At the corner of Charlotte and Ferdinand streets in Manheim, a fresh start awaits. The site will be the location of The Home on Ferdinand, providing shelter for single mothers and their children. The home will be showcased in an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 5, and Sunday, June 6.

The Home on Ferdinand is a project of the Manheim Community Life Group, said Bill Melone, community care pastor of Manheim Brethren in Christ Church and a board member of the group. "(Manheim) churches got together to see what they could do in Manheim to help the community," Melone recalled, noting that the group soon determined the need for emergency housing services. "One of the churches had some money and made it available to the other churches to use. We were able to purchase the property in December of 2020."

The site had been the location of the Danner Home, a senior care facility, so it was already set up to be a group home, said Teresa Nolt, project manager and board member.

"We will have room for eight women and their children," she noted, adding that the home is designed to be transitional housing, providing shelter to the families for up to a year. "We will also have support for the women to assist them in their needs, whether it's job searching, counseling and so on. We'll have an in-house social worker as well." Services will be individualized to meet the needs of each woman, providing the support for her to eventually live on her own, she said.

Although the home was already set up to house many people, lots of work was needed to prepare it for its new purpose. The entire interior was painted; floors were replaced throughout; walls were removed to make rooms bigger; and updated security features, including cameras and smoke detectors, were installed. The home features a common room, a dining room where the women can eat together, a full kitchen, a children's play area and an adjoining building where live-in staff will reside.

"A lot of volunteers helped to make this project happen, so the open house is an opportunity for them to see the finished project," Nolt said, adding that the home is tentatively set to open in late summer. "It's also a way for us to raise awareness for what we're doing here. We have had financial contributions from churches, businesses and individuals, so the open house will give them a chance to see what has transpired here."

Although many people and organizations have contributed to the project, including Landis Homes, which donated several bedroom suites, help is still needed. A list of needs is updated regularly on the Manheim Community Life Group's Facebook page and at https://horstarts.com/mclg/v2/. "We've had incredible community support," Nolt said. "The community has a sense of, 'We need this,' and they want to support what we're doing."

All donations are helping to make The Home on Ferdinand a safe haven for single mothers. "We want this to be a comfortable and welcoming place for the women," Nolt noted. "We want them to walk in the door and know they're safe and they are supported."