how did we get here?
Our Story
Desiring to serve in the community as foster parents, Michael and Melanie Reimer applied to be foster parents through the child welfare system in Manitoba. After participating in the required orientation, their application was denied as Melanie was pregnant with their 5th child at the time. The couple was told, “that they couldn’t foster as their home would be too strained”.
Still feeling that calling to serve in this manner, the Reimers prayed that they could find a way to help with the foster care crisis in Winnipeg. At that time (2021), there were nearly 10,000 children in CFS (Child and Family Services) care; which represented the highest number of children in ‘out of home’ care in all of Canada.
During the late nights and lack of sleep following the birth of their 5th child, Melanie couldn’t help but think about how young mothers cope with the demands of single parenthood when they don’t have a spouse, family, or a church community to lean on for support when things get difficult.
Melanie began to research this demographic of women and found that they’re more likely to have their kids
placed in child welfare, more likely to be unemployed, at greater risk of mental health and so much more.
A clear picture and a need started to emerge; the need to ‘foster the mothers’ and not the children - to provide tangible support to young mothers, to stop the generational cycle of being a child in the care of CFS.
After many visits with those involved in the child welfare system, it was discovered that CFS could at times be a “bandaid fix” and that this ‘solution’ wasn’t equipping mothers with the skills to raise their children independently, but rather contributing to a cycle of generational apprehensions, and placements and family disruptions/separations.
One of the solutions seemed to be to offer housing, skill development, and mentoring to young women pregnant/postnatal who were leaving CFS care, as well as to support them with a Christian community where they can hear the gospel in a peer-to-peer relationship and become members of a church.
This vision was brought forward to a select few members of Providence United Reformed Church, who agreed to form a board of directors for Selah Place Inc. and, God willing, to pursue the eventual opening of this organization to residents.
The Reimers were able to realize their prayers and that God DID intend for them to be involved with the foster system, but very differently than they had imagined. The solution just didn’t look like their original plan to be foster parents.
God planned for them to partner with a group of godly men and women to ‘foster mothers’ not just the children. This birthed the Maternity Home that we currently operate as, here in Winnipeg. Our goal is to help mothers in crisis to work together with CFS to support women to keep their children, and maybe one day be reunited with other children in CFS foster care if that’s what the Lord has planned for them.
