ELLSWORTH, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- For some people, getting from a homeless shelter, into a home of their own, can seem like an impossible goal. Advocates for the homeless say that's especially true for single parents who are part of a cycle of generational homelessness. There is a group in Ellsworth that is trying to raise money to create transitional housing for those types of families.
Dawn Coffin was volunteering at a homeless shelter when she met a young homeless mother who was working hard to make a better life for herself and her child. But when she left the shelter, she lost her childcare, making it hard to get an education and a job.
"And I thought I'm abandoning this girl I'm absolutely abandoning this girl. she needs a little more help," explained Coffin.
That's why Dawn, and a small group of other civic minded people in Ellsworth, hatched an idea to form a non-profit, raise money, and create transitional housing. Families First Community Center was born.
"And we do have a house that we're looking at and it's absolutely perfect for what we want because it has six huge rooms that families can stay in," she explained.
That Six bedroom home is a farmhouse on the outskirts of town with a big barn that could be renovated to house classrooms for life skills classes, and a childcare facility.
The challenge now is to raise the 400 thousand dollars to buy the house and make the renovations.
Families First Community Center is looking for donations and volunteers and has a website and a Facebook page with more information