Dorothy Arockiasamy and a team of volunteers have opened the Enkrateia House of Hope, which will serve as a shelter for up to four women in the southwest Minneapolis area who are struggling with secure living situations and are pregnant. 

The goal is to give these women a safe place to stay during their pregnancies, as well as following the births of their children. 

“If we can take one mother off the street, that’s what we want to do,” Arockiasamy said, according to The Catholic Spirit.

“Enkrateia” means “temperance” in Greek and it is the founder’s hope that women who spend time at the house will be able to gain irreplaceable skills to help them thrive after bringing their children into the world. 

Arockiasamy, a biomedical scientist, retired from her career and discerned that she was called to help women in crisis pregnancies. She originally was planning on using her own home to house mothers in need but instead opted for a home dedicated to them. 

It is Arockiasamy’s hope that this home will reach a demographic of women who have fallen through the cracks of other crisis pregnancy organizations. 

According to the organization, the home will provide housing and resources to women in need, helping them physically, emotionally and spiritually.