When Angela Stanton-King decided to open a home to serve women and children, her Grand Canyon-sized vision stretched beyond securing a property for housing. Now that dream is becoming reality.
Mentored by pro-life advocate Dr. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., Stanton-King said she has been working in the pro-life community for nearly 20 years. She calls Alveda King her godmother, and Alveda is listed as the senior advisor for Stanton-King’s women’s home known as Auntie Angie’s House.
However, the place is more than a house. The Albany, Ga., property consists of four buildings on more than a half-acre piece of land. Stanton-King’s vision includes living space, an organic farm, a childcare center and more.
“When Roe v. Wade was overturned, of course that contributed to many more babies being born,” she said. “I think it was in that moment that I thought, ‘I want to step more on the other side of this fight and be more solution-based.”
“God gave me this vision for Auntie Angie’s House,” said Stanton-King.
[Click here to subscribe to Pregnancy Help News!]
Opening the doors
She leased a space in Atlanta and opened the new residence in March 2023. That home provided shelter for women in need for almost a year.
“In April of this year, God blessed us with a four-unit complex in Albany, Georgia, and we relocated there,” Stanton-King told Pregnancy Help News.
Previously a business complex, one of the units is now a 3-bedroom, 1-bath home with laundry facilities, a living area, and a kitchen. New flooring and paint are part of the completed renovations. However, there is still more work needed.
“We still need to build out the kitchen cabinets,” she said.
Three mothers and three children occupy the home.
In the nearly 18 months since opening, Auntie Angie’s House has served 17 women and 36 babies, thanks to the help of partners and supporters, Stanton-King said.
“We’ve turned Auntie Angie’s House into Auntie Angie’s Village, with the support of our community,” she said.
Supporters include football great Benjamin Watson, Alveda King, and several others.
“With their continued support, we’ve been able to keep the wheels going, keep the doors open,” Stanton-King said. “But we are asking for support from our community to help out.”
Fundraising endeavors continue.
In addition to completing the kitchen, the organization wants to open a daycare center that will not only serve the maternity home residents, but also meet this need for members of the community. Other plans for the property include establishing an organic farm, starting a store through which to sell the produce, creating a community closet, and setting up another residential unit.
“The whole purpose of moving to this location was to serve more women in need,” Stanton-King said.
The store and closet will benefit the community as well as residents of the home.
“We not only want to serve the women residing at Auntie Angie’s House but also the women of the community,” Stanton-King said. “If there’s a mother in need, but not in need of housing, in need of clothes or diapers, we’ll be able to provide those items out of our community closet.”
From farm to table and from home to play
The area where Auntie Angie’s House is located has only one grocery store, she said, and organic goods are not available.
“We want to grow our own food but also be able to sell those nourishing foods to the community,” Stanton-King said.
The vision for the property doesn’t end there.
“We also want to have a playground for the children,” she said.
Therefore, adding fencing and gates for safety and security are on the future projects list.
“It’s going to take some time, but we’ve got the vision, and God says to write the vision and make it plain,” she said, citing Habakkuk 2:2&3.
Like most maternity homes, Stanton-King and her staff at Auntie Angie’s House conduct a needs assessment on each resident, and each resident works with a case manager on their specific needs.
“Then they each have an individualized development plan to help them meet their goals,” she said. “They are required to either be employed or train for employment at Auntie Angie’s House.”
The women can stay up to two years depending upon their need, she said.
Self-sufficiency and strong confidence are attributes that she and the staff desire for the women they serve.
“By the time they leave Auntie Angie’s House, not only are they fully sufficient, but they will have a variety of skills,” Stanton-King said. “The main thing for us is that they are empowered.”
From incarcerated to empowered
She knows the empowerment journey well. Incarcerated more than 20 years ago, Stanton-King went through childbirth while chained to a bed post. Her story led to The First Step Act and the founding of The American King Foundation, which seeks to reform the criminal justice system. Former President Donald Trump granted her a full pardon while he was in office in February 2020.
Founder and owner of Stanton Publishing House and an author as well as an activist, she plans to provide a compassionate, yet still responsible, house for women in need.
“It’s important to me that Auntie Angie’s House be more like a home, not an institution,” she said.
The women residing at the home will be required to take shifts to work on the farm, at the daycare, or in the home, depending on their skills and interests.
There are 48 women on a waiting list for Auntie Angie’s House. Thus, having more space for residential living and developing the daycare are two goals Stanton-King would like to meet before year-end.
“We are very grateful for the support we have received, no matter how great or how small,” she said.
“You not only get to save a life, but you get to help women,” said Stanton-King. “We are also saving generations. It’s just endless amounts of blessings when you pour into life.”
Tweet This: “You not only get to save a life, but you get to help women” - Auntie Angie’s House maternity home founder Angela Stanton-King
Writing grants to finish projects on the ‘to-do list’ is a primary objective this year.
“We’re really excited about what God is going to do!” she said.
View video of women helped by Auntie Angie’s on YouTube HERE.
Follow on Instagram HERE.
