Thanks to donors like you, Kathy has hope.  Kathy wants other women to know her story, so they can learn that negative experiences can be overcome.  She was pregnant, alone, in an abusive relationship, and very scared.  She had lost her apartment, moved from house to house and – six weeks pregnant – she found herself living in a shelter.

“Life went in a different direction from what I had expected when I graduated from college,” Kathy said. “I just fell in love with the wrong guy.” It was at the shelter that she heard about St. Catherine Residence and the Right Start Program, a program for young mothers over age 18 who work or go to school while learning the skills necessary to raise healthy children and to live independently. The mothers can stay in the program until their children are 18 months old.

Kathy’s son is now one year old. She said SCR welcomed her with open arms. “My child completes me,” Kathy said. “I now look at life from a different perspective, and I’m moving forward with help from Right Start.”  While she did work part time last year, Kathy is looking for full time work, hoping to put her degree in Human Resources from Cardinal Stritch University to use. “This whole experience has made me stronger,” Kathy said. “I know when I look back on this experience, I’ll be proud that I overcame the obstacles.”

This Mother’s Day, honor your mom by making a donation to help other moms like Kathy.

Your gift can help a baby get off to the Right Start at St. Catherine Residence or another Chicago or Milwaukee property.  Today, Mercy Housing Lakefront provides affordable homes and services that enable 908 children and their families to live in hope