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When you walk into the new residence of Michael House the first thing you think of is ‘home’. The warm colored paint on the walls and the hard wood floors beneath your feet give you a feeling that there is love and support in this house, and for the young women and babies living here, that means a lot.
Michael House provides accommodation to young pregnant women who need a supportive environment in which to live during their pregnancy and early post-partum period. After they are settled in the residence, the program provides life skills that walk the young women through their pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting by setting realistic short and long-term goals. Once the baby is born, the young moms receive support in parenting and help finding resources available to support them in whatever decision they make regarding their future and the future of their child.
 The young women, usually between the ages of 16-24 can enter the program at any time of their pregnancy but on average, usually join when they are around three to four months pregnant. Generally, the young women stay at the residence three months after the birth of their child which enables them to develop a routine with the baby and to gather resources and skills preparing them for their life after they leave the residence.
“Pregnancy in the teenage years interrupts the educational, emotional and psychological development of young women,” says Rosemarie Coombs, Executive Director, “but through support during pregnancy, young women are able to focus their lives in a different direction and are able to create a stable life for themselves and their children. To do this, young women need connections to community supports, so one of the most important jobs that Michael House has is to form strong partnerships with other community services.”
 On April 1, 2007, four years to the day of their original opening, Michael house moved into their new residence which will house seven moms and five-six babies, which is almost double the capacity of their previous residence. The house gives a “…much calmer environment with a family atmosphere” says Coombs. The new house was made possible by community support with several local businesses and individuals volunteering their time and resources to the project.
As Michael House has doubled its capacity, they are hoping to expand their services to help the young women and their babies excel once they leave the residence.
“We’re looking to offer drop-in groups and parenting courses,” says Coombs, who states that these women do not always fit in or fully benefit with other early childhood programs in the community.
To see a full list of United Way funded programs, please visit www.unitedwayguelph.com/pdfs/FundedAgencyList.pdf. |
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