FCC Partners with Maternity Home to Provide Laptops

by Rick Tipton

Lifehouse Maternity Home is a residential maternity home whose mission it is to provide for the spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual needs of pregnant and/or parenting teens and women and their children – both born and unborn -- in a Christ-centered home environment. Lifehouse assists women in crisis to overcome and end the cycle of abuse, generational poverty, and addiction. The staff and volunteers at Lifeshouse walk side by side with each resident as she improves her mental and physical health and learns how to parent. This journey is unique for each woman and can last from six months to four years.

FCC has partnered with Lifehouse in the past and we were pleased this year to receive their request for grant funds to purchase laptop computers and printers for the residents and House Moms. The pregnant and parenting residents who live at the house need access to computers and printers for various reasons, including schoolwork, job search and applications, interviews, and resume creation. Lifehouse also recently received a grant for a 2-year subscription to the highly regarded BrightCourse pregnancy-and-parenting online curriculum. Residents can work through the curriculum at their own pace and focus on topics of particular importance to their situation. Additionally, because the residents are all medically vulnerable, they need to attend many appointments and meetings virtually, including visits with pediatricians and other doctors, counseling sessions, and AA and NA meetings. The addition of laptops with webcams allows the residents to meet privately with doctors, therapists, and recovery groups.

One of the new laptops is now also being used by the House Moms who work 24-hour shifts assisting the residents and their babies. Access to a computer allows them to document daily notes about residents which are shared with case managers. These notes are essential in providing critical information to counselors and the court system.

Lifehouse clients are some of the most marginalized and under-served members of society and struggle with a host of emotional and physical challenges. The significant difficulties the women who contact us are facing continue to escalate. In 2020, of the women who sought help from Lifehouse; 75% have a history of drug use, 69% were homeless or came from a temporary/ unstable housing situation, 77% have a mental health diagnosis or history, and 90% have a history of physical or emotional abuse.

Every woman at Lifehouse participates in Lifepath, a three-part program designed to guide her through pregnancy, childbirth, infancy, toddlerhood, life skills development, job readiness, money management, and building healthy relationships while transitioning to greater independence and self-support. Typically, 25 women and their children participate in the program annually. In addition, Lifehouse makes 200+ referrals to partner agencies each year. The goals of the program are: 1) Every resident delivers a healthy, drug-free baby. -- since opening, we have had a 100% success rate, 84 and counting! 2) Every woman transitioning from Lifehouse has the education and life skills to parent and live a healthy, independent life. 3) Every resident who does not know the love of Jesus is introduced to him and understands the role that faith can play in her recovery and personal growth.

The wholeness grant used to fund this ministry was made possible through your faithful financial support of our church and its ministries and help fund a variety of efforts to make our world a better place.

You can find more examples of those efforts or apply for a grant to make the world a better place by clicking here.