Our Story
An idea - a beginning
Blessing House started as an idea in the fall of 2001 as Sr. Mary Berigan and Donna Humphrey, both guardian ad litems in the children’s advocacy program Voices for Children, began wondering about an alternate way to help families before they became involved in the child welfare system. They felt too many parents just didn’t have enough help when they were dealing with the emergencies in their lives and often would not have the time or energy to care for their children.
Donna and Sr. Mary recruited their friend, Jane Jonesco, an attorney and Director of Gift Planning at Oberlin College, to join them in their discussions, and soon the concept of a safe place for children to go during family crises began to take shape. Sr. Mary left her position as principal at St. Jude’s Elementary School in Elyria, Ohio, and began the pursuit of the establishment of Blessing House full-time.
Planning & Praying
It took several years of planning and networking to gather all of the resources necessary to open Blessing House. Sr. Mary, Donna, and Jane traveled to several states to visit crisis nurseries and research programs in other parts of the country that were similar. A board of directors was developed and a nonprofit agency was formed in 2003. Together, this group of Lorain County citizens secured the funding and found a house, which was quickly transformed into a cheery, child-friendly 5 bedroom home. The Remodeler’s Council of the North Coast BIA played a large role by helping to convert a garage into usable space and building a handicap-accessible ramp.
The final piece in the development process was the acquisition of a license to operate. Working with Senator Jeffry Armbruster and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services licensing division, a license to operate as a group home with waivers was secured in early April 2005. Blessing House opened to care for children just 2 weeks later.
Growth
During our first 10 years we grew, offering additional supportive services to our families. We made more connections with others in the community who sent families to us when they needed help. Our waiting list grew and our Board of Directors made the determination that a strategic plan needed to be developed that would help Blessing House address community needs. This strategic plan included a goal of acquiring a new facility that would allow us to care for more children, provide a more extensive learning and living environment and expand programming opportunities
Property was acquired from St. Vincent de Paul Parish and the Diocese of Cleveland on Olivet Ave. in 2020. Ground was broken in June 2020 and we moved into our new 16,730 square foot building in June, 2021. Ron Cocco, our architect and project manager designed and oversaw the construction of our new home that is licensed to care for up to 20 children.
From the beginning, Blessing House has been God’s Project of Hope. We believe we have been led by God to provide a safe place for children and we are thankful for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us to make Blessing House possible. Blessing House is a non-denominational, faith-based program, and we are thankful to the many churches and individuals of faith who have supported us in our mission.
There is so much more to come…