The communal spaces, from the large front door to interior accent walls, boast a cheery red, which Walsh selected for its welcoming property. In addition to the interior shared spaces, the front porch was completely redone and now includes rockers and flowers for a welcoming atmosphere that can easily be shared. It’s great to have your own apartment, but you don’t want to be confined or feel lost,” says Walsh, who had a distinct vision for the home. “I wanted to make sure they weren’t isolated. The center of the home, where the stairs ascend, has been turned into comfy communal spaces, furnished with oversized chairs or couches. Inside, the three-story home is divided into five apartments-two on the first and second floors, and one of the third. “This will really give women independence and help them be able to prepare better for the future.” “We started talking about communal living, but everyone grew to understand better that communal living doesn’t really create a self-sufficient future for someone,” says Home of the Sparrow’s development associate Christina Vaganos. Wanting to encourage independent living, Home of the Sparrow’s board, along with Walsh, decided it was best to have individual apartments. We really see it here because the cost of living is so high.” We’re seeing more and more single women who do not have all those other supports and Chester County is so unique. “With the last economic downturn, things changed. That’s not the reality anymore,” adds Johnson. You should have your savings, be married, have children. “Once you get to a certain age, we think women should have made it. In June 2015, Walsh settled and the project began. The offer came as a shock to the staff, particularly to McLennan, who has plans to retire in January. “They were willing to take this on, and not everyone wants that,” she says. “That’s a group that’s falling between the cracks,” says Matrie Johnson, Home of the Sparrow’s director of programs.Conferring with the organization, Walsh made her offer. Since its inception, Home of the Sparrow has helped around 3,000 women and children through its various programing and saw this as the next logical step. Home of the Sparrow was founded in 1994 with the goal of helping women of all ages, and this year the organization took a major step toward helping women 55 to 62, who have seen an increased need for emergency shelter in Chester County. “I liked what I saw, the mission, and I started to think maybe this is the time I can do more.”īefore major changes could take place, they had to decide whom the house would support and they collectively agreed on the audience. “I’ve always wanted to give in a big way,” she says. Still, she wanted to make a bigger impact so she and her husband made the decision to donate a house to a worthy cause. Walsh, who has volunteered at other area nonprofits, began volunteering with Home of the Sparrow three years ago, preparing a dinner every other week.

Among those present were Home of the Sparrow CEO Pat McLennan and house donor Patricia Walsh. 17.Īt the ceremony, volunteers and supporters of the program gathered on the sun-dappled lawn to officially open the house, which serves women who fall through the gaps and struggle to find appropriate shelter and support. To commemorate the five-apartment house, the organization held a ribbon cutting on Sept. Exton nonprofit Home of the Sparrow is making strides to rectify that through the opening of its new home, the Catherine Twomey House in Coatesville. Poverty doesn’t discriminate based on age, race or gender, and one particular group-women between the ages of 55 and 62-has found itself adversely affected.

Poverty and homelessness might seem nonexistent on the Main Line, but like any community, it’s there.

Home of the sparrow