Volunteers Give Rise to a Refuge for Mothers

“Come on, everybody, don’t be afraid of getting your hands dirty,” City Council member Marilynn Poe called out Tuesday as she braced part of a wooden frame.

In a community gathering reminiscent of old-fashioned barn raisings, about 40 volunteers, benefactors and city dignitaries helped raise the walls of what will be home to five young women and their children.

The two-story building is an annex to Precious Life Shelter, an emergency and transitional refuge for mothers and pregnant women.

The project is headed by HomeAid Orange County, an 8-year-old consortium of home builders dedicated to constructing and refurbishing shelters for people looking for homes while they get back on their feet.

“I have my name on one of those apartments already,” said Farrah Sargenti, 20, as she held her 2-week-old daughter. The shelter “was the difference between keeping my baby or giving her up for adoption.”

The addition will include a garage, a laundry room and storage space. With an estimated market value of $200,000, it will provide five women with a place to stay for as long as 12 months, said Theresa Murphy, executive director of Precious Life.

The agency already serves women in emergency situations on a first-come, first-served basis. A separately operated youth home and a church shelter are nearby.

When the addition is completed in November, it will offer long-term housing as well.

Each unit will be equipped with built-in cribs and diaper-changing stations.

Sargenti, a Costa Mesa resident, learned about Precious Life from personnel at a food distribution center in Garden Grove.

“This place has helped me turn my life around,” said Sargenti, who said she found herself on the streets as she battled an addiction to amphetamines. “I’ve been clean for nine months, and now I’m going back to high school to finish my senior year.”

Precious Life’s new 4,950-square-foot apartment complex is one in a series of projects by HomeAid, a nonprofit branch of the Building Industry Assn. The group has put up 17 other shelters in Orange County.

Michael Lennon, executive director of the regional HomeAid operation, said the good work is made possible by participating cities that waive fees and provide permits, by builders who supply labor and material, and by such organizations as Precious Life, which help people in need.

“The success of programs like this is based on emotional ownership,” Lennon said. “Everyone is involved in helping people have a second chance in life.”

Information: (562) 431-5025.