DETROIT – Homeless and pregnant are two words that should never go together. Sadly all too often they do.
For Beth Collison, a chance encounter with a young mother at her bookstore ignited a passion to help others and a home was created.
"The whole mission of the house is to recreate a family environment, because for a lot of women that we serve they have never even sat down at a kitchen table and had dinner with their family," said Collison.
Mary's Mantle has served 44 expectant mothers to date. Each new mother is welcomed warmly into the family and is watched over carefully by their dutiful housemother Beverly Anglin, who treats each of them as if they were her own.
"What were some of the challenges in those early days and weeks?" asked Mitch Albom.
"To get them to understand that I was doing this out of love and because I was a single mom and I had my mother to help me, so I was able to give back," said Anglin.
The residents of Mary's Mantle come from shelters, crisis centers and some right off the streets.
"They have to be committed to wanting to change some of the things in their life that brought them to homelessness," Collison said. "We have parenting classes, Bible study, cooking, nutrition, everything that is going to help them really become a good mother. Teach them some real basic skills that foster hope in their heart again. We are just very blessed to be able to be that family for them."
Fostering a motherly spirit, Collison, Anglin and all the ladies of Mary's Mantle are welcoming new life into the heart of Detroit.
Heart of Detroit