HANNIBAL, MO. -- Single mom's in Hannibal now have a safe place when they have nowhere else to go.
Wednesday, the Erma Ruth Home at 923 Center Street opened its doors to the public, exactly one year after the start of the home's renovations.
"I think that a man will never know the despair that a woman with no place to go with her child will feel," said Wiley Hibbard, the board's president.
Hibbard and his colleague Nikki Branham are hoping to shed light on the issue in Hannibal for women in that exact situation.
"We were just talking, actually at work and I said I've always wanted to open up a house to help single mothers. And she said 'that's been my life long ambition as well,'" said Hibbard.
From there, the long process of bids and renovations began.
"My wife and I took out money from our retirement account to buy the home," said Hibbard.
A year later, the Erma Ruth Home is now open. Currently, the home can help two families at a time but will eventually be able to serve four. Each family can live here up to a year.
"They'll go to GED classes if needed, life skill classes and mother classes, and then they'll be able to hook up their children with daycare and everything. It's just to give mothers a place to come and be comfortable in an environment they can relax in and not have to worry about the atmosphere being a bad one for their children," said Branham.
The Erma Ruth Home is a non-profit organization and will serve families as long as donations come in. Hibbard says, what the home needs more than anything is new windows.
Read more at Hannibal Courier-Post's website.
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