Morgan State senior starts nonprofit housing, mentorship center for young homeless mothers

BALTIMORE -- A senior at Morgan State University is taking steps to ensure that young mothers in Baltimore are given a second chance and a place to grow through her nonprofit home. 

"Esi" is a name given to a child to commemorate the day they became part of a family. It's also the name given to Gloria Lawrence when she took her first trip abroad to Ghana.

The name inspired Lawrence to build a house of hope. 

The Morgan State University senior saw a need for more housing and mentorship for young mothers in Baltimore who are aging out of foster care.

This is how Esi's House of Hope was born. 

"I put together a team of other moms who could possibly volunteer and support the program, and we were able to open up Esi's House of Hope, which is housing moms and providing career pathway support," said founder and executive director Gloria Lawrence.

In October 2023, Lawrence and her team were able to open Esi's and house three mothers and their children for free. 
Emma Artis was one of the first mothers to move into the nonprofit's first home. 

"She was like, 'Oh, we can move you in on Monday'. It was literally Friday, and I was like, I was crying on the bus," said Emma Artis. "And I'm like...no way."

Young mothers like Artis have a safe place to live, grow, and learn. 

"It doesn't feel like a shelter. It doesn't feel like a transitional home. It feels like I'm walking in my door every day and I just live here," Artis explained.

"It's very peaceful here. Me and Emma, we do what we have to do for our kids, and we go to work," said Marie Teah, another mother living at Esi's House. 

In addition to housing, the young mothers receive mentorship and assistance with completing their choice of higher education or trade school. Plus, they receive training on financial literacy and guidance on home ownership at the completion of the program.

"We can help them achieve their goals, whether that be CNA or CDL or if they want to become a teacher," said Lawrence. "Whatever they want to do, we can support them for the entirety of their time, staying with us until they achieve their goal."

"When I got here, it was like, you can do it," said Artis.

Just a year after it opened, Esi's House was able to expand and help up to 11 mothers and their children. 

On Saturday they spent the entire day moving into larger, newly renovated homes in Northwest Baltimore.

"If you need the support, reach out and we can even connect you with trustworthy resources to get you the support you need to achieve your goals," said Lawrence. 

"I know for a fact that when I get out of here I'm going to be way better than what I am now," said Teah. 

If you have any questions or would like to donate or volunteer, you can reach out to Esi's House of Hope at any time at info@esishouse.org.