HEBRON —  Cheryl Carlson was 16 years old and starting her senior year in high school when she learned she was pregnant.

For weeks, she told no one.

Cheryl Carlson with her husband, Rich. At inset is a photo of Carlson after having her son at age 17. Submitted photo

“I didn’t believe that I would be able to just go home and that it would be OK,” she said. “It was a really scary time.”

Instead, she prayed to God, mourning her final year of cheerleading and her plans for college.

It wasn’t long before her mom recognized the signs of morning sickness. Together, with help from their pastor, they told Carlson’s father.

Carlson’s family stood by her through her pregnancy. But she knows not all girls are so lucky.

Two years ago, Carlson founded Life House Maine together with a group of like-minded people intent on creating a home for pregnant women with no place to go. Earlier this year, her dream became that much closer with the purchase of the former Greenwood Mountain Inn in Hebron.

The people behind Life House Maine envision creating a home where women can live from pregnancy until their child’s first birthday. In addition to housing, the group will provide wrap-around services such as counseling; parenting and finance classes; and assistance finding employment, securing long-range housing, continuing their education or making an adoption plan.

Paul Balsamo stands in the kitchen June 7 at the Chapman House in Hebron. The former Greenwood Mountain Inn is being prepared for pregnant women who need housing. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

“Our focus is women that already have chosen to raise their child, but they’re physically and mentally and financially unable to do that,” Life House Maine President Paul Balsamo said.

Those who wish to live at the home will need to fill out an application, agree to follow their resident handbook and undergo a background check. Their first priority is the safety of those who already live in the maternity home, Balsamo said.

While Life House Maine is a faith-based organization, Balsamo said women entering the home would not be expected to adhere to any specific religion.

Searching for a house to host their first maternity home was particularly difficult due to the competitive housing market, he said. The nonprofit had raised more than $100,000 in donations for a down payment, but needed to find an owner-financed property.

Life House Maine was primarily looking for a home in the Midcoast region, but when their real estate agent showed them the former inn in Hebron, they decided they would do whatever was needed to purchase it.

Paul Balsamo stands June 7 in the doorway of the Chapman House in Hebron, which is being prepared as a residence for pregnant women. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Balsamo said the former owner, Jeremy Chapman, supported their vision for the property and agreed to sell it to them at a reduced price in return for the naming rights. The home was named the Charlane M. Chapman House after Chapman’s mother who lived on the property and passed away last year.

There are two buildings on the property, the main house and a second two-story structure built when the property was a wedding venue.

The main house has nine bedrooms and six bathrooms. Balsamo said they expect to house up to half a dozen mothers at the Chapman House and use the rest to provide spaces for overnight volunteers to sleep.

Already, many people have volunteered to take shifts and help at the maternity home in other ways, Balsamo said. However, they are still searching for a couple interested in overseeing the maternity home and mentoring the moms as “house parents.” This couple would live on the property full time and have their own private quarters in the secondary building.

“I am convinced that part of the healing process for these moms is seeing a healthy male and female relationship,” Balsamo said. Having a man living on-site would also be beneficial for security and modeling “what healthy dads are,” he added.

As the executive director of Care Net of Midcoast Maine, Mary Rose Pray has seen a growing need for housing options specific to single pregnant women. Care Net provides a variety of resources for pregnant women, including testing, counseling and parenting classes, but not housing.

She recalled two homeless women who visited the center in 2019 and learned they were pregnant. Their options were few, she said, noting that shelters are not able to house babies. If a woman has nowhere to go, the Department of Health and Human Services will step in.

Pregnant, homeless women are moved up on the Section 8 housing list, she said. This helped one of the women find housing and keep her child. The other woman’s child was eventually adopted, she said.

“You need a support system, and so many women don’t have that nowadays,” Pray said.

These women in part inspired her to speak publicly about the growing need for housing specific to pregnant women. It wasn’t long before she received an email from Carlson, eager to get started.

A canopy bed is featured June 7 in one of the nine bedrooms at the Chapman House in Hebron. The former Greenwood Mountain Inn is opening soon for pregnant women who need housing. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

“We want to make that safe home (for) women of any age,” Carlson said. “It’s not just the 16-year-olds that find themselves homeless and pregnant.”

Life House Maine officially became a nonprofit in January 2020. Since then, board members have been meeting regularly to plan and fundraise. All still have full-time jobs, Balsamo said.

Pray, who is also a board member for Life House Maine, said the nonprofit already received half a dozen inquiries for women in need. They are accepting resident applications and aim to open this summer.

While the remote location may prove challenging, Balsamo said they are looking into possible options to assist with transportation, including Western Maine Transportation.

The home is 20 minutes from Norway and nearly 30 minutes outside of Lewiston. Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway and Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston have maternity wards.

The home will not be able to accept women who already have children, Balsamo said.

Ultimately, Carlson said she wants women with unexpected pregnancies to know they’re not alone in the world.

Even with her family’s support, Carlson struggled during her pregnancy. She married her high school sweetheart that fall, but her situation didn’t improve.

“Instead of one teenager laying in bed at night crying, you had two,” she said. “We didn’t know what we were doing.”

At that point, she didn’t know anyone who had lived through a similar situation she could talk with. She felt alone in the challenges she faced.

Now, remarried with five children, Carlson wants to share her experience and support other women facing unexpected pregnancies.

“(If there’s) one woman that chooses to have her child because she now has a place to go, if it’s just one, it’ll all be worth it,” Carlson said.

Life House Maine can be reached by emailing info@lifehousemaine.org or calling 207-409-1407.

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