Aim’s Mother of Mercy Home celebrates anniversary
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STEUBENVILLE -- Two and a half years ago, the board of directors at Aim Women’s Center dreamed of one day opening a home to serve pregnant mothers in crisis.
Today, the Mother of Mercy Home not only celebrates its first anniversary -- it’s grown throughout the year to accommodate more women and babies.
“For young women who find themselves pregnant and alone, the thought of parenting, finding housing, employment and childcare is overwhelming. We opened Mother of Mercy Home to walk alongside them during this time,” Executive Director Rebekah Cohen Morris said.
Aim opened the home with five bedrooms in response to the need for housing for pregnant women who were homeless or who needed alternate housing from their current home situation. The rooms -- equipped with a bed, dresser, rocking chair, crib and changing table -- were designed to accommodate a woman during pregnancy and for up to one year after giving birth. When it opened, the home offered a dining room, living room, family room, kitchen, three bathrooms, a nursery, recreation room and laundry room.
Staff and the board soon realized the beautiful historic home could be renovated to include more bedrooms when the house filled up and a waiting list began.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a year with opening and filling the house, yet we continue to expand according to the need for safe housing for pregnant women,” Cohen Morris, said.
The College of St. Joseph the Worker is working with Aim to transform more common spaces to include a sixth bedroom and a fourth bathroom.
This home offers more than just a roof over a woman’s head. The MOM Home presents a full slate of case management services and life skills programming, ensuring that a woman who enters the home leaves with all the tools she needs to lead an independent and successful life with her child. Kelcea Danielson, Aim’s residential and operations manager, leads case management which primarily helps with financial literacy, GED or education continuance, housing assistance, employment, transportation, child care assistance and anything else for which a woman finds herself needing additional support.
“This is all done in a safe and nurturing environment where each resident is encouraged to grow and learn about herself and her baby,” Cohen Morris said. “The women are incredibly resilient, and I’m inspired by their strength and determination every day. As with any communal living space, there are rules and guidelines, but here the residents are free to make choices and to learn from mistakes in a safe place with guidance from informed and caring staff.”
For information about the MOM home or other Aim Women’s Center Services, visit aimwomenscenter.com.