Our Mother's House

More than a place to live

 

“My Mommy Is A Nurse!”

 

Venice--Susan and her two-week-old daughter moved into Our Mother's House of Catholic Charities in November 2007. She had been living at a maternity home, but had nowhere to go after her baby was born. With no job, an old car, and little family support in Florida, she moved in and set her sights on nursing school.

 

Shortly after moving into Our Mother's House, Susan began an on-line class as a prerequisite to her nursing program. She successfully passed her class and then enrolled in Sarasota County Technical Institute’s LPN program. Susan graduated in July 2009 from LPN school and is excitedly looking forward to working in the health care field while pursuing her bachelor’s degree as a registered nurse. She now has a more reliable car to help her get to work. With help from Our Mother's House, she has been able to successfully balance the demands of full-time school and parenting, and now is prepared to independently support her daughter with a career that is in demand.

 

“My Mommy is going to be a Teacher!”

 

Mary and her six-month-old daughter entered Our Mother's House of Catholic Charities in June 2007. At that time, Mary was trying to raise her daughter alone. She was soon to be evicted from her home. Mary had significant debt and legal issues. She wanted to continue her education, and was taking on-line classes, but was having difficulty completing the required work. Mary was able to find full-time employment; however, the stress related to her job was negatively impacting her ability to function. With help from Our Mother's House staff, she was able to get involved with professional counseling, obtain legal aide, and enroll in the local community college.

 

As Mary’s daughter grew, she began exhibiting increasingly difficult behavior and compliance issues. Her behavior impacted her ability to participate in day care, required numerous appointments, and was compounding the stress in Mary’s life. To assist this family, they were referred to Sarasota’s Early Childhood Mental Health Partnership program.

 

Through this service, Mary was able to get comprehensive evaluations of her daughter’s behavior, resulting in services such as physical, occupational, and mental health therapies. Mary’s daughter was enrolled in an appropriate day care program designed to work with children with special needs, which also provided a support network for Mary. As a result, there has been noticeable improvement in her daughter’s behavior and her communication and physical skills are significantly improved.

 

Mary has learned skills needed to assist her daughter, and the family relationship is strengthened. Additionally, Mary is actively involved on committees with the partnership, has made contacts within the community, and demonstrates leadership skills. She will graduate in December with her associate’s degree, and plans to continue her education at University of South Florida for a degree in education.

 

Our Mother's House is expanding

 

This year Our Mother’s House of Catholic Charities is expanding with the purchase of a second building near the original site of the program. The expansion will allow for more homeless mothers and babies to be served. The mission of Our Mother's House is to provide single mothers and their babies a safe and secure environment in which to achieve self-sufficiency through education, vocational training and personal growth.

 

Through a generous grant from the Venice Gulf Coast Community Foundation and gifts from private donors, the physical plant is under reconstruction.

 

With more than 20 years in existence, the program enjoys the reputation of great success in assisting moms to become self-sufficient. Residential services are always very costly. The services provided to moms and babies at Our Mother’s House are dependent upon donations from the community as well as grants. Please click HERE to learn about Swing Baby Swing, an upcoming fundraising dinner dance for the program

 

For more information, please call Our Mother's House at 941-485-6264.

 

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4: 4-7

 

Photo #1:  Susan with her daughter at Our Mother’s House.

 

Photo #2: Mary with her daughter at Our Mother’s House.

 

Photo #3: Our Mother’s House of Catholic Charities expanded with a second residential complex now under reconstruction.