New Chosen House open

The Chosen House, a non-profit, faith-based, sober-living home for women in Lincoln County, has moved house. After months of construction, the doors are open at its new, larger location in Chandler.

Founded by sisters Mari and Kim Battle, The Chosen House provides women with life skills and knowledge to break the cycle of crime in their lives and make choices that help them fulfill God’s purpose for themselves, their families, and their communities, ac cording to their mission statement.

The new house on Iowa can fit up to eight women - a jump from five at the previous house - with room for expansion in the future. Currently, there are five women living at the new facility, with one more arriving soon and two beds on hold, according to Mari and Kim. The sisters are excited, overwhelmed, overjoyed and blessed by the new location, as are the residents “They love it. They love it, and it seems like a new environment for all of us,” Mari said.

An open house was held Saturday, inviting the public and past residents to tour the new facilities and celebrate the organization’s 17th anniversary. The new location features larger common spaces with an open living area and kitchen, plus a smaller living room that can be closed off if needed. There is also office space for Mari and Kim, a larger pantry, and larger rooms fitted with attached baths for the residents.

The new home is one part of the Battle sisters’ plan for The Chosen House.

According to a previous interview with The Lincoln County News, they are working to expand partnerships and educational programs for the residents. They work with the OSU Extension Office and Project SAFE. The Chosen House has also received support from local churches and organizations through donations of food and essential items that the women need while living in the home.

They’ve also started an aftercare program to better help the women avoid relapsing. There are five levels in the program, said Mari, and it also teaches the women about self-care.

“As women, we’re nurturers, so we’ll nurture everybody else, but are they doing self-care?” she said.

In their five-year goal, Mari and Kim hope to build affordable homes for the women to move into after they’ve completed their nine-month stay at the main house. The idea is that it will help the women better transition. Kim said one thing that their graduates see is difficulty in finding affordable housing due to the stigma of having a felony.

“It’s hard for them to pay,” she said. They currently have one rental house and plan to build four more that can accommodate the women and their families. Kim said the money from rent goes right back into The Chosen House and is a way for women who benefited to give back.

“It’s going to be a community of women… That’s our goal. Because those are the two things that they will go back - if they don’t have a car and a place to live,” Mari said.