Expectant mothers with no place to turn now have a place they can call home. This month, the new Lewis County Maternity House opened its doors to their first resident, a 20-year-old mom-to-be who arrived with just the clothes on her back and a car that didn’t run. The home has been in the works for almost a year.
It is a project of Cooks Hill Community Church in Centralia. Vicki Judd, one of the effort’s leaders, spoke about it Friday morning at a meeting of the Twin Cities Rotary. Her talk was both inspiring and sobering, occasionally heartbreaking but ultimately heartening in the most powerful way.
The home has space for six new mothers to live for 18-24 months, with plenty of support, education and services to help these moms get a solid start once they head out on their own. “The house is as cute as can be,” Judd said. “It’s a beautiful house — a warm, cozy, welcoming and safe place for our moms.
” While they don’t disclose the specific location, the house is on a corner lot with a fenced yard. It’s on bus lines within walking distance of Centralia College. Residents are offered housing, food and birthing classes.
“This is a truly pro-life program,” Judd said. Over the two years they can live in the home before and after their baby is born, experienced mothers and support staff provide tools and skills for these new mothers to succeed after they leave. It’s a wide-ranging and comprehensive list: classes on parenting, finance and budgeting, meal pl.