Zelie's Home

Our Mission

Zelie’s Home is a caring community that empowers pregnant and parenting women to take positive and effective action on behalf of themselves and their children by providing physical, emotional, spiritual, and professional support.

Our Core Values

Human Dignity: At Zelie’s Home, we value all persons as children of God and treat them with love and respect. We strive to ensure that each member of the community has a voice in how we share life together. We support the establishment of healthy relationships and boundaries. 

Safe Learning Environment: Zelie’s Home fosters a caring and loving environment. No one is judged for past mistakes. Each mom receives guidance and tools for making good choices for themselves and for their children. 

Supportive and Collaborative Community: The staff, AmeriCorps members, volunteers, and Board of Directors of Zelie’s Home work together to achieve our mission and do it with love. We encourage our moms, both current and alumnae, to come together in supportive ways for each other. We utilize and share resources with other community organizations in support of our common goals. 

Commitment to Growth: We foster growth both in our staff and in our moms. We encourage the moms, both current and alumnae, to set goals for themselves and their babies, celebrating with them every step forward along the way. Our staff learns and grows with the moms and babies, because life flourishes when we all become our best selves.

Resiliency and Creativity: We encourage our moms to be creative in achieving their goals. Our moms learn skills for moving forward even when they encounter obstacles and setbacks. We desire that each mom leave our program with a strong sense of resiliency and empowerment.

Our Story

On July 1, 2020, Zelie’s Home renewed its commitment to women in need of shelter and support during pregnancy and early parenting months. First established as The Zechariah House in Parma, Ohio, on June 24, 2009, the house was part of the Maggie’s Place family based in Arizona. It operated on the strong foundation of that organization’s mission and practices. In 2016, The Zechariah House closed for an anticipated renovation. With recurring delays, we realized that Providence was inviting us to look at other options. In 2018, The Zechariah House moved to Garfield Heights, Ohio, with an increased capacity to welcome and offer services for up to 12 women at a time.

To better serve the needs of women in Northeast Ohio, the Board of Directors of The Zechariah House decided in the spring of 2020 to establish a home independent of Maggie’s Place, Arizona. In a matter of two months, the staff, and Board of Directors, along with a group of dedicated volunteers, worked tirelessly to create this new entity. Zelie’s Home embodies the spirit of Maggie’s Place while responding to the unique needs of moms and babies in the Cleveland area. We chose to call ourselves Zelie's Home after St. Zelie, wife of St. Louis Martin and mother of St. Therese of Lisieux and eight other children. She was ordinary yet extraordinary in her motherly ways. She had a great love for her children and is a great maternal figure to emulate.

In June 2023 Zelie's Home opened its second location in Lakewood, Ohio. In conjunction with our Garfield Heights location, we are now able to serve up to 20 women at a time. Each location is named after one of St. Zelie's children. The Garfield Heights location is called Therese's Nest and the Lakewood location is called Celine's Nest. St. Zelie had some poignant quotes, one being “The good Lord does not do things by halves; He always gives what we need. Let us then carry on bravely.” This is our motto as we transition and carry on bravely for the women and children of the Cleveland area.