Summer 2023 in review

Summer fun is a big part of life at Lydia’s House. This summer we were pleased to offer field trips, camps, and parties. We took a day trip to the Cincinnati Zoo. Special thanks to our summer intern, Melinda, for adding some order to this chaos! The boys really loved getting to climb on the gorilla statues there! Before the Norwood Day Parade we had a very nice magician, Richard, come and interact with the kids, showing them some cool magic tricks. We also spent some time at Procter Episcopal Summer Camp and Camp Joy. At these two amazing camps,

A Tribute to Dorothy Day Fellows – Ebony & Macey

By: Meridith Owensby One late night this past winter, Macey was dropping off a friend in Bellevue, just over the river from Cincinnati. It was bitter cold, and both parties were tired from the evening’s festivities. As Macey drove through the dark streets of the neighborhood, she noticed a strange light ahead of her. Slowly, she realized that a house on the street was on fire. No emergency vehicles were on the scene. Fearing that people could be trapped in the house unaware, Macey pulled over, jumped out of the car, and raced to the front door. She began banging

The Case for Two Adults

The Case for Two Adults After a decade working to house homeless mothers and their children, I’ve come to realize that more affordable housing for single parents is a limited solution to family homelessness. By Mary Ellen Mitchell    It’s 5ish on a Wednesday night and my young boys are taunting the smart speaker, much to the dismay of my teenage daughter. They all yell at each other to be quiet. Chaos is overtaking my kitchen, while I convalesce with the flu, safely hidden under the weighted blanket; my husband is at a zoning meeting that’s set to last well

Fellowship & Internship Opportunities with Lydia’s House

We’re Hiring! Lydia’s House is excited to open hiring for the second class of “Fellows” for our Dorothy Day Fellowship Program. The 2023-2025 applicants can choose from four positions, each with a unique focus: “Community Ministry” Fellow “Maternal and Family Health” Fellow “Non-Profit Leadership” Fellow “Early Childhood Education” Fellow Every position will include mentoring in the work of Lydia’s House and in the fight against family poverty and homelessness, and all positions share the work of maintaining and staffing the shelter. The positions will each have a duration of 24 months, include a living suite and a generous compensation package

Monica’s Story

My name is Monica and my daughter’s name is Olivia*. Our homelessness journey started well before becoming a part of Lydia’s House. In 2019 I decided to move back in with my family, specifically my grandparents, to get help with Olivia while I went back to school. In my head this was a great idea, but Lord knows I wasn’t expecting the whirlpool of changes ahead of us. My time with my grandparents ended pretty quickly. We did a lot of house-hopping over the next few years, as we moved from my grandparents’ house to a friend of mine’s house