It’s an exciting time at the site of Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services’ Single Parent Residential Program in Houston.

Construction is moving right along on the campus of St. John’s Presbyterian Church, and each day the program gets closer to its goal: giving struggling mothers a chance to raise their children in a safe, nurturing environment.

Many of us see a homeless person alone on the street. But most people don’t realize that single mothers with children compose the largest homeless population. They are struggling to build lives for themselves while caring for their children.

That’s why Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services (PCHAS) created its Single Parent Residential Program. The program helps single mothers who are facing homelessness due to poverty, abuse, divorce, abandonment, violence or other crises. PCHAS gives these women a chance to become strong and self-sufficient without constantly fearing for their and their children’s survival and safety.

PCHAS has two other Single Parent Residential programs in Texas — in Weatherford and Waxahachie. Over the years, the programs have helped more than 50 single moms gain their independence.   

A graduate of one of the programs had this to say about her experience:

“I held a position with a daycare, but the wages were too low for me to be able to provide for myself and my two children. I didn’t have savings to fall back on. That’s when someone told me about Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services and their Single Parent Residential program. I can honestly say if it weren’t for this program, my children and I would probably be living in my car or worse. If I hadn’t been rescued, I would have lost my job and perhaps my beautiful son and daughter too. Through this program, my family was provided with a safe place to live, and PCHAS treated me with dignity.”

PCHAS’ Single Parent Residential Program would not exist without the prayers and financial support of several individual and congregational members of New Covenant Presbytery. For more information about this project please contact me or Jana Hobbs, PCHAS Senior Development Officer in Houston. You can reach me at peter.crouch@pchas.org. Jana can be reached at jana.hobbs@pchas.org.

The Rev. Peter D. Crouch is vice president for development of PCHAS. For more information about the program, contact him at peter.crouch@pchas.org or Jana Hobbs, PCHAS senior development officer, at jana.hobbs@pchas.org.