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The Evening Sun | Aunt Mary’s House Moves Forward With Project
NORWICH
—
At
last
week’s
meeting,
Norwich
nonprofit
Aunt
Mary’s
House
(AMH)
was
approved
by
the
City
of
Norwich
Zoning
Board
of
Appeals
(ZBA)
to
designate
their
facility
as
a
group
care
facility.
Aunt
Mary’s
House
is
an
organization
under
the
umbrella
of
Improve
Norwich
Now
(INN)
that
will
provide
housing
to
women
over
the
age
of
18
who
are
either
pregnant
or
parenting
a
child
18
months
old
or
younger,
and
assist
them
with
medical
care,
education,
transportation,
connection
to
resources,
and
learning
life
skills
such
as
caring
for
their
children
and
home,
finding
a
job,
and
financial
literacy.
Complications
arose
when
the
Code
Enforcement
Office
said
the
proposed
AMH
facility
was
designated
as
a
rooming
house.
AMH
representatives
appealed
the
decision,
and
argued
at
the
May
8
meeting
that
their
facility
should
be
designated
as
a
group
care
facility,
which
offers
room
and
board,
and
access
to
care
and
services
on
a
continuous
basis.
After
hearing
a
presentation
by
AMH
President
Jen
Westervelt
and
AMH
Executive
Director
Brenda
White,
as
well
as
several
community
members
speaking
in
support
of
the
organization,
ZBA
members
voted
to
approve
the
designation.
Now,
Aunt
Mary’s
House
can
move
forward
with
their
project,
which
means
preparing
their
facility
which
will
house
up
to
four
mothers
and
babies.
Westervelt
said
INN
will
be
signing
a
lease
on
the
facility
on
behalf
of
AMH,
and
then
the
organization
will
be
working
with
Bob
Jackson,
Jr.,
a
local
contractor,
to
gather
bids
for
renovation
work
on
the
home.
It
is
anticipated
the
home
will
be
completed
in
early-
to
mid-2024.
“We
come
back
to
our
commitment
to
do
everything
we
do
with
quality
and
professionalism,
and
so
we
don’t
want
to
open
until
we
are
certain
that
we
can
offer
quality
product
both
to
the
residents
of
Aunt
Mary’s
House
and
for
our
community,”
said
Westervelt.
“Especially
when
we’re
talking
about
housing
pregnant
women
and
small
children,
we
don’t
want
to
be
in
the
midst
of
being
a
construction
zone
while
we
are
trying
to
help
support
successful,
healthy
lifestyles
for
these
residents.”
Women
who
reside
at
Aunt
Mary’s
House
will
work
with
case
managers
to
identify
and
access
support
services,
medical
care,
mental
health
care,
educational
opportunities,
job
opportunities,
and
more,
with
the
end
goal
of
the
women
moving
into
their
own
apartment
and
leading
successful,
healthy
lives.
“AMH
will
provide
board
at
no
charge
to
these
individuals,
these
residents,
and
we
will
offer
continuous
access
to
care
and
services
through
designated
staff
during
the
day,
as
well
as
on-call
staff
and
volunteers
on
evenings
and
weekends,”
said
White.
On-call
services
will
also
include
physicians,
nurses,
social
workers,
mental
health
providers,
primary
care
providers,
obstetricians,
pediatricians,
and
crisis
lines.
“There
will
be
a
rotating
on-call
schedule
that
includes
staff,
board
members,
and
volunteers
that
will
be
available
at
any
time,
and
if
needed
the
on-call
person
will
report
to
the
home,”
Westervelt
added.
“Over
the
past
two
years
we
have
been
actively
developing
partnerships
with
local
service
providers
and
community
members
who
are
eager
to
participate
in
providing
the
care
and
services
needed
to
support
the
success
of
AMH
and
our
residents.”
“AMH
is
viewed
as
an
investment
in
our
own
community
members,
whom
we
want
to
see
succeed
for
generations
to
come.”
Aunt
Mary’s
House
received
sweeping
support
from
the
community
during
last
week’s
meeting.
In
total,
seven
letters
of
support
were
read
during
the
meeting,
and
five
individuals
spoke
in
front
of
the
ZBA
in
support
of
the
organization
and
their
mission.
The
support
also
showcased
the
many
connections
AMH
has
made
with
local
organizations
and
services.
Individuals
speaking
in
support
of
the
group
included
physicians,
nurses,
local
business
owners,
mental
health
representatives,
elected
officials,
and
more.
“We
believe
Aunt
Mary’s
House
will
be
uniquely
placed
not
only
to
provide
a
safe
haven
for
the
expectant
moms
and
their
babies,
but
also
to
help
them,
guide
them,
to
become
independent
members
of
our
community,”
said
Splendor
Inn
Owner
Chris
Smith.
“We
look
forward
to
helping
Aunt
Mary’s
House
achieve
its
goals
and
would
urge
all
members
of
our
local
community
to
support
this
wonderful
project.”
Westervelt
said
AMH
is
grateful
for
the
widespread
support
of
the
community.
“We
are
tremendously
thankful
for
the
support,
both
in
terms
of
written
letters
of
support
as
well
as
individuals
who
came
in
person
and
spoke,”
she
said.
“While
this
was
a
challenging
process,
we
are
grateful
for
the
opportunity
to
really
rally
our
supporters
and
give
them
the
opportunity
to
come
and
be
such
a
public
display
of
collaboration.”
While
they
have
already
amassed
a
network
of
support
and
services
from
local
organizations
and
businesses,
AMH
is
always
looking
to
expand
their
connection
to
resources
to
further
help
the
women
they
serve.
Businesses,
organizations,
and
individuals
with
skills
or
services
they
would
like
to
provide
to
AMH,
or
those
who
would
like
to
volunteer,
can
do
so
by
contacting
White
at
or
607-238-3392.
Donations
can
be
made
at
AuntMarysHouse.net.
“We
are
continuing
to
build
our
support
network
and
there
is
absolutely
something
for
everyone
to
become
a
team
member
for
Aunt
Mary’s
House,
whether
that
is
stepping
up
to
be
a
part
of
our
actual
structured
system
of
support,
or
coming
in
and
offering
play
groups
and
different
studies
for
personal
growth
and
development,
but
also
the
monetary
donations
and
in-kind
donations,”
said
Westervelt.
“These
are
all
areas
where,
again,
this
is
going
to
take
the
whole
community
coming
together
and
the
more
people
who
give
a
little
bit
here
and
there,
the
less
of
a
burden
it
is
on
a
smaller
group,”
she
continued.
“The
more
we
can
share
this
load,
it’s
a
much
lighter
load
and
we
will
be
able
to
come
together
positively
and
be
encouraged
as
we
offer
encouragement
to
others.”
More
information
on
Aunt
Mary’s
House
can
be
found
at
AuntMarysHouse.net
or
on
the
Aunt
Mary’s
House
page.
