navigating to safety. Heard a lot of great feedback. Two big pieces from that we're focused on are we need additional capacity in our community along that housing continuum and really specific trauma-informed domestic violence shelter buds. So at Friendship Home, we're actively planning and envisioning how to meet that need. And at the same time, in the near future, probably by the time this comes out, we'll have announced we've been working to create more pet-friendly sheltering.

Lyn Wineman: 14:05

Oh, yes, that's such an important part of people's lives. And pets can be so emotionally soothing, I believe. I may be even saying it wrong, but what a great idea. And you don't want to leave your pet behind.

Leah Droge: 14:21

No, no one should ever have to make that choice between staying or leaving your pets behind and fleeing. And we don't want folks to have to make it in our community.

Lyn Wineman: 14:30

Wow, that is that is so cool. Well, and you really think about it. If demand has increased by 30%, that puts a lot of pressure on the system. And you being the only organization that responds the way that you do, there definitely is a need there. Well, I hope lots of people listen to this podcast and respond when you say, we need additional funds to increase our capacity. So, Leah, this is a good chance to see if people want to connect with you, learn more, make a donation. What is the best way to connect with Friendship Home?

Leah Droge: 15:15

Yeah, the best thing to do would be to look at our website, and that's friendshiphome.org. And there's lots of information about volunteer opportunities, about donation opportunities. We absolutely need the communities to support us in this work. We could not do it without them.

Lyn Wineman: 15:30

That's fantastic. Friendshiphome.org, pretty easy to remember, but we will also have that in the show notes on the KidGlov website as well. For those of you that are driving or jogging or doing all the things that you do when you listen to podcasts. So, Leah, I want to switch gears just a little bit. All of our listeners know that I am inspired by motivational quotes. And I feel so lucky to get to talk to people like you on the Agency for Change podcast. I would really like a Leah Droge inspirational quote for our listeners. 

Leah Droge: 16:06

Well, let me let me give you some context and then I'll give it to you. So I always think of our work's not done in isolation. And just as survivors' lives are very complex and they cut across multiple layers and different spaces, our response must be just as collaborative and strong. And so I always say, let's do better together.

Lyn Wineman: 16:30

Oh, I love that. Let's do better together. I kind of feel like I'd love to have that on a poster behind me on the wall. That's a good one, Leah. I appreciate that. And I do appreciate your thought of teamwork and isolation. And I'm going to link this back to I think about the logo for the Friendship Home. It has that blue and yellow sun, but in the middle of the sun is made to make you think of the planet Earth, right? And think about how we all come together and work together. So it's kind of nice how that all ties together. Leah, I love talking with you and I so appreciate the work that you do. As we wrap up our time together today, I'm curious what is the most important thing you would like people to remember about the work that you're doing?

Leah Droge: 17:24

I think it's that Friendship Home is working toward a future in which our community's response to domestic violence is just as strong as that need, and where every person who needs that care and support and shelter can receive it.

Lyn Wineman: 17:40

I love it. Once again, that maybe sounds like good messaging for a future capital campaign. Stay tuned, everyone. Stay tuned. That's fantastic. Leah, I fully believe the world needs more people like you, more organizations like Friendship Home. I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us today.

Leah Droge: 18:06

Thank you. I appreciate being here.

Announcer: 18:10

We hope you enjoyed today's Agency for Change podcast. To hear all our interviews with those who are making a positive change in our communities, or to nominate a changemaker you'd love to hear from, visit kidglov.com at k-i-dg-l-o-v.com to get in touch. As always, if you like what you've heard today, be sure to rate, review, subscribe, and share. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.