KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A little after three months since the grand opening of Erin's House, a section of Healing House, KSHB 41 checked in to see how the first few months have been.
As it turned out, women were only able to move in just two weeks ago.
Part of the setback was connected to "suspicious activity" to some of the city of Kansas City, Missouri's, computer systems which put a pause on the team being able to obtain proper permits.
Now, four mothers live in the home named after Erin Langhofer, the young woman who was killed due to gun violence at a First Friday event in 2019.
The home is specifically for mothers who are recovering from substance abuse.
Resident Diana and her five-month-old daughter had nowhere to go up until two weeks ago.
Her goal is to take parenting classes, recover and reunite her family — she lost custody of her seven other children.
"I’m sorry for putting them through everything that I’ve put them in, and I just can’t wait to make up for all that time," she said.
Diana said she already feels like she's at home and that her housemates are family.
"Like sorority sisters," Diana said. "I just feel really grateful, really happy."
Founder and director of Healing House Bobbi-Jo Reed said the wait and permit frustration was worth it to help women like Diana.
"Nothing like this in the world. I get to see people come back to life every day," Reed said. "They learn to be a new person, and it’s exciting to see."
If you're interested in helping Healing House, visit its website for more information.
KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development in the Kansas City-metro. If you have a story idea to share, send an email to Caroline at caroline.hogan@kshb.com.
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