Pregnancy Assistance on struggle street

By Robert Hiini
Pregnancy Assistance in East Perth has not been able to provide emergency housing to women with an unexpected pregnancy since April this year because of a lack of suitable live-in carers.

“Miriam’s House”, in another location, has been used by Pregnancy Assistance since 1998 to house up to three women at any one time as well as two live-in careres. It has been an integral part of their mission in offering care and practical help to women facing unexpected and crisis pregnancies.
Nuns from the New Apostolate Consecrated to the Heart of the Holy Family provided care at the house for five years but have withdrawn to consolidate their community.
Pregnancy Assistance put out the word for help, seeking the assistance from other religious orders of women as far afield as the United States and the Philippines.
Two Religious from the Oblate Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer stayed in the house for two months  earlier this year but were called back to the Philippines by their mother superior in April.
Lydia Fernandez, Pregnancy Assistance’s Director, says that they are still hopeful they will be able to enlist the help of a female religious order because of the dedicated care they are able to provide. She says that their board is examining other possibilities if Religious help cannot be found.
The house was staffed by lay people prior to 2003 and this remains an option today.
The agency is funded entirely by tax deductible donations and relies on volunteers to stay open.
Earlier this year, Pregnancy Assistance introduced a subscription rate of $25 for its quarterly publication Abundant Life to raise funds for the agency’s ongoing mission.
In the June and September editions, readers were asked to consider subscribing and advised that future editions would be subscriber only.
More information about Pregnancy Assistance and Abundant Life can be found at www.pregnancyassistance.org.au or by contacting 9328 2929.