Birmingham nonprofit extends help to girls in need: ‘No Abandonment’

A Birmingham-area nonprofit broke ground Tuesday on a $4.5 million expansion that will expand Grace House Ministries’ ability to serve girls in foster care.

The organization, founded in 1992, has a Fairfield campus of historic homes, a budding garden with pink picnic tables and a small red brick school. The expansion will increase educational space in the Grace House Campus, add two transition homes for girls transitioning out of foster care, and create a central hub for campus activities.

“We believe that the more girls we can serve, the more girls can go out into the community to make a difference,” Pamela Reed Phipps, executive director of Grace House Ministries, told AL.com.

In Alabama, there are about 6,000 children in foster care, according to the Alabama Department of Human Resources. According to recent reports, hundreds of young adults in the state each year in foster care; those people were less likely to have health insurance, employment, be enrolled in postsecondary institutions, or have a high school diploma compared to the national average.

If her girls don’t have a safe and stable place to live, Phipps said, they would often be in danger.

“Other than our girls receiving these services here at Grace House, they would be seen as statistics. They would be subject to teenage pregnancy. They would be subject to homelessness, sex trafficking, cycling through the criminal justice system, or simply falling back into that cycle of poverty. Our goal is to break that cycle because they are part of the family.”

Grace House has served more than 700 girls and is working with the Alabama Department of Human Resources to determine who would most benefit from the nonprofit’s services. Many of the girls grew up in dire circumstances but thrived at Grace House, staff and alumni say.

“I grew up in foster care because of ill-equipped parents. I was first introduced to Grace House Ministries in eighth grade. I was very nervous and anxious about my future here at Grace House,” said Grace House graduate Raine Jones. “However, through my experience, I have developed a good work ethic, personal skills, daily life skills, and most importantly, a great relationship with God.”

Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in social work, works as a social worker and counsels individuals through addiction recovery.

“Each girl is in the custody of DHR because they were removed from their homes due to abandonment, neglect or abuse,” Phipps said. “Every time they’re taken away from home, that’s a level of trauma. But Grace House exists to bridge those gaps and give girls an opportunity.”

Grace House was founded by 69-year-old “Mother” Lois Coleman. She opened her doors to eight children and nurtured the ministry for decades. A photo of Coleman and her foster children still placed on a table in the entryway of one of the homes.

Grace House currently houses 40 girls. The campus consists of 13 properties, three being group homes for young people aged between 6 and 18 and two being transitional homes for ages between 16 and 19.

Grace House offers educational, social skills, financial literacy, career and vocational training. Counselors teach the girls conflict resolution skills, interview skills, how to create a resume and how to lead. They receive regular counseling sessions as well as extracurricular and volunteer opportunities.

Phipps said 11 of the Grace House girls are in higher education programs.

“These are future mothers, workers, educators. I was just talking to one of our former girls and she is now a teacher. She broke the cycle and that is a product of Grace House,” Phipps said.

“Our girls are not a burden on society. These are precious girls who, through no fault of their own, are in foster care and just need an opportunity. They are productive citizens. They are community leaders.”