Lydia’s House serves women who are pregnant and women who have young children. The average stay is between 90 and 120 days. No more than 30 days after moving into Lydia’s House, guests must be engaged in meaningful activities during the day, such as employment or schooling.

Guests pay a monthly room deposit of $200. The total deposit will return to them on move out (as long as their room is in good shape upon departure), and can serve as deposit or first month’s rent on their future apartment. Upon leaving Lydia’s House, most guests move into a subsidized apartment, paying 30% of their income monthly.

Guests are typically referred to Lydia’s House by a partner agency, but may also self refer through norwoodhome.org. Rooms are typically available about once a month. When we have a room available, the process takes between 48 hours to 10 days from application to move in. If you need emergency shelter tonight, please call 381-SAFE.

If you’re able to work with our timeline please click here to learn more about our selection process (norwoodhome.org).

Here’s some information on who is a good fit for Lydia’s House:

  • Lydia’s House serves women with children. Each woman must have at least one child under age 5 or be pregnant. We give preference to women aged 18-24. Due to space constraints, Lydia’s House does not serve families with more than 4 children or families with children over the age of 12.
  • Lydia’s House is a good fit for a woman who is seeking to pursue education or a training program, such as completing a GED or a program to be a home health aide, or start schooling to become a medical assistant. Women may also be seeking to obtain employment.
  • Women at Lydia’s House are open to living in community and view living alongside others as a supportive opportunity for their family and personal development.
  • Women who have abused substances and have been in recovery for less than 6 months or who define themselves as in need of rehabilitation from substances are not invited to live at Lydia’s House.
  • Lydia’s House is not a safe house. While we are able to accommodate or support women who have had trauma in their background, we cannot serve women who need an undisclosed location.