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Pay it Forward: CALM House in Niceville gives single moms a new beginning

by Laura Hussey - Thursday, August 27th 2020

NICEVILLE, Fla. -- Breaking the bonds of poverty and overcoming the past can seem impossible.

This week's Pay It Forward is about a place dedicated to new beginnings. CALM House (Crisis Aid for Littles and Moms) is a fresh start for moms and children who may never have known stable lives.

Michelle is a single mom recovering from drug addiction. She said, "I keep saying...I'm so safe here. Nothing that I went through can happen to me here, and I have my children back with me."

Her story isn't unusual. One slip opened the door to a bad relationship that threatened everything in her life. Remembering where she was, she said, "It became unsafe, for me and the children to live there anymore."

CALM House President Grace Nuffer was working with single moms at church, and realized many of them, like Michelle, needed even more help. "I see people that are hurting that need somebody to reach out to them," she said.

A woman of faith, Nuffer says her mission came in the form of a message. "He said to me, you need to make a place where these women can come," she remembered, "and I kept saying, I don't know about that, God, that's a really big thing!"

After a year of research, and with incredible community support, CALM House came to life. Moms are taught about parenting and money management; sometimes even more basic life skills, like cooking. Over a period of months, they work toward self-sufficiency, jobs, and apartments of their own.

Allie Smith from Hill Kelly Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram presented CALM House with a $500 check, saying, "We love the work you're doing here with these women and these children, so we want to help Pay it Forward to you with a check for 500 dollars, to go for supplies, resources, anything you need to make these lives just a little better."

Nuffer said she hopes one day, her "mamas" will be able to tell their children about the place that helped them start anew.

"And hopefully they will pay it forward...I always tell my moms, 'pay it forward mama', when you leave here. Reach out to somebody who needs you, reach out to somebody who needs to know that there are other people that love and care about them."

The organization behind CALM House has opened an event space called VenYou, to help offset the cost of their program. It's on Redwood Avenue in Niceville. You can find out more about Calm House and VenYou by clicking here.

They're also on Facebook here.