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Happening ... in the Local Church
 \Coordinating
House Manager Mandy Teter holds Emory, the daughter of a former resident
of The O’Connor House.
To learn more For more information about The O’Connor House, call 317-855-9562, e-mail: info@theoconnorhouse.org or visit the Web site at www.theoconnorhouse.org. |
By Stephanie
Carlson Curtis
Special to The Catholic Moment
CARMEL — She is pregnant, penniless, afraid and alone. She is angry, defensive, hurt and on the verge of giving up. But there is a spark, a glimmer of hope, a chance that given the opportunity she just might survive, might actually thrive.
Women who find themselves facing a crisis pregnancy have a place to call home here, where opportunity knocks and the door is wide open.
Since June 2005, The O’Connor House has given 18 unwed, pregnant women a chance to create a better life for themselves and their children by providing a safe haven and viable alternative to abortion.
Recently, more than 250 people turned out to support the organization’s mission of “empowering women and saving children.” The O’Connor House collected $75,000 at its fourth annual fund- raiser. The proceeds will be used to cover monthly operating expenses.
“We raised enough money to run the house for another year,” said Kris Bussick, a parishioner of St. Maria Goretti, Westfield, who founded the home with fellow parishioner Colleen DuLac. “But we need to think about the future and how we will fund our capital campaign for a new house.”
The O’Connor House has been so well-received that the organization is searching for a larger home or land on which a dorm-style residence can be built. The goal is to serve at least 12 women and their families on a consistent basis.
One of the women helped by The O’Connor House is Angie Hill.
Just weeks before graduating from a program that provided housing for former foster children while teaching them how to make the transition to adulthood, Angie became pregnant and was forced to leave the shelter.
Homeless and pregnant at 23, she was desperate.
“My case manager introduced me to The O’Connor House,” Hill said. “I’m studying to be a medical assistant and I’m learning things like budgeting and saving.”
“We teach life skills and require each resident to work or attend school,” Bussick explained.
The O’Connor House, named after the late Cardinal John O’Connor, is the first home for unwed mothers in Hamilton County.
It is modeled after a similar program in New York City called Good Counsel Homes.
DuLac and Bussick contacted crisis pregnancy agencies and social workers to assess the need. After months of research, they developed an advisory board, raised money and built a volunteer base.
“Society says when you turn 18 you are an adult and you’re on your own,” DuLac said. “But, many of these women were not parented at all and don’t have the first clue of how to do it. We can’t ignore them. We need to hold their hands, too.”
The home is staffed around- the-clock and residents must follow strict rules.
Coordinating House Manager Mandy Teter monitors activities and works one-on-one with each woman, helping them set goals, manage finances and learn how to parent.
“We allow our residents to bring their other children and make this home their home for 18 months or until they are ready to live on their own,” Teter said. “Our residents are not allowed to date, must obey curfew and are required to grocery shop, cook, do laundry and clean, as well as balance their checkbooks. We hold each woman accountable for her actions.”
Staff members provide child care services while the women attend classes or work. Volunteers teach cooking, cleaning and parenting skills, and encourage hobbies. Financial responsibility is dealt with daily, focusing on ways to budget, save and pay off debt. Residents watch very little television and spend free time talking or playing with their children.
“We are centered on family,” Teter said, “and our goal is to teach these women to become self-sufficient and move out of the social welfare system so that they can pay for the things they need and provide for their children.”
“We keep in contact with the women once they leave so they know someone cares,” Bussick said.
One woman has gone on to become a poet, while another is planning to get a degree in social work so that she, too, can help those who struggle.
“We all make mistakes,” DuLac said. “If you screwed up and God chose you to be a mom, do you run from it or choose to do something that will define your life?”
Stephanie Curtis is a freelance writer/photographer. Contact her at stephwrites@yahoo.com.