Annunciation Maternity Home is wrapping up construction on five new homes, which will expand its reach to provide shelter and resources to additional mothers needing help.
Annunciation Maternity Home provides housing, transportation, access to healthcare and educational programming to 29 mothers in need with children under 36 months old. There are 63 mothers in the center’s outreach program, which provides parenting education and counseling. Executive Director Cynthia Flores explained the program is designed to help mothers on their journey toward becoming independent.
“Many of them come to us that have not had any medical care during that pregnancy,” Ms. Flores said. “Our team really wants to wrap our arms around the girl and help them find a physician and get all that they need.”
Mothers far along in their pregnancy may choose to devote all their time to parenting educational classes and getting ready to have the baby. After the baby is born, mothers usually have six-weeks of leave. The moms then resume work or school, whether that be finishing high school, getting a GED or starting an online trade school certificate. Annunciation Maternity Home helps the women complete their resumes and drives them to job interviews.
Throughout the program, working mothers are required to save 90 percent of their money, Ms. Flores said. This allows them to have “a nice nest egg” when they’re ready to move out of the home. Resident Alexis Porter has been at the home for the past seven months.
“I came here when I was eight-and-a-half months pregnant with my son,” she shared. “I was homeless at the time, staying in my car, and I [didn’t] have anywhere to go. My lawyer brought up Annunciation, and she told me that it was a good program. They helped moms get back on their feet, and provided exceptional services. I was kind of scared at first, because I didn't want to leave my boyfriend. I was so used to being with him, but I knew [that] I needed to do it for my son.”
Ms. Porter is now in an online culinary school program and spends a lot of time tending to the center’s garden. She dreams of teaching cooking classes, having her own food truck and feeding homeless people.
While the moms are at school or working, their infants are being cared for in the infant development center. In the current center, there is space for 23 infants. A new infant development center is projected to be finished by next March; the facility will have space for 53-55 babies. The additional space will enable the home to provide childcare for mothers taking part in the center’s outreach program who live off property.