When Melanie Hardy sees a prostitute on the street corner, she thinks that with a few unhappy turns to her life, that could be her.
"I think once upon a time you were a little girl with little black patent shoes and tights, wearing an adorable dress and then what happened?" Hardy said with tears in her eyes. "That could have been me and I think we all need to look at people and realize that could be you. How come it's not? Because you're blessed to have a good mother."
Now imagine that woman on the street getting a second chance and coming home to live with mom.
The nurturing positive environment of life at mom's house is what MOMSS (Making Ourselves Matter Services Society) has chosen to echo in their quest to provide an alternative to homelessness for six young at-risk women ages 19 to 29.
According to a study by psychologist Jeffrey Arnett, this age group has a better chance of succeeding than any other age, making it an ideal stage to offer hope.
Melanie Hardy is the chief fundraiser of the Making Ourselves Matter Services Society, a non profit organization, which will provide rural community living in an alcohol and illegal drug free environment.
The 18-month program, which includes a strong mentoring component, offers life skills courses with a goal of each client becoming self-supporting, live independently, with the resilience to resist negative peer pressure, manage drug and alcohol challenges and become competent employees or post-secondary students.
There will also be a place reserved for those wishing to try living independently at the rural setting before moving back into society.
"Our mothers left a very big footprint on our hearts and they gave us their love unconditionally, and these women haven't had that opportunity and we want to pay that forward," said Linda Liss, a co-founder of MOMSS.
The candidates that participate in the program will come from a referral system, including self-referral, treatment or detox centres, youth group homes or the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
"There is significant crevices in the system right now where we lose so many girls," said Liss, a certified life-skills coach.
Darcy Cooper and Jacki Watts, also co-founders, got together with Liss to discuss how they might be able to fill the gap from being a government assisted person to being a contributing member of society.
"We thought we could figure out solutions to problems and develop a program around that," said Liss, who has worked on this project for three years. "And that's exactly what we did."
There is no venue in place at this time but there are 11 employees set to begin once a location for the program is found. During the first year of operation the cost will be approximately $430,000 and will drop to $410,000 after that because of the initial cost of intensive training for employees in that first year.
Training will be ongoing throughout each year but it won't be as expensive as the first year.
"I thought I would be content in the last phase of my career as a youth employment counselor but I wasn't and I would see the same problems over and over again and it pulled at my heart," said Liss.
"When you're working with these women and talk to them you hear their dreams and their aspirations, you just know you're really blessed and you think if only there was these opportunities in the community things could be so different for them."
For more information visit www.momss.ca.
