The mission of Lydia’s House is to provide safe, stable and  supportive housing  for women and children in crisis.

Our vision is to be a demonstration plot of God’s beloved community, a home where people from all walks of life can help one another grow toward wholeness.

We are a Catholic Worker house of hospitality.

Take a tour of our home:

Lydia’s House provides space for five women (guests) and up to six of their children:

Women must be either pregnant or have a child under the age 5. Priority is given to women ages 18-24. Our shelter is a place of hope and healing as well as a springboard from which guests can seek training, new skills, and work that will provide for their needs. Families live in community, share life and meals with one another, and are encouraged in their personal spiritual journeys.  To learn more check out our who we serve page. 

The Challenge We Face:

The childhood poverty rate in Hamilton County is 24% according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.  Two thirds of these children in poverty live in female headed households. The Greater Cincinnati region is 20,000 units short of affordable housing for extremely poor families and has the fourth highest rising rent rate in the nation as of 2022.

Out of a sense of wanting to address the profound need for safe transitional housing options for families experiencing poverty, in 2013 the founders of Lydia’s House established a small residence for homeless women and their children.  In 2017 Lydia’s House expanded our mission to include permanent housing. We opened our first building of affordable housing in March of 2019 and our second building in May 2022. In 2023 we broke ground on a shelter expansion, in preparation for our 10 year anniversary in 2024.