Maternity house seeks housemother Shelter for unwed pregnant women looks to reopen BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer RED BANK - - The group that operates a home for single, pregnant women in the borough is seeking a housemother so the facility can reopen. "We found that unless we had proper supervision, it generally does not work out," said Donald D. Devine, who heads the board of trustees for Pat Daly's Madonna House, located at 43 Drs. James Parker Blvd. The temporary home for single mothers to-be had housed many pregnant women since it was founded in 2000 but had been inactive for a year and a half. Recently, the maternity house reopened and a pregnant woman had been staying there, Devine said, but she gave birth two weeks ago and will not return to the house. The maternity house will remain unoccupied until a housemother is found to oversee its operation, Devine said, adding that some of the housemother's responsibilities would include teaching the women how to cook and shop for groceries. In July, Devine and other trustees had a blessing of the house before the reopening and subsequent closure in order to reorganize. A Mass was celebrated in the backyard by Rev. Glen Sudano of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Devine, who has lived in Red Bank for 47 years, said the house does not have any religious affiliation and the board does not discriminate based on age, race or religion, but that those in charge are Roman Catholics. The first suspension of operations included renovations to the house, which had not been painted in 50 years, said Devine, South Street. He said there is a new kitchen and appliances, and he did a lot of repair work himself. Another aspect of the reorganization was the inclusion of program coordinator Carolyn Fitzpatrick in spring 2006. "She basically wrote all the rules and regulations [for the house]," said Devine. Fitzpatrick also works for an affiliated organization, A Shore Pregnancy, which is a crisis pregnancy center. "It's for girls either seeking abortion [or other avenues] so we try to counsel them and dissuade them or offer them an alternative," said Devine. One of those alternatives is the maternity house, which was named after Red Bank resident Pat Daly, who died a few years ago. "Pat Daly had a very strong desire to help single mothers and their babies," said Devine. He noted that she used to take girls into her own Broad Street home before she became sick. "We saw there was a need and that this need has continued," said Devine of opening the maternity house in 2000. "[A] need for housing and training and caring and helping prepare girls for independence for themselves and their babies." Devine said the only qualifications for living in the house are that the women are pregnant, adhere to the rules of the house and do not have any male visitation. "The last girl was from Woodbridge and I took her to Saint Peter's Hospital in New Brunswick two weeks ago," said Devine. Devine said the woman was living in the house for a week before giving birth and was the first to live in the house since its reopening. "She came from a crisis pregnancy center in Metuchen," said Devine. He noted that most of the women that come to live in the house are referrals from other organizations like Red Bank and Freehold Birthright. Devine, his son Donald J. Devine and Terrance Kenny make up the threemember board of trustees. The Devine family are no strangers to pregnancy, childbirth and child rearing. "My wife and I have 14 children and we just had our 46th grandchild," said Devine. "So we are used to births in the family." He takes advantage of his large family and taps his children as advisers for some maternity house programs, which include home economics, parenting, nutrition and life skills classes during the day. The house has two floors, four bedrooms and a basement with a laundry and a full bathroom. There is another half bathroom, kitchen, living room, dining room and utility room. Each bedroom includes a telephone and there is a television in the living room. The house is also equipped for the Internet and has a computer. Devine said that the time spent watching television is monitored and amounts to a couple hours of television a day. "What we do is we pattern ourselves after several other homes," said Devine. There is a 9:30 p.m. curfew and the women are encouraged to finish their education, whether it is getting a GED, trade school or college. The women are also encouraged very strongly to get jobs and are taught how to apply for jobs. Devine said if the women work, they would be required to give a nominal contribution to the house that does not exceed 15 percent of their income. Devine, who is a CPA and owns the Donald D. Devine Co., said the women are also taught fiscal responsibility. Visits by family and friends are allowed by appointment and at other specific times, and the process includes a probation period of one to two months. "This is a time they should be concentrating on themselves and their babies," said Devine. "Most of the girls do not have any relationship with the fathers." He noted that if they are still in contact with the fathers, he and his associates would encourage marriage as well as the fathers helping to support the family. Devine also said there is no time limit on how long the women stay in the house and women are often encouraged to stay after giving birth in order to transition into life after pregnancy. "Money is starting to run out so we are having a benefit," said Devine. The benefit will be an Oktoberfest on Oct. 20 at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft. Devine said it will have authentic German food and a family theme. Future endeavors include having a day-care center on premises and trying to acquire another property for transitional housing for the women. Devine said he envisions the women being participants in the day-care center and leaving their children to be cared for there, as well as working at the center themselves.