Help Fund Star of the North Maternity Home to "House Homeless Pregnant Women"

Star of the North Maternity Home

Imagine if local life-affirming organizations functioned as true partners within the community, collaborating together to serve women, children and families in need . . .

Background Statistics From St. Louis County Report on Homelessness (1)

✓  The CHUM emergency shelter (Duluth) increased families served from 68 families in 2003 to more than 100 in their homeless shelter per day in 2015. Through the new Steve O’Neil apartments, they housed 44 families and 87 children in its first year. They have a waiting list and cannot offer a program for independence for the women they serve, but would refer to the Together for Life Northland (TFLN) program for interested women.

✓Pregnant women and women with babies do not all have a safe place they can call home or must sit on a waiting list for residential housing for a year to 18 months on average in Duluth (HRA Housing list). Even with CHUM, the person must be homeless for at least eight days to qualify for emergency housing support.

✓ Pregnant (and single) women with small children are at a higher risk of physical and sexual abuse, abortion, poor health, and suicide—as well as additional long-term negative outcomes such as:

• lower high school graduation rates,

  
  

• greater joblessness,

  
  

• greater risk of poverty,

• increased susceptibility to sex trafficking and,

• higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse. 

TFLN Vision: Empowering Women, Embracing Children and Enriching Families.

Together for Life Northland (TFLN) is a 501(c) 3 non profit organization that has been collaborating with the regional Culture of Life Northland organizations since 2010. As TFLN works to serve organizations who save babies and assist their mothers, the TFLN Collaborative Members have identified a need for housing and a Christian-based program for approximately four to eight homeless pregnant women per year.

Maternity Residential Program

TFLN is proposing to open the Star of the North Maternity Home as a residential facility available for pregnant mothers and their babies in the Northland. The vision of the Star of the North Maternity Home is to move women experiencing housing instability due to pregnancy to self-sufficiency while promoting healthy relationships, education, adoption or positive parenting. TFLN and its Collaborative Members also supports a strong Christian spiritual faith life, a good self-image and empowerment for women in Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin.

✓  Referrals may come from the pro-life street ministries (Pro-Life Action Ministries and 40 Days for Life), local and regional pregnancy resource centers (Birthright, Lake Superior Life Care Centers, Women’s Care Center, and Options for Women), Young Women’s Supportive Housing, and local homeless transitional housing services (Damiano, CHUM, etc).

✓  The Star of the North Maternity Home will offer a loving and stable Christian family-like supportive housing for at-risk and homeless pregnant women (ages 21+) and/or their children before and after pregnancy up to 12 months. While providing safe housing,the program will also coordinate services to access medical care, education, employment, and childcare assistance as indicated. The average length of stay is projected to be 12 months, with a need for post-program transitional housing.

✓  The TFLN services would collaborate with the Culture of Life organizations and other regional non-profits (Community Action Duluth, CHUM, Damiano, Community Gardens)  to provide case management, parenting classes, money management, self-esteem enhancement, life skills, and homework assistance. The participants must commit to be on a path of self-sufficiency through being in school or being employed.  

A productive, healthy future for a mother choosing life and her baby is priceless. The cost of women experiencing housing instability due to pregnancy, burdens not only the woman and her child, but also the surrounding community.  Investment in the Star of the North Maternity Home is a smart and compassionate action to support the lives of people who choose life in the Northland Region*. This is an opportunity to offer care to an underserved population in a life-changing way.

Approximate Annual Budget: (Estimates, as we need more information from City Code and Fire Inspectors)

Total Estimated Annual Budget Range for Year 1 (Includes estimates for rent and utilities): $125,000