Catholic Charities receives $2.5M for Lifehouse Crisis Maternity Home in Cape

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri received a sizable grant that will help the organization complete its Lifehouse Crisis Maternity Home in Cape Girardeau.

The religious organization received $2.5 million from the Community Revitalization Grant Program from the Missouri Department of Economic Development, according to a news release from Catholic Charities.

"This funding fulfills an investment in the Cape Girardeau region and demonstrates the power of partnership as we work to provide services for those vulnerable and in need," Ken Palermo, executive director for the organization, said in the release.

The goal of Lifehouse is to help homeless pregnant women older than 18 and their children, the release said. The program has been run in Springfield, Missouri, for more than a decade. The not-for-profit announced the desire to build a Lifehouse in Cape Girardeau in 2021.

Palermo said the state grant will be used for operation expenses for the program unless some "soft costs" arise during construction. The building was originally estimated to cost $4 million but ballooned to close to $8 million because of inflation. It was expected to cost around $2 million to operate the program for two years.

According to previous Southeast Missourian reporting, $7 million had been raised for the construction of Lifehouse.

The Cape Girardeau Lifehouse is under construction near the intersection of Main Street and Park Drive. It's expected to be operational in early 2024.