Expansion of Teen Shelter Set to Begin
Construction crews will begin work today on a $500,000 expansion project at Mary’s Shelter, a temporary home for pregnant, unwed teenagers.
The project will begin with the construction of a 2,700-square-foot “transition house,” which will allow the teenagers to stay for up to one year after their babies are born. The girls, ranging in age from 11 to 17, must now leave the shelter after they give birth.
The new facility will be built next to the existing shelter, officials said.
During the project’s second phase, the original six-bed shelter will be demolished and a 12-bed home will be built there, officials said. The entire project is due to be completed by March.
The construction is being coordinated by HomeAid of Orange County, a nonprofit group started in 1989 by members of the building industry, said Lee Rogaliner, a member of its board of directors.
The expansion has provoked some controversy in the unincorporated community of North Tustin. In June, some residents tried to block approval because they said the project was too large.
But shelter officials and supporters said it would have no adverse effect on neighbors, noting that the ranch-house style of the main building was designed to blend in with surrounding houses.
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