If you conduct an online search for the most vulnerable—women and children are at the top of the list regardless of location or era. A woman with child and homeless is the picture of an endangered individual with great need.
In My Shoes, a maternity home in Dallas, Texas, which has served over 100 moms since opening in 2017, provides a safe place to journey through pregnancy and nine months after baby is born.
The need is huge in the Dallas area. Last year In My Shoes received over 700 inquiries.
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The five founders originally were part of a maternity home ministry in Phoenix, Ariz. They were determined to duplicate the work that they were part of in another location that also needed maternity housing.
Maria Puccini is the executive director and one of the five co-founders. With a master’s degree in social work and more than a decade of experience as a licensed social worker, Puccini has worked in a wide range of professional environments.
This is a faith-based maternity home and up to 15 moms can reside in the home at a time. It is a loving environment where moms live alongside the mission workforce.
Tweet This: In My shoes is a faith-based Arizona maternity home housing up to 15 moms at a time in a loving environment alongside the mission workforce.
Staff members provide support and a listening ear. An in-house licensed counselor as well as a case manager are also part of the employment team.
All moms attend group and individual therapy sessions.
Mission staff, which is comprised of up to five individuals, live one year at a time in the home, contracting for a year and then given the option to renew. They tend to be recent college graduates or women looking to make a change in career.
Mission staff have living quarters provided and receive a stipend pay. The experience of being part of a community that changes lives is the main draw.
The average length of stay for the moms is 200 days. The mom’s stage of pregnancy upon arrival, which is usually in the second trimester, along with when mom is ready for next steps, determines the duration of residency.
“Most moms find us online, not really through reference programs,” April Crist, the marketing and outreach manager, told Pregnancy Help News.
“They call us and then they’re on a wait list,” Crist noted. “They go through an interview process with us to see if they’re a good fit for the program and if we are what they need.”
Work and school support is part of the consultation process with their case manager who helps each mom set goals.
Additional volunteers come in weekly and work with the moms on parenting and life skills training. There are also other local non-profit programs that work with In My Shoes to provide these services.
“A lot of our moms do have other children that are not in her care and one of their goals is reunification which we do see often when they leave our program,” Crist stated.
“Usually, a lot of judges or family members see that they have created a stable life for themselves and their baby that they just gave birth to, and it becomes an easier path moving forward to reunification,” she said.
While 30 days of sobriety is a requirement for incoming candidates, In My Shoes comes alongside those who are actively recovering from addiction.
Nexus is a local program which specializes in providing recovery from substance abuse for women and their families. In My Shoes receives referrals from Nexus and their residents can continue utilizing the resources from Nexus as part of their recovery process.
For doctor’s visits and other appointments mission staff and volunteers will help with childcare.
Ongoing daycare for work or schooling is not part of the maternity home, Crist said.
“We usually empower our moms to find that on their own,” she said. “Our case manager helps them get daycare set up.”
Mostly funded by private donors, In My Shoes has a yearly trivia night where old and new donors attend and learn about the ministry. Potential donors or volunteers can visit the home on weekdays between 9 and 5 for a scheduled tour.
The testimonials in this video illustrate the hope that has replaced despair in the lives of the women hosted at In My Shoes.
