New Type Of Transitional Living Facility Opens Its Doors In Tulsa

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A new Tulsa organization is giving single moms shelter from the financial storm. It's called Lindsey House.

And it was a long, bumpy road that brought Ebonie Doyle to its doorsteps.

"I had a car. And I was dependent on that shelter, once again," Doyle said. "And they turned me down. So that put me in just a terrible situation for me and my children."

Before Lindsey House, Doyle and her three small children were basically homeless.

"It was really hard on them. You know no stability. Not having a bed to sleep in at night," she said. "Me not having a bed. I'm stressed out. It was rough on all of us, especially my children."

"Unfortunately situational homelessness is a huge deal in Tulsa," Nellie Kelly, Lindsey House Executive Director, said.

Nellie Kelly, Lindsey House Executive Director, says the organization is opening the door to a new life for single moms struggling with homelessness.

"Only the beginning of Lindsey House is four walls and a roof," Kelly said. "We want women at Lindsey House to know that yes they can be self sufficient, yes they can be completely independent."

Supporters celebrated the official opening of Lindsey House on Tuesday, but it's already home to nine families, including 16 children.

And moms like Ebony Doyle are getting help returning to school, getting jobs, and learning how to be financially free.

"A good opportunity for me and my children. Some stability. Some financial strength, Ebonie Doyle said. "So I'm gonna take advantage of this. This is a blessing."

When families leave Lindsey House, they don't walk out the door empty-handed. They pay a portion of their income to stay here and that's funneled into a savings account. So they have a nest egg for their next home.

To find out more on Lindsey House, visit its web site.