OUR STORY

In the spring of 2013, Stasia Roth, our Founder and now Executive Director, found herself overwhelmed by the pain and suffering in the world. She desperately told Jesus that she wanted to help Him stop the suffering. 

Not long after, she heard the call to create a home for pregnant women who were homeless. At first, she was struck with so much doubt and fear that surely God was not calling upon her for such an important task. But Jesus was persistent that it was His desire for Fort Wayne to have a maternity home to provide shelter and care to pregnant women. 

And so the mission began and Stasia’s previous experiences as an administrator, team coordinator, case manager, resident advisor, and  supervisor came in handy.

First, Stasia needed to determine how great the need for a maternity home was in the community. She spoke to the local crisis pregnancy centers and other organizations who worked with pregnant women in need. 

Next, she determined where pregnant homeless women were currently going for shelter in Fort Wayne. It was determined that pregnant homeless women were going to one of three shelters: Charis House, Vincent House, and Just Neighbors. 

When Stasia spoke to these shelters, they shared that when pregnant women are housed in their shelters, they face many additional obstacles not specifically addressed by their programs. In all her research, Stasia found that there was a desperate need for a home to provide shelter and support to pregnant women in Fort Wayne. In 2016 alone, 81 pregnant homeless women were seeking shelter in Allen County (211 United Way data).

In 2015, the name for our maternity home became A Mother’s Hope. In a moment of prayer, the name was revealed to Stasia. Finding a name that fit the mission was important to us. On December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the name got its final approval from the board. It was a drop-you-to-your-knees moment for Stasia as it was confirmation that the Blessed Mother had given her blessing on the project. 

A Mother's Hope is the name, but it truly speaks to who we are and what we do. We aim to provide the balance of compassion and accountability, loving each woman where she is at. At A Mother’s Hope, every woman is encouraged to find a new hope for her future. We remind her that all hope is never lost and that we believe in her, even when she doesn’t believe in herself.

The first Board of Directors came together for the first board meeting in May 2015.  The Board  worked alongside Stasia to obtain our 501c3 distinction, obtain a property, work through zoning constraints, and fundraise. Through it all, God’s hand guided every decision so that it would come together in His time and for His glory. 

A Mother’s Hope received its first grant in 2016 from the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation. This grant allowed us to work with True North Strategic Advisors. A committee made up of a board member, a volunteer, and Stasia worked together with True North to develop a business plan, program plan, staffing plan, and funding plan. 

Through this work, Stasia conducted case studies on four maternity homes, three in Indiana and one in Ohio. The case studies provided the team with valuable insight that would be used to develop A Mother’s Hope program. We have continued to receive yearly support through grants from the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation. We are so grateful for all the support and guidance they have provided for A Mother’s Hope!

The home to become A Mother’s Hope was donated by the Mary Cross Tippmann Foundation. This donation allowed us to begin providing housing to pregnant homeless women much sooner. The large four-bedroom house sits on five beautiful acres on the northside of Fort Wayne. This location allows our residents access to the bus line, closeness to area physicians and hospitals, plus there are many employment opportunities close by. 

The organization was coming together quickly and the Board decided that it was time to hire an Executive Director. They looked no further than to A Mother’s Hope's founder, Stasia Roth. At this point, Stasia had worked for over three years as a volunteer, committed to doing whatever it took to see A Mother’s Hope open and be sustainable. She was the obvious choice for director due to her past professional experience. Plus her passion and love for pregnant homeless women was evident to all. 

In January 2017, a second employee was hired to assist Stasia. Then in November 2017, thanks to the support of local businesses, we were able to begin to renovate the property to meet our needs.  The renovations were mostly donated and the cost of the remaining renovations was covered by a grant. We are so grateful for all the many individuals and companies that made the renovation possible! Some of them are listed here. 

• Shambaugh and Son provided labor and materials for all new heating and air conditioning systems, updated electrical, new water heaters, new laundry room, plumbing (so much plumbing), and all new kitchen appliances donated from their employees. 

• Delagrange Woodworking donated an entire kitchen of beautiful hickory cabinets and the labor to install them. 

• F&M Tile and Terrazzo donated gorgeous granite countertops and installed them for us. 

• Hagerman donated their services by providing drywall, hanging doors, fixing structural issues, and added new baseboards throughout the entire house.  

• Mary Cross Tippmann Foundation replaced gutters and tied the property into city sewer, a huge undertaking and a requirement of our new zoning. 

• Sherwin Williams donated ALL the paint for the whole house – interior and exterior. Sherwin Williams employees painted the exterior of the house for us! 

• All the flooring throughout the house was replaced. 

• We had two decorators who donated their time and talent: Shelley Pulver and Kelley Glaze. Both ladies gave so much time at no cost to A Mother’s Hope!! 

• The furnishings were mostly donated including desks, chairs, and our learning center furniture built for us from the Olde Oak Tree. 

• We had volunteers who helped with a million little things to make everything come together. The outpouring of support from the community was beyond anything we imagined and we are so very grateful! 

In September 2017, we hired an additional 2 full-time and 10 part-time employees. In October 2018, we welcomed our first resident home to A Mother’s Hope. We continue to grow and expand in our mission of serving pregnant women experiencing homelessness and their babies.