Thank you to Covenant for making this story possible to share.
resident scheduled to arrive in
January 2019, My Mariposa
Home will provide safe transitional
housing, counseling, and
support to women and
children to build self-esteem,
confidence and long-term,
self-sustained independence.
“As you can see, we’re a
complex organization, but have a
single vision and mission,” said
Judith. Providence Place’s vision
is to create a community without
barriers for all of God’s children,
which is evident by the diverse
populations served through the
organization’s
work with people
with disabilities,
foster-to-adopt
families, parents,
and now, adult
survivors of
human trafficking.
“ We meet
people
where they
are on their
journey,
without
judgment,
and that
defines us as
an agency.”
A core value of
grace drives the
center. “We were
founded on God’s
grace with
Volino’s experience,
and we
have the responsibility
to live
and provide service
with grace,” said Judith.
“We meet people where they are on
their journey, without judgment, and
that defines us as an agency.”
Judith tells how an anonymous
adoptee recently stopped by Providence
Place to take a walk around
the campus and visit the chapel. The
adoptee said it was her 50th birthday
“ The Covenant family is passionate about working
with innovative and transformative organizations
like Providence Place that make a real difference
in our community. Impacting lives is at the core of
the Covenant purpose and we are honored to be
able to support and partner
with Providence Place in
changing the lives of so
many people.” John Eadie, CEO, Covenant
“Our license number is 4,”
said Judith. “By the 40s and
50s, we were placing 800
babies a year with families.”
Once they outgrew the building,
the team moved to a
25-acre campus near the
Medical Center, where they
are located today. “It became
a secure, safe and private
haven for these women facing
unplanned pregnancies,”
said Judith.
With the decision of Roe v.
Wade, the rise in contraceptive
use, and the decrease in
stigma associated with unwed
mothers, adoptions declined
steadily through the 70s. It
was time to reevaluate the
organization’s mission. After
reviewing a community needs
assessment, which outlined
the gaps of services in the city,
the center set its focus on
providing vocational education
training to the deaf and
hard of hearing. “We went
back to the same theme that
Volino had started with –
vocational education training,”
said Judith. Later, the center
began offering transitional
These precious girls posing, while their parents shop in the
Blessing’s Boutique.
A new family shops the Blessing’s Boutique to pick out a
new outfit for their little girl.
housing and
independent living
skills to all adults
with varying disabilities.
The program
expanded over 44
years in what was
known as the Center
for Higher Independence
(CHI). With
changes in government
regulations
and its impact on
the Center for Higher
Independence, the
staff made the difficult
decision to end
the program, and
“ When God
shuts one
door, you
have to be
brave
enough to
walk
through
another
door,”
once again reevaluate their mission
in 2017.
“When God shuts one door, you
have to be brave enough to walk
through another door,” said Judith.
Describing it as a “God moment”
Judith was called to a page in a book
covering the history of Providence
Place that said, “We rescued two
pure souls off the streets today.”
Judith knew what they were
supposed to do. As experts in
adoption, housing, and vocational
education training, the agency
decided to go back to its roots and
rescue people from the streets, and
specifically survivors of human
trafficking, domestic violence, and
sexual assault.
The inspiration for My Mariposa
Home, an on-site transitional
housing and continuum of care facility
was born. “I truly believe this is
God’s vision for Providence Place,”
said Judith. “We are returning to our
original mission.” With the first
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