By Jay Sorgi • Posted May 23, 2025

The word vulnerable can be an understatement when it comes to describing the situation of a woman facing a crisis pregnancy. Often, the care they need to prepare for motherhood involves a holistic approach to heal, to support, and to empower them.

Annie’s Home, a Northeast Philadelphia Catholic ministry inspired by a Capuchin Franciscan-run home in Cleveland helping pregnant and parenting women, is now in its fifth month of operation.

Women can start receiving supportive services when they are pregnant and stay until their baby reaches a year old.

“If you’re pregnant, you’re on a timeline of when you need to have safe, stable housing and need to have some things in place, and need to have that support and help,” said Executive Director Erin Noonan.

“Women who are in that situation, who have limited to no support from family or friends, need help with their baby. They need help with housing. They need help just to get back on their feet.”

Leaders at Annie’s Home understand that the needs go far beyond just having a temporary location while a mother gives birth to her child and takes care of her other young children. Often, women who have entered an unexpected pregnancy have lost support from loved ones or have been evicted from their homes.

“There’s a need for support for women, for the long-term in crisis pregnancy, to really be able to support them and empower them as women and as mothers, to really build a better life for themselves and their children, and to try to put in place those support pillars,” said Victoria Cordes, house manager at Annie’s Home.

She says those foundational pillars happen in an atmosphere where the mothers can find community with other women facing similar struggles, and with professionals and caring individuals who live with, mentor, and empower them for their parenting journey to come.

“Whether they’re a first-time mom or they’ve had multiple children, we’re able to support them in multiple areas,” said Cordes.

Annie’s Home helps the women “build community and those healthy, stronger boundaries and relationships with each other, as well as modeling healthy boundaries and safe relationships as Catholic, Christian women. (We) try to help them with parenting classes, a savings match program, financial literacy, (and) different things that will help them on their journey.”

Noonan says that women who come to the home will find very large bedrooms for themselves and their children, along with a floor with a large kitchen, communal room, children’s library and many other spaces for these young, growing families.

Multiple staff members and a couple that acts as “live-in house parents” provide an atmosphere that is meant to remind the mothers and their kids that a “village of support” surrounds them.

“We try to just meet them wherever they’re at, wherever that may be, no matter how good or bad their situation is, accept them for where they’re at today,” said Noonan, who adds that there are levels of accountability that help teach necessary life skills.

“There are certain requirements here that women need to fulfill, which sometimes can kind of be the ‘tough love’ end of things.”

Those requirements include weekly case management and counseling sessions, mandatory weekly community nights, plus classes on parenting, car-seat safety, and kitchen safety.

A live-in staff member even teaches a 10-week class called “Seeking Safety” that assists them in relationship building and setting personal boundaries.

The class helps identify “what their triggers are, (plus) safe and healthy coping skills that they can use, talking about what healthy relationships look like,” said Noonan.

Staff members and volunteers will also help babysit children when mothers need to manage tasks out of the home, including doctor’s appointments and job interviews.

“For someone that doesn’t have that support, it’s huge,” said Cordes.

The team at Annie’s Home collectively believes they are bringing God’s presence into the everyday life of women and families who need it–mothers and children who wear the face of Christ on a daily basis.

“God having our backs in a lot of situations is a very tangible feeling, praying through different decisions and really being able to live our faith in a very active way, being able to actively see how God works,” Cordes said.

“Being able to be his hands and his feet in that tangible way is very powerful.”

“God’s hand,” Noonan summarizes, “has definitely been in it all along.”

To donate or volunteer with Annie’s Home, or for more information, click here.