Pregnant, homeless and nowhere to turn

LANSING – When she was five months pregnant, Rebecca Sifuentes' truck, the one that occasionally doubled as her bed for the night, broke down.

Sifuentes, had been "bouncing around" from place to place, working late nights at an East Lansing telemarketing firm with no real place to call home, never knowing when she would get her next meal, never getting a full night's sleep.

"I couldn't imagine being homeless throughout my pregnancy, and then not having a home to take her to when she was born," Sifuentes said. "My family wasn't happy about me being pregnant. I had nobody."

When Sifuentes, 39, moved into Hannah's House, a local shelter for homeless pregnant women and their babies, she was finally able to rest, she said.

Since opening its doors in 1995, Hannah's House has provided a safe place for 101 homeless women and their babies, said Jessica Leese, the shelter's executive director. The organization can house up to four women at a time through pregnancy and up to nine months after their babies are born.

Leese said some of the women who stay at Hannah's House have faced domestic violence. Some have been evicted because they couldn't make ends meet. Some women need a place to stay after completing rehabilitation programs for substance abuse; others may be dealing with mental illness.

"The difference between our shelter and many shelters is we're more of a home, a family," said House Director Lisa Barker. She lives at Hannah's House five days a week, helping connect the women to resources to further their education or get assistance for food, baby supplies, budgeting and more. She leads daily Christian devotionals and serves as a listening ear, a friend and a mother figure to many of the residents.

Leese said women must be at least 18 years old to stay at the shelter. As a nondenominational Christian ministry, residents are required to attend church, daily devotionals and weekly Bible studies and either hold a job, further their education and do some type of community service while living there.

"Our two biggest goals are to introduce them to Christ — to leave here knowing who he is and starting that relationship — and to be self-sufficient," Leese said. "To have a way to support themselves and their baby.

"Our job is to plant a seed and help them grow."

Now Sifuentes and six-month-old Ava have a place to call home that they share with another former resident of Hannah's House and her 7-month-old twins. She has a new job in Lansing and a car that was given to her by local nonprofit, Homeless Angels.

The next step, Sifuentes said, is getting her high school diploma.

"I'm trying to do what I can to support (Ava)," Sifuentes said. "But I want to also make a better life for us."

Hike for Hannah's House 5K

The money to keep Hannah's House running comes from donations through local churches, businesses and individuals, Leese said, as well as fundraisers throughout the year. Saturday's Hike for Hannah's House 5K scheduled for Saturday, May 2, comes at a critical time to keep the house's doors open, she said.

Registration for the run/walk begins at 8:15 a.m. at Sharp Park in Lansing, with the 5K beginning at 9 a.m. The cost is $30 for adults 18 and up, $65 for a family of four and $15 for youth ages 6 through 17. Kids ages 5 and under are free.

For more information, visit www.hannahshouselansing.org or call 517-482-5856. Monetary donations for the shelter can also be sent to P.O. Box 14013, Lansing, Michigan, 48901.

Leese said Hannah's House always accepts donations of diapers, formula, clothes and other baby supplies. Extra supplies are given to community members in need. She said last year the ministry was able to provide infant supplies for 568 local families, in addition to the shelter's residents.