Saint John centre helping moms find their footing
19-year-old Jamie Luis has been living at First Steps for over a year, and will soon be marking her first Mother’s Day as her daughter was born seven months ago.
"She’s always smiling, she loves to play with the older kids," says Luis. "And she’s just a very sweet girl."
It's been about a year and two months since she moved to the facility after finding out she was pregnant and in need of support.
"I needed help because I got laid off because of COVID," says Luis, "And I actually contacted Denise asking if I could have a tour of First Steps."
First Steps is a centre for pregnant and parenting young women and their children who have no safe place to go.
The organization not only provides transitional housing, but also access to programs and services to help their clients succeed.
Denise Morais, residential director, says one of the most unique parts of the program is that it tries to meet the women where they are.
"Everyone here essentially wants to be a parent," says Morais. "But they also have challenges with addiction, mental health, intimate partner violence, childhood trauma, poverty – so we try to address all of those needs."
Not only does First Steps have a daycare on site – it also has its own high school, the Dr. Christine Davies Education Centre which "provides schooling for pregnant and parenting women who would like to achieve their high school diploma."
Among those who have achieved that goal – is Jamie, who has not only graduated from high school, but is now enrolled to attend college in the fall.
"I have a lot of help from staff here and Denise," says Luis. "And I have truly believed that I can do it, and it’s for my daughter in the long run."
Morais estimates they’ve helped between 450 and 500 women – to help lift them up and find their footing for both mother and child.
"When I took my application in for college, I wanted to give [my daughter] the life that I never had, I want to give her the love, the attention, everything … that I never had, and that’s my goal basically."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.