A year and a half ago, we promised to follow through on a first for Cleveland: New transitional housing for mothers and children at Laura’s Home on the city’s West Side.
It is important because, for years, News 5 has been following the fight to end family homelessness, which is a crisis here at home and nationwide.
Now, a big step towards a solution in our city has opened.
Thursday, Laura's Home held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the transitional housing for families.
WHO THIS HELPS
There are few structures as sound as a mother’s arms. But sometimes storms in life can shake foundations, and mothers need support, too.
"I want my kids to always know that me, as your mom, I’m going to always be there through thick and thin," said Bridget Ferguson, mother of six. "And I don’t care what type of troubles we go through, I want them to always see that you’re going to mess up in life, and that’s OK; it’s what you do after that mess-up to better your life, and I feel like I’ve showed them that.”
Ferguson says she found support at Laura’s Home.
She arrived almost a year ago with her five children and, within days, welcomed her sixth, daughter Nayeli, who turns one next week.
“There’s not a lot of opportunities like this,” said Ferguson.
Laura’s Home is one of the few places in Cleveland for women and children in crisis and experiencing homelessness.
An arm of The City Mission, the faith-based ministry has room for 166 and has been at capacity for years.
RELATED: Over a dozen graduates from Laura’s Home Thursday
But in June of 2023, there was new hope when the CEO of The City Mission, Linda Uveges, told me about what she called an answered prayer.
RELATED: $1.5 million donation will help speed expansion for Laura's Home
"We only move as God provides through our donors," Uveges said about a substantial gift to Laura’s Home, funded entirely by private donations. They receive no government funding.
Uveges discussed a $1.5 million gift from Dr. Fred and Jackie Rothstein, which helped Laura’s Home build new transitional housing for families and allowed the ministry to serve even more women and children.
"It warms my heart, and it warms his heart, and it makes us feel good," Jackie Rothstein told me later that year about their generous donation that would transform an empty field and lives.
RELATED: Groundbreaking ceremony held for new transitional housing development
TIME TO MOVE IN
Now, 14 months later, Rothstein Village, on the campus of Laura’s Home, is ready to open.
Families will begin moving in later this month.
The Rothstein family was at Thursday's ribbon cutting, a celebration of theirs, and the more than 500 donors contributed to the campaign.
The new development will provide up to two years of fully furnished transitional housing for 16 families who’ve graduated from the classes at Laura’s Home. It provides them with more time and support as they work towards stability in their finances and overall well-being, including for their children.
Uveges said the goal is homeownership and breaking the cycle of poverty.
"We are setting them up, each family, for success," said Uveges.
Among the first to be moving in is Ferguson.
"I could tear up right now," she said while looking at the in-unit washer and dryer. "It’s the little things," she smiled.
There are few structures that sound as sweet as home, especially when you’ve gone without.
Watching Ferguson’s face light up as she walked through the new unit, looking at the bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen, it's clear how much this means to her.
It is a place to fill with her children’s laughter, family meals, and memories.
It is a dream that felt out of reach for her before coming to Laura’s Home, but one that’s now becoming a reality for her and other women, thanks to their hard work and hope found here.
"I was outside yesterday just thanking God, and I said, ‘I know You hear it in my heart, but I want You to hear it from my mouth. I am thankful to You and will forever be grateful because You said if I surrender and give everything to You that You would open doors for me, and You did that times 10,'” she said.
Ferguson said she's secured a job she loves at the airport and is saving to buy a vehicle and home.
Mothers continue to take financial educational classes while in transitional housing. Then, thanks to a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Uveges said they have the opportunity to get a 0% mortgage and will be able to purchase their own home with the savings they've built up.
