RSVP / ORANGE COUNTY : Casa Teresa Is More Than Just Another Port in a storm : Supporters and graduates of the shelter for pregnant, homeless women celebrate its successes

A holiday luncheon staged by the Founders Guild of Casa Teresa, a shelter for homeless pregnant women, heard three young women tell what it’s like to be single, pregnant and without a home.

The women spoke to about 100 guild members and guests Monday at the Ritz Restaurant in Newport Beach. The luncheon was not a fund-raiser, but a celebration of the Orange-based shelter’s good deeds.

Survivors’ Stories

At first this seemed like a traditional holiday get-together, complete with glowing Christmas trees and garland, holiday music and a feast of roast goose.

That changed when Sherri Riggle and Shari Bainhill, two young mothers who have graduated from the Casa Teresa program, and current Casa resident Becky Eckerle, took turns at the podium and spoke briefly about their experiences.

In her green velvet dress, Riggle looked no different than the other well-dressed women attending the holiday luncheon. Yet four years ago she was pregnant and had no place to live. A high school counselor referred her to Casa Teresa, and she stayed there from April 1990 to November 1990.

“The staff members were always there for me. They gave me a lot of support, which was what a 17-year-old having a baby needs,” said Riggle, who attended the gala with her 4-year-old daughter, Brandi, in tow. Riggle stayed at Casa for two months after her daughter was born before moving into an apartment with an old Casa roommate. She is now married and has a two-year-old son, her own home and a job with a bank.

“Life is very good,” she said.

Many Casa residents, like Eckerle, are from broken homes.

“I really feel at home at Casa Teresa, and I haven’t had a home in a long time,” Eckerle told the group.

Casa Opens Doors

Casa Teresa started in 1976, when founder Sally Sullivan and her husband purchased an apartment building where women 18 or older could stay and have their babies.

“There was such a need for housing for pregnant women over 18. There was nowhere for them to go,” Sullivan said.

Some women come to the home after they have broken up with a boyfriend and find themselves pregnant but without a place to live.

Others “have families who kicked them out of the house,” said Jennifer Spindler, president of the Founders Guild.

Women stay at Casa Teresa for up to two months after their baby is born. During this time, they receive counseling and assistance in finding a permanent place to live. The shelter can accommodate 25 women at a time. Casa Teresa also operates a second, transitional shelter that provides low-income housing for the new mothers.

After the women leave, they often stay in touch with the shelter and with their companions--volunteers who help the women before and after their pregnancies. Riggle is still friends with her companion, Christine Paddon. The two attended the luncheon together.

“I’ve adopted her,” Paddon says.

“This is my second mom,” Riggle said.

Other guests included: Mary Burnell, luncheon chairwomen; Mary Frome, guilds founder; Dr. Jim Pugh, staff psychologist at Casa; Jean Mayo, Lissa Callaghan, Carol Thomson, Lee Ann Marienthal, Lucy Polito and Madeleine Marin-Finn.