New Family Care Ministry launches to help single mothers

Problems can be blessings in disguise. Rather than maintaining the status quo, challenges redirect us back to the Father for His guidance. They force us to temporarily slow down and reevaluate, leading to the discovery of new, more effective, lasting solutions. This has been the catalyst for some of Show-Me’s greatest transformations over the last 25 years: the creation of the Show-Me Christian School, the expansion of counseling services, the development of the Path to Purpose program, and the consolidation of distant, individual satellite homes to build campus communities with on-site support systems.

We are excited to announce the next page in our testimony with the launch of our new Family Care Ministry – a program to help single moms and their children find the tools and resources they need to build a healthy, stable, self-sufficient, and successful future!

Praising God for Problems!?!

Over the past 15 years, Show-Me has wrestled with how to be the best stewards of our satellite units scattered on the edges of Missouri. While the Hubble Home in Galt, MO, was built from the ground up for the ministry, most of the satellites were donated, single-family homes that were never designed to accommodate a larger Show-Me family. Located, in some cases, up to four hours away from the main campus presented numerous challenges: increased costs, lack of readily available support of the campus communities, and limitations on what type of children could be placed there.

One solution was to sell some of our property, and use the funds to build new homes at our larger locations. This led to the establishment of the Drysdale Campus with three homes, and the expansion of the main campus to seven homes. While the Judd Home in Knob Noster, MO could easily connect with a campus, the New Life Home in Mayview, MO, and the Hubble Home in Galt, MO, could not. Unable to secure houseparents, these homes sit largely unused.

Without Options

Show-Me has seen a reduction in the number of child placements, while pleas for help reached a 10-year record high last year. In many of these requests, the children need more help than Show-Me can provide. Yet, we regularly get calls from single moms in desperate situations. Facing unexpected crises, they are looking for a way to protect their children from the ramifications. Whatever the case, they realize for their child to have a better life, they need more resources than they alone can provide. “To be separated from my children was one of the hardest decisions I ever made,” stated Vickie Moyer, a single mom who placed her two teenage children with Show-Me. “I just wanted the best for them.”

Until now, Show-Me only had one option to help them: Mom places the children with us while she works to get back on her feet so the family can reunite. Though successful in many such cases, unfortunately, some moms lose their motivation and often end up in worse circumstances – and the children have had additional trauma due to the separation. For others, separation from their child is too much to bear and they either look elsewhere for help, or continue to struggle on their own. In each case, the generational traumatic cycle continues, and the child pays the cost.

The Family Care Ministry

A single mom shouldn’t have to separate herself from her children to “get her life back together,” often due to circumstances beyond her control. Through our new Family Care ministry, she can keep her family intact while she rebuilds her life together with her kids. These moms will receive the support they need to “hit pause,” work through the issues that led them to need our services, and focus on the future success, happiness, and stability of their family.

The goal-oriented program is designed to provide hard-working single mothers with the time, space, and resources they need to build a safe and stable foundation to become a healthy and independent family with Christ as their cornerstone. The Hubble Home and New Life Home are being modified to provide independent living spaces for multiple families.

A Team for Mom

The program does not seek to replace Mom; she will still be responsible for raising her own children. A Family Life Coach will live at the home. Working around their job or school schedule, the coordinator will meet regularly with each mom to guide her along her individual path to independence and her pursuit of long-term, quality-of-life improvements. Moms will receive coaching in areas of parenting, vocational assistance, financial management, discipleship, mental health, and coordinating resources her family needs.

Most living expenses will be covered including housing, utilities, and basic needs for the family so that moms can focus on the steps they need to better their lives. The moms will also have access to donated food, clothing, furniture, and household items at the main campus. Our goal is that Mom and her children leave Family Care 100% stable, self-sufficient, and on a path to a healthy future, with a nice “nest egg” to launch back into the real world.

Success Rather than Struggle

“Over my years, I have seen so many struggling moms,” stated Bobbie Novak, the Family Care Program Manager. “It isn’t lack of desire, but lack of guidance.” Joining the Show-Me family in 2006 as a housemom, Bobbie is uniquely qualified to lead the program as an accredited Family Support Provider. “I’ve had a passion for especially the mothers of the children because I had their babies,” stated Bobbie. “You always want to have the parents as part of their life and part of their success story whenever possible.”