“I’ll tell you this, everyone I have seen here has had a smile on their face.” Eva’s Place client, 2023.
What is it that the team at Eva’s Place has to smile about?
Eva’s Place is a place of HOPE and that brings a smile to our faces. As Eva’s Place is a unique service that meets the unique needs of women in challenging and unexpected pregnancy situations, we know that many women and couples do not have hope when they first arrive. Shock, fear, helplessness, and sadness can be some of the feelings they are experiencing. After a warm welcome and wrapping their hands around a hot drink, the peaceful /quiet atmosphere begins to calm their raw emotions. As they speak with a pregnancy help worker, hope can begin to break through like rays of sunshine on a cloudy day. That is smile-worthy.
Eva’s Place is a JUDGEMENT-FREE ZONE. Another reason to smile! The world can be such a judgemental place and many young women feel the full force of that judgement when they discover an unintended pregnancy. From family or friends, strangers or even the culture itself, judgement can flow all too easily. No one knows what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes and no one fully understands the individual circumstances that another is going through, so no one has the right to judge. One former client said, “Eva’s Place is the most non-judgemental place ever.” Smile again!
Eva’s Place is a place of RESOURCES. As the cost-of-living increases and people are squeezed on all sides financially, thinking about the costs of continuing a pregnancy and parenting a child can be a real worry, to the point that some consider ending a pregnancy because of the fear of being unable to cope financially. Enter the Boutique Room where all sorts of mother and baby items can be found – maternity clothes and underwear, baby clothes, nappies, baby furniture and equipment, baths, linen, shoes, feeding equipment, slings….so many beautiful items. It’s generously provided by the community and is all available for free to those who access Eva’s Place support. The smiling team at Eva’s Place delight in assisting women and couples as they choose items for their coming baby or little one under 1 year old.
Eva’s Place is an INFORMATION HUB. In discovering an unexpected pregnancy, there are so many unknowns, so many questions to ask, so much to research. Nothing is off limits to talk about at Eva’s Place. Whether it’s info about pregnancy or abortion or giving birth or parenting a newborn or pregnancy loss or how to budget or where to access other services, all these things and more can be discussed with the caring team. Privacy and confidentiality are assured. As the saying goes, knowledge is power, so being able to share information to empower women in their decision making and day to day lives is a privilege that causes warm smiles to break out throughout each Eva’s Place centre.
So, if you are finding it difficult to smile, check out Eva’s Place. Visit a centre and experience for yourself the hope, judgement-free zone, resources and information that make our team smile, and you will likely find yourself smiling too.
