HENDERSON, Ky. (KT) – Marsha’s Place has served mothers and children in Henderson for 30 years. They’re hoping a new, sustainable transitional housing program will still be making an impact 30 years from now.
“It’s not just a house. Obviously, that’s a huge component of it. But really, our heart behind the project is we want to help change the trajectory of a family’s life,” said Jared Marshall, executive director of Marsha’s Place.
The One by One Project will support a single mom for a period of several years, and staff members and volunteers will walk alongside her to a place of sustainable independence. It’s a small, manageable start to a big dream—eventually, Marsha’s Place hopes to house several clients in separate homes.
“Of course, we wish we could offer a housing program for all the families that we serve. But right now, we know we just need to start small initially,” Marshall said.
The moms Marsha’s Place serve every day are the inspiration for the project.
“We serve a lot of single moms in our ministry, and for a lot of them, they’re trying so hard to provide for their families, to work a job, to advance their career,” said Marshall. “For a lot of the moms that we serve…some of them quite literally don’t have anyone else in their life. They don’t have any family in town. They don’t really have any positive role models or examples or friendships in their life. And so, it’s just very hard for them.”
Housing is often a significant roadblock. That’s why Marsha’s Place, following in the footsteps of pregnancy centers in Kentucky and beyond, began praying about a housing project two years ago.
The One by One Project will be a unique program, Marshall said.
“The candidates for this project are going to come from our current Earn While You Learn participants,” he said. “These moms are active in our program, they’re completing education, they’re earning resources for their family. It just gives our Client Care Director, our Office Administrator, our volunteers, our mentors—it gives them the opportunity to really invest relationally in these moms’ lives and get to know them.”
For women who participate, the customizable program will be built on three pillars: life skills, education and discipleship.
“We really want to be able to sit down with her at the beginning of the program and create a roadmap for her years in the home of what she wants to pursue…We want to be able to partner with moms in that process and really make those dreams possible for them.”
That can include financial stewardship and budgeting training, career advancement, job training, completing a GED or pursuing higher education. But regardless of the specific goals of each participant, the gospel will be central.
“Our heart is that we wouldn’t be an end point for anybody’s spiritual journey. We want to connect these moms and families to our local churches for ongoing discipleship,” said Marshall, a former pastor. “One of our goals is at the end of the project that this mom is, yes, sustainably independent, pursuing further education, in a better place career-wise, but also flourishing and thriving within the life of the local church.”
With a fundraising goal of $250,000—which will help Marsha’s Place purchase a house and cover the first year of program costs—Marshall is hoping to see someone in the home within the first quarter of 2025. Until then, the pregnancy center will be raising awareness and answering questions, meeting with supporters, raising funds and hosting Lunch and Learn events.
One such event is happening on Wednesday, May 22. To learn more and register, click here. For information about Marsha’s Place, visit marshasplaceprc.org.
Friends of Life KY 