01 | The Story Behind the Hannah House
A Safe Haven Where God’s Love Transforms Trauma
How one woman’s healing journey inspired the Hannah House—a ministry that has helped hundreds of women to find healing and new life through community and the power of the Holy Spirit.
You can clearly see God’s hand and special provision spread over the Hannah House. In this special home, vulnerable women experience a safe, loving environment while they win the battle against addiction and gain sobriety. It is at Hannah House where they find friendship, community, and advocation. It is a home where they can reunite with their children and learn the skills necessary to budget, work, and parent.
Here, these precious women can discover Imago Dei—realizing their inherent beauty and worth as image bearers of God. And as a community, our hearts can’t help but want to walk alongside these women in their sobriety and in their journeys…
This beautiful ministry came about thanks to the vision of Lynda Woods:
“I was lost in addiction when my husband finally gave me an ultimatum: I could get help or move out without my 4-year-old son, Dylan.
So, in 1991, I checked into a treatment center for drug and alcohol addiction. It was there that I became friends with Shannon, whose little girl, Hannah, was only a year younger than my son.
After Shannon and I completed treatment, I often watched Hannah while Shannon went to meetings.
It weighed on me heavily that, although Shannon and I suffered from the same addiction, our circumstances were vastly different—I had support from a family who loved and encouraged me, but Shannon had no one in her corner.
As I watched Dylan and Hannah play together I thought, ‘One day, I would love to have a place where mommas can be reunited with their babies while they focus on their recovery, and if I do, I’ll call it Hannah House…’
Lynda shared this dream with her small house church in 2010 and then connected with CLDI to move the project forward. One year later, the Hannah House was open and welcoming its very first residents.
Today, Lynda’s dream has helped hundreds of women to be transformed by the Holy Spirit through the Hannah House.
A dream coming to life:
This year, we’re thrilled to share that a 10-year expansion vision for the Hannah House is within reach.
The new campus addition we have planned would allow us to help not only women in recovery, but their children as well. This huge step would be a game changer for many families as they heal from the devastation of addiction.
The new facilities would feature a…
- Dedicated daycare center
- Community hall
- Private offices for therapy sessions
- Increase of the Hannah House’s capacity to serve up to 20 women and 46 kids at a time.
We’re so close to our goal but need your help to make this dream a reality. Will you help us raise the remaining $300,000?
Together we can continue the legacy of hope and transformation at the Hannah House.
