Rain Can’t Rain on Jeremiah Program’s Parade

Work is set to begin on a new housing center that will support 20 single mothers in the metro

FARGO, ND — Getting a degree comes with its own set of battles while raising a child on your own.

The Jeremiah Program is one step closer to help make earning a diploma a reality for 20 families in the metro.

Work is set to begin on a new housing center that will support 20 single mothers in the metro.

The groundbreaking didn’t go quite as planned, but organizers didn’t let weather cloud what they’re celebrating.

There’s no dirt to shovel, but there’s a lot to recognize.

The Jeremiah Program aims to transform poverty into prosperity.

“We actually have over 2,300 single moms with young children, living in poverty, in the Fargo–Moorhead area, much greater than most people are aware of,” said Diane Solinger, Executive Director of the Jeremiah Program of Fargo-Moorhead.

Organizers of the non–profit invite community leaders to celebrate the start of something new.

A building that will soon be home to those trying to make a change.

“For the well-being of the whole community, but especially through the lenses of these very deserving brave and incredible women and their children,” said Michael O’Connell, the Jeremiah Program Visionary Founder.

Not only will it provide affordable housing for single mothers, it will also include an on–site early childhood education center.

“These are not easy projects. It takes a long time. It takes tenaciousness, to get projects like this going,” said Jolen Kline, Executive Director of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency.

In order to live there, mothers are required to complete a 12 week empowerment course.

“If they are willing to work very hard and be disciplined and hold themselves accountable, they can achieve the goal in their life that they set out to achieve,” said Solinger.

The women must also be working toward a degree at a college or a university.

The idea is that together, the women can accomplish more.

“They develop strong friendships sometimes for life and that makes a big difference in their ability to finish because they have support,” explained Solinger.

The hope is to get rid of the stigma that a child is a setback and instead recognize them as the future.

“The main thing is that confidence and belief that they can hold themselves accountable,” said Solinger. “Not have a victim mindset, but really believe that they can do it because they can.”

The housing center will be located at 801 Page Drive in Fargo.

The building will be ready for families in 2018.