Lydia’s House

What Lydia’s House does

Lydia's House is a Cincinnati-area nonprofit operating as a Catholic Worker house of hospitality that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent affordable housing for homeless women and their young children. Founded in 2013 by co-directors Mary Ellen Mitchell and Meridith Owensby, the organization serves pregnant women and mothers with children under age 5, with priority given to women ages 18-24. Core operations are anchored at a primary shelter in Norwood capable of housing up to six women and six children, supplemented by two affordable housing buildings (Virginia Coffey Place opened March 2019; a second building at 1801 Mills Ave opened May 2022), a Green Building apartment complex for past guests, and a new office building purchased in 2023. Services are delivered at no cost to guests and include aftercare programming, childcare through Christ Light Day Nursery, religious education via the Atrium (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), the Baby Spa summer camp, and family enrichment programs. A new women's recovery services line targeting addiction, co-occurring traumas, domestic violence, and human trafficking was launched in 2026 with a $75,000 matching grant from the Christ Foundation of Hartville.

The organization has no technology product or proprietary platform; its service delivery is people-intensive, relying on paid staff (11-50 employees), a 24-month Dorothy Day Fellowship Program across four tracks, university interns, and a large volunteer network. Revenue is generated through foundation grants, individual and corporate donations, annual fundraising events (notably the Women for Women event), small commercial rental income from affordable housing tenants, and a commercial tenant relationship with Azalea Montessori. Key institutional funders include the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, KeyBank Foundation, US Bank Foundation, Harold C. Schott Foundation, Hamilton County Office of Community Development, and religious orders (Sisters of The Precious Blood, Franciscan Friars). Strategic partners include Bellarmine Chapel, the University of Notre Dame NDBridge Program, Procter Center, and Trout Lilly Montessori, supporting volunteer pipelines, family enrichment, and programming. As of its 10th anniversary in October 2024, the organization has scaled to serve over 20 families in emergency shelter and over 40 families in aftercare annually.

Name

Lydia’s House

Legal name

Lydia's House

Website

https://stlydiashouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lydia's House is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit Catholic Worker house of hospitality providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent affordable housing for homeless women and their young children. It delivers holistic support including childcare, aftercare, family enrichment, and a new addiction recovery program, funded by grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services and Affordable Housing

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Housing Services (62422), Other Residential Care Facilities (62399)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Transitional housing services
• Affordable housing programs
• Emergency shelter services
• Family support services
• Homelessness assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Major funding from foundation grants including the Christ Foundation $75,000 matching grant for women's recovery services addressing addiction recovery, co-occurring traumas, homelessness, domestic violence, and human trafficking in Summit County.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Funding from individual donors, family foundations, corporate foundations, and religious organizations listed in the 10th anniversary donor acknowledgment.
3. Commercial Tenant Rentals: Revenue from commercial tenants in affordable housing buildings, such as Azalea Montessori preschool.
4. Special Events and Fundraising: Annual Women for Women event raising $52,000 in 2019 towards solar panel installation. Event includes dinner, performances, and guest storytelling.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lydia's House is a Catholic Worker house of hospitality providing safe emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent affordable housing for homeless and pregnant women or mothers with children under age 5 in Greater Cincinnati. The organization delivers holistic care, supportive community, children's programming, religious education, and aftercare services through a residential hospitality model.

Product overview

Lydia's House is a Catholic Worker house of hospitality providing social services including emergency shelter, transitional housing, affordable housing, and family support programs for women and children in Greater Cincinnati, Ohio. The organization does not offer technology products; its services are social welfare programs including shelter services, aftercare programming, affordable housing units (Virginia Coffey Place), Dorothy Day Fellowship Program, Atrium religious education, Baby Spa summer camp, Christ Light Day Nursery, and Nature Playspace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dorothy Day Fellowship Program: A 24-month fellowship program offering positions in Community Ministry, Maternal and Family Health, Non-Profit Leadership, and Early Childhood Education with mentoring and compensation.
• Christ Light Day Nursery
• Baby Spa
• Atrium

Products and services

• Emergency Shelter
• Affordable Housing
• Aftercare Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 families served with emergency shelter and over 40 families served in aftercare program in 2023 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bellarmine ChapelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for volunteer support, donations (quilts for guests), and family enrichment programs. Associated with Xavier University.
• University of Notre Dame NDBridge ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEight-week summer credit internship program allowing students to work with communities facing injustice. Provided four interns for 2024 Summer Day Camp serving former Lydia's House children.
• Procter Episcopal CampmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry of Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio offering family camp and enrichment programs for Lydia's House families at Procter Center.
• Procter CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEpiscopal camp facility providing annual family camp experience for Lydia's House community with scholarship support.
• Trout Lilly MontessoriminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for family enrichment activities and programs.
• Muse Women's ChoirminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCincinnati women's choir providing performances at Women for Women annual fundraising event.
• Cincinnati Shakespeare CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional theater company that portrayed former guest stories at Women for Women event to raise awareness and funds.
• Camp JoyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing summer camp opportunities for Lydia's House children.
• Azalea MontessoriminorOthersFirst commercial tenant in affordable housing building, affiliated with Wildflower Schools national network of Montessori micro-schools for children ages 3-6.
• ArtWorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for driveway mural creation with artist Ellie Wallace as part of 10th anniversary celebration.
• Elizabeth HatchettminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer mural designer who designed the Bread and Roses mural for 1801 Mills Ave affordable housing building as a gift to the West Norwood neighborhood.
• Laura YrigoyenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongtime friend and Atrium volunteer hired to implement Bread and Roses mural artwork with community participation.
• Xavier Eigel FellowsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellowship program participants assisting with renovation projects and moving furniture for 10th anniversary.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bethany House Services: Greater Cincinnati nonprofit providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services for families experiencing homelessness. Most direct local comparable given overlapping service model, family focus, and Cincinnati footprint.
• Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati: Cincinnati-area nonprofit providing emergency shelter and housing stabilization for families with children using a network of faith communities. Highly comparable faith-rooted, family-focused shelter model in the same metro.
• Lighthouse Youth Services: Cincinnati-based nonprofit offering residential, shelter, and family support programs for at-risk youth and families. Comparable in operating a continuum of housing plus supportive services for vulnerable families in the same region.
• Off the Streets: Cincinnati-area nonprofit providing recovery housing for women exiting trafficking, addiction, and exploitation. Closely comparable faith-rooted, women-focused recovery housing model in the same metro.

Regional players

• Shelterhouse: Cincinnati nonprofit providing emergency shelter, housing, and recovery services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Overlapping mission in the same region, with broader adult population focus.
• Easterseals Redwood: Cincinnati-based nonprofit providing housing, child development, and family services. Comparable integrated family services plus affordable housing portfolio in the same region.

Broad incumbents

• Family Promise: National nonprofit addressing family homelessness through shelter, prevention, and stabilization programs. Comparable target population (families with children) and shelter-to-housing service model at much larger scale.
• Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio: Regional Catholic social services agency offering housing, emergency assistance, and family support across Southwestern Ohio. Overlapping faith-based, family-focused service orientation in the same geography.
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul: National Catholic charitable organization providing housing, food, and emergency assistance. Comparable faith-based, holistic support model for low-income families and individuals.
• YWCA Greater Cincinnati: Regional chapter of YWCA USA providing housing, domestic violence services, and women's empowerment programming. Comparable women-and-children focus with overlapping residential services portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LydiasHouseCin
• Facebookfacebook.com/LydiasHouseCincinnati
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stlydiashouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lydia’s House