Less than two years ago, the little tan ranch-style house at 3347 Ames Ave. was a crime scene.
Today, it’s a space for healing.
The multi-purpose building, which formerly housed an apartment and was often used for parties, is the new home of Timber Creek Total Care, a therapeutic group home for adolescent girls ages 13 to 19.
In November 2022, Karly Rain Wood, 20, was shot eight times in the home after a . Seven other people were shot and wounded. Wood was the only person killed.
When Amber Wood, Karly’s mother, heard about the building’s new purpose, her first reaction was skepticism. But after meeting with Timber Creek co-founder Felicia Frezell, Amber saw the home as an opportunity to inspire other young girls with the characteristics she saw in Karly: Independence. Confidence. Creativity.
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With the permission of the owners and a team of volunteers, Amber Wood got to work infusing Karly’s spirit into each room. Frezell, who has a long history of working with youths and adolescents with mental health issues, said she “instantly” understood Wood’s motivations.
“Our philosophies and morals just met,” Frezell said of her collaboration with Wood. “My family has been touched by tragedy. My sister and her daughter were both murdered, so we instantly had that connection. I haven’t lost any of my children, but I understood loss. We have that in common.”
For Wood, the first matter of business was clear: The house needed color.
“When I walked through for the first time, it was just gray and white,” Wood said. “And I was like, you want girls to want to stay here? I feel like I’m in a straitjacket.”
Each room in the home has its own theme: One painted a deep green with plants scattered around the room for the residents to care for. Another is the butterfly room, with bejeweled accents and decals of colorful butterflies across the walls. In the basement is the “Zen Den” — a quiet room for the residents to do yoga, meditation or just have some alone time.
And there’s the pink room — “Karly’s room,” as Wood calls it — with pink walls and decals of pink flower petals falling from the ceiling. A stylized self-portrait of Karly as a fairy, which was taken from one of Karly’s own drawings, hovers on the wall near a saying: “Never let anyone dull your sparkle.”
“She’s here,” Wood said of Karly as she smoothed a pink comforter on one of the three twin beds earlier this month.
‘Survive and thrive:’ Timber Creek awaits referrals
After many months, the permitting and licensing process is finally finished. Now, Frezell is waiting for the referrals to roll in.
The home has space for 12 female adolescents ages 13 to 19 with severe behavioral problems or substance abuse disorders. It’s meant to be a middle ground between intensive care at an acute psychiatric hospital and lower levels of care offered in outpatient programs — something Frezell said is sorely needed in Omaha.
Timber Creek is a 24/7 operation, Frezell said, and the girls will be referred to the home by doctors, psychiatrists or therapists. It’s a voluntary placement — not a locked-down facility. The residents are expected to participate in group therapy every day, individual therapy three times per week and take various classes tailored to their interests.
Frezell said she’s been pleased by the support from community members and neighbors. For Frezell, treating kids in the community they belong to is a key component of the program.
“Our saying is that we teach them to survive and thrive right in their community,” Frezell said. “This is our community, right in North Omaha. We have to put these kids back into the community, right? So instead of shipping our kids out of town, we may as well do the work right here.”
Wood said she would be willing to come back someday to talk to the residents about the values she instilled in Karly. But with the grand opening this week, she knows she can no longer control what happens with the home. She just hopes Karly’s memory can help guide the girls living there.
“What happened to Karly — she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Frezell said. “And that could happen to any of us. But she was a beautiful spirit, and we’re using that to encourage everyone who walks through the door.”