Lydia's House of Hope started when a mind changed. Now Theresa Tozier wants to do more.
SOMERSWORTH — More than 25 years ago, Theresa Tozier was on a crowded train when she saw a homeless woman walking up the aisle, dodging glances to find a place to sit.
“I selfishly thought to myself, 'Please don’t sit in the empty seat next to me,'” Tozier recalled thinking at the time. “When she sat beside me, her body brushed against mine. She was shivering cold. At that moment I was reminded that, homeless or not, she was human.”
It was a moment that became the catalyst for decades of work that has become Seeds of Faith Ministries and later Lydia’s House of Hope and Grace House, serving homeless women and children. While Grace House is only a year into its operation, Tozier is already planning for a third house.
Dover, Somersworth, Rochester: Strafford County wants to replace Riverside Rest Home. Homeless shelter solution seen, too
“No child ever grew up thinking, 'I can't wait to be homeless,'” Tozier said. “I took off my jacket, and I gave it to her. When she put the jacket on, and I will never forget how she thanked me over and over as she left. It was just a jacket to me, not a big deal, right? But to her it was an act of kindness that was so much more.”
The experience shifted Tozier’s perspective. She wanted to help women like the stranger she met on the train. She became involved with a church, but ultimately felt that volunteering wasn’t enough. She wanted to enact change on a long-term level.
From homeless to hopeful
Seeds of Faith Ministries started to help the homeless. What started as outreach programs became something much bigger when Lydia's House of Hope opened in 2016. There are more than 30 programs that run out of the house, but the foundation is the 365-day program called New Beginnings. Another transitional housing program, Grace House, opened last year.
Stay on top of local news: Download the Fosters.com mobile app and never miss a story
Lydia's House of Hope offers women and children, who are homeless for any number of reasons, a place to get their lives back on track. During their stay, they receive support to overcome traumatic experiences and challenges while also learning life skills to leave the house as independent women ready to care for themselves and their families. These life skills vary from learning to sew, budget, cook, communicate, and much more.
“We teach a variety of life skills, a kind of crash course,” Tozier said. “These are the kinds of things that they've missed out in life because their priority has been trying to survive. Once they have a roof over their head and support around them, they can grow and thrive.”
There is artwork proudly displayed on the walls of Lydia’s House of Hope, made by the women and children who live there. The house is always busy and full of life, whether it’s someone using the computer to take online classes, moms chasing their toddlers down the hallway, someone using the gym downstairs or something being cooked up in the kitchen. Tozier said that every woman has their own room as their private space, and for many it’s the first place of private refuge they have had in a long time.
'Proud of where we are': Little Indonesia in Somersworth holds community celebration
Grace House has apartments for "graduates" of Lydia’s House and their children. It serves as a safe, interim location where they can move toward independence with continued support and guidance from Lydia’s staff as needed.
“The depth of brokenness and trauma in some of these women is grave because they’ve been through so much,” Tozier said. “In this house, I say they are no longer homeless. This is their home. But it’s not just homelessness these women face. It is an addiction. It is alcoholism. It is domestic abuse. It is losing custody of their children. We look at the individual needs of every woman and say ‘How can we help?’”
The next chapter: Paul’s Place
Lydia’s House and Grace House are both centered around women and children, but Tozier said there is a huge need for a similar house specific to men.
Tozier said that just last week, a man walked up to the house asking if they provided shelter. She couldn’t house him, and directed him to the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County in Dover and the nearest shelter.
“We get a lot of calls for men that are just looking for help,” Tozier said. “It has happened more and more after the warming center closed. There’s only so much we can do with both our houses being women and children based. Men need somewhere to go, too. This issue has been ignored for far too long.”
'These kids have a voice': 99 Faces mental health exhibit comes to Dover
Tozier envisions Paul’s Place — a transitional program to support men facing homelessness and substance issues. She said she has someone lined up to run the house, and a willing sponsor lined up, too, but Tozier needs to find a location. She’s confident that when the time is right, “God and the community will again step up to make this idea a reality.”
“People donate to us in a variety of ways,” Tozier said. “Some in their time, others their money, and some in their kindness of giving whatever they can. There’s one woman that drops off a gallon of milk every week. It’s something small, but every contribution to our houses matter.”
What else is next for the House of Hope?
One Lydia's House of Hope resident gave a reporter and photographer a tour of her light blue bedroom. While she said she didn’t have much, she took great pride in showing off the blanket she knitted and recent artwork she painted.
Tozier said that many of the women who reside at Lydia’s House of Hope have untapped creative abilities that can be therapeutic. She recently had an idea: What if the women could sell their crafts to raise money to go toward the individual's program or costs to achieve a goal?
Tozier plans to set up an online Etsy store for the house, so those that choose to can make handmade items to sell. The Etsy shop will be called New Beginnings Boutique, and will probably go live in the fall. The residents are currently building up the inventory of crafts like jewelry, handmade bags, paintings, and knitted blankets in anticipation of the online store opening. She said each item is “truly handmade with love and hope.”
“This kind of program helps them to be more responsible and accountable,” Tozier said. “You wouldn’t believe how much creativity there is in this house. This allows them to make money, learn new skills, budget and feel good about their artwork or handiwork being appreciated.”
Amy Paquette, the grant writer for Tozier’s organization, said watching the women find new rewarding talents has been inspiring.
“There is so much untapped potential across different skills,” Paquette said. “I’ve seen their faces light up when learning a new skill, or picking up a skill they used to be good at. They get to tap into the deeper, creative sides of themselves and have the time to focus on what they enjoy. That sense of pride and accomplishment is incredible to see as they work on projects.”
This program is the first step in a much larger vision Tozier has. In the long-term future, she would love to open a café bakery where residents who love to bake and cook can use their skills, while gaining valuable job experience to build resumes. It’s a long way from becoming reality, but Tozier said that everything they’ve done so far "started as a dream."
Tozier now has a Seeds of Hope Fund for her residents. It is used to help send the children within the house to private school, and can be used to help the women in other ways. One example was purchasing a taxi for a pregnant woman who didn’t have transportation to Lydia’s House of Hope.
“There are so many stories of our graduates who are thriving now,” Tozier said. “Before Lydia’s House one woman was homeless, caught overdosing in a gas station bathroom. Today she has a job, car, savings and has one of her children back. She's living in an apartment and she's doing phenomenal. That’s our goal as a holistic, faith-based program. It’s a forever relationship with our graduates once they leave here, this is always their home.”
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Somersworth NH: Lydia's House of Hope founder has vision to do more
