October 27, 2014

Be careful what you ask for…

As you may know, Good Shepherd’s draft three-year strategic plan calls for an aggressive expansion of the our Maternity census to an average of 10-12 young women by July 1, 2017.  This goal was based not merely upon the increased capacity of our renovated space, but also upon our assessment of unmet need in the community.  Our fiscal year 2015 budget calls for an average daily census of 7 (1.5 more than last year’s results), with the understanding that we could accommodate up to two additional clients who had no funding to support their stay (thanks to the United Way).

By the end of this week, our census will be 13 pregnant-parenting women and a host of babies.  We’re Bursting at the seams and looking at creative ways to increase our staffing to accommodate this larger than anticipated group.  This is a good problem to have, because it will mean 13 families will not be on the street.  The residential unit has never been so full, and the chatter and cries of our little ones are a blessing each and every day. It unclear how steady this influx of clients will be, but we feel very fortunate to stand in the gap for however long we’re needed.

Yours in Christ,

Michael