LifeHouse of Houston Inc

After faithfully serving and ministering for 35 years in the Hobby Airport area, LifeHouse concluded the area was no longer able to meet best the needs of the women and children it serves. In 2023, the ministry relocated from the Hobby Airport area into the heart of the city - the Spring Branch area. As the dynamics of the city and the needs of the women the ministry serves changed, it became clear that the traditional model of service no longer prepared the women in LifeHouse's care for sustainable, independent success. The old campus location was far from many of Houston's best resources and opportunities. Over time, this distance from the city brought about several challenges, including a lack of public transportation (on which many LifeHouse residents rely), job scarcity, inadequate school zoning, limited volunteer and church engagement, and a lack of community for residents and house parents alike. It became clear to the board and staff that a change needed to be made to foster long-term success. LifeHouse believes that, to break the generational cycles that keep families in poverty and relational deserts, the ministry needed to begin to provide accessibility to the resources of Houston. In preparation for the move and subsequent program changes, the ministry chose not to accept new women for a season to ensure stability for anyone entering the program. The last two residents of the former programming graduated in February 2024, the new 26-unit apartment complex was purchased in June, and LifeHouse reopened its doors in September, admitting its first cohort of 4 women, planning to grow by cohort quarterly until it reaches its maximum capacity. This move will increase residential capacity by more than 150% over the next 2 years as beds for women will be doubled, and the ministry will add the ability to take a woman's other children in as well (something that the former property did not allow). LifeHouse of Houston is a residential program for pregnant women and their additional children and is broken into two phases. Phase one is the maternity phase, which can be up to 10 months of care and includes a woman's prenatal months as well as three months of post-partum care. During this phase, women attend classes consisting of Bible Study, Parenting, Newborn Care, Pre/Postnatal, Nutrition, and Safe-Stretch for pregnant moms. They also participate in weekly counseling and case management meetings and are provided supplemental food and clothing provisions. In phase two of the programming, residents enter into the Family Life Program, which can last up to a year. In this phase, they can choose between a career or an education track (30 hours a week). Additionally, they attend Bible Study, Workforce Development classes, and Personal Development classes. They also continue in weekly counseling and bi-weekly case management and goal-setting meetings.