Saint Monica House
provides professional support for pregnant young women and young parents
and their children, through residential, supported housing, and
community programs. To discover more information about Saint Monica
House, please select one of the links below.
THE HISTORY OF SAINT MONICA HOUSE
Saint Monica House was officially opened and dedicated on May 26, 1967.
It's inception was a centennial service project sponsored by the
Anglican Diocese of Huron. The founding Board of Directors researched
the need for services to unmarried mothers, selected the site in
Waterloo and proceeded to raise funds for the actual building.
Saint Monica House began operations in June 1968 as a twenty-six bed
expecting residence. At that time, the mandate was to provide
residential care and support exclusively to single, young, expectant
women. Typically young women came from out-of-town, gave birth, placed
their child for adoption, then returned home.
In April of 1970 a school was established at Saint Monica House allowing
young women to continue their education during their stay. In 1974
services were expanded again to include a full day program for prenatal
residents. At this time residents were able to learn about important
topics such as parenting options, communication, decision-making, and
stress/anger management. In response to communal needs the programs
offered to the residents of Saint Monica House were offered to
non-resident, day clients in September 1979.
By the 1980's, the majority of clients were choosing to parent, rather
than place their children for adoption. In response to this shift, a
community day program for young mothers and their children was
established in January 1984. In May 1992, the first residential
postnatal program was implemented. Four rooms were converted to provide
short term accomodations for young mothers and their infants.
In September 1992 Saint Monica House opened Monica-Ainslie Place, a sixteen unit housing complex and resource centre located in Cambridge. The construction of Monica-Ainslie Place and the Monica Resource Centre enabled Saint Monica House to offer prevention-oriented support to "high risk, single mother families" in the Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo areas. Monica-Ainslie Place made it possible for young moms to receive longer term (second stage) transitional housing while progressing toward more independent living circumstances.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Saint Monica House promotes INDEPENDENT CHOICES by offering pregnant and
parenting youth a non-judgemental atmosphere where they are free to make
decisions concerning the choice to place for adoption or parent.
Saint Monica House respects the privacy of ALL of its clients. All
information shared with staff remains CONFIDENTIAL unless it is
reflective of child abuse/neglect or if the client has signed a release
form.
Saint Monica House VALUES THE OPINION OF ALL CLIENTS. The staff
encourage clients to share their ideas of how to make programs and
services better.
Saint Monica House provides opportunities for clients to develop
KNOWLEDGE regarding life skills, and parenting and adoption issues
through various individual and group workshops.
Participants of Saint Monica House can earn credits towards an ONTARIO
SECONDARY SCHOOL DIPLOMA by attending an accredited school program with
an on-site nursery.
Saint Monica House is staffed with caring and professional people.
ON-CALL SUPPORT is available 24 HOURS per day, seven days per week to
ALL clients.
Saint Monica House
Residential & Community Programs
Saint Monica House offers comprehensive expectant and new mother's
programs for women living in residence or the community. Support
services offered include: a residential program for expectant mothers,
and new mothers and infants; decision making workshops; individual and
group counselling; parenting classes; pre and post adoption support;
health care and prenatal classes; career counselling; recreational
opportunities; toy lending library; and 24 hour support from Saint
Monica House staff.A nursery, for babies up to 11 months, is also
on-site for young women who choose to parent and wish to attend
parenting groups and the school program.
Monica-Ainslie Place
Supportive Housing Program
Monica-Ainslie Place is a subsidized, supportive housing complex for
single mothers and their children. Tenants can stay in this transitional
housing program for a limited period of time. Group and individual
programs are offered to tenants and residents of the Cambridge community
through the Monica Resource Centre located on site at Monica-Ainslie
Place. Program options include: individual and group counselling;
recreational opportunities; peer support; parenting groups; child
development assessments; toy lending library; referrals to other
community services; and workshops focusing on topics such as
self-awareness, independent living, budgeting, personal health, conflict
resolution, and relationships.
Additional Services
In addition to the residential, community, and supportive housing
programs, Saint Monica House also offers clients a variety of other
services. The following is a list of some of the extra services which
are currently available at Saint Monica House:
Healthy Baby, Healthy Children
Young Parent Resource Centre
Young Father's Support Group
Referrals To Other Community Programs & Services
Prenatal Massage
Chaplaincy Program
School Program
Doula Referral
Morning Munchie Club
Fun Fridays
Teddy Bear Nursery
Special Events
For more information about additional services offered at Saint Monica
House, please contact staff by using the information provided on the
contacts page.
ONE WOMAN'S EXPERIENCE
This was written by one of our clients who attended the residential
program at Saint Monica House from September 1986 to March 1987.
These are her own words.
"If you would have told me 7 years ago that one day I would own a home,
have a job with benefits, and be married to the father of my baby, I
would have told you were crazy (but in the back of my mind thinking "I
wish I could be so lucky"). It wasn't until now, after the birth of my
second son, that I've stopped pinching myself. It's really not a dream.
I really did get my life together. A lot of where I am today is a result
of the time I spent at Saint Monica House back in 1987 when I had just
turned 17. I was pregnant and soon to be homeless! My parents had given
me a couple of choices. To continue living in their home I had to do one
of the following, stop seeing my then boyfriend or abort my baby. I did
neither. Instead I came to Saint Monica House a very frightened and
naive young woman.
At first I didn't want to be so far away from my boyfriend. I was
homesick and lonely. I wanted my baby to be born and my life to be
fixed. It was all so confusing. I didn't know if my parents would ever
forgive me, and if I would ever get the life I set out for myself.
Thanks to all the staff at Saint Monica House I was able to finish
school, learn about the changes going on with my emotions, and figure
out how I was going to raise this baby.
Thanks to my wonderful counsellor, I started to feel good about myself
and the decisions I was making. I felt more confident in my ability to
handle situations, and believe me, many came up! I had my baby and
eventually moved out into my very own apartment. My boyfriend came by a
lot. My parents started to come around and things very slowly were
looking up. I got a job and learned how to budget. My son and I were
getting to know each other better and I was much more comfortable than
I'd felt in a long time. Things were tough too. My friends stopped
calling and my boyfriend wasn't always there when I needed him.
Sometimes my baby would cry for hours for reasons I just couldn't figure
out. But guess what ? All the things I learned at Saint Monica House I
used from how to deal with my anger to how to deal with my landlord!
I got married to my boyfriend about three years ago. We bought our first
home in September, just after we found out we were going to be parents
again. Being pregnant brought back all the wonderful memories of being a
mom for the first time. I am so grateful to have received the support
and caring I got at Saint Monica House. I truly believe it has made me
the wonderful capable mom I am today."
Thanks Everyone
L.K.J.
Through its residence, assisted housing, and community programs, Saint
Monica House staff and volunteers aim to support young women and their
children during times of need. To receive more information about the
programs and services at Saint Monica House, or to inquire about
becoming a client, please contact us using the information provided
below.
Saint Monica House
231 Herbert Street
Waterloo, Ontario
N2J 1V1
Phone: (519) 743-0291
Fax: (519) 743-0292
Monica-Ainslie Place / Monica-Ainslie Resource Center
150 Ainslie Street North
Cambridge, Ontario
N1R 3P5
Phone: (519) 624-0481
Fax: (519) 624-0491
Charitable Reg. # 0267245-01-15