About Us
Villa Rosa is a safe haven for single pregnant persons. The majority of our residents are in their teens but there is no age restriction for our services. People live at Villa Rosa free of charge. Our funding comes from the Province of Manitoba, the United Way, First Nation communities, and many other foundations and donors.
We provide a place to live, individual counselling, life skills, education and community follow-up to 300 prenatal and postnatal persons every year. Last year we were able to accommodate 87 expectant parents, and each of those was given the chance to finish their high school education as well as access to scholarships for post secondary education. Occupancy is generally over 90% capacity of our 25 spaces. An average stay is 3 – 4 months.
Video created in 2010 for Villa Rosa Inc.
Pre-natal residents have a private or semi-private room and share meals prepared by our cook. After delivery residents spend 3 or 4 weeks with us. We have an apartment block next door for those who need to learn independent living skills in a supported environment. Occupancy remains at 100% of its 8 apartments. Residents there continue to attend school at Villa Rosa and attend independent living skills and parenting programs for an average of 6 months.
Research that Villa Rosa and others have done on single parents is that the most significant predictor of future success is to stay in school. Some of the residents who have come to Villa Rosa have never had a positive experience in school. The combination of one-on-one support and the individual learning environment in our classroom is one that is not duplicated anywhere else.
Villa Rosa is making a life long impact for single parents by being able to provide schooling within an environment that can also offer them a combination of counselling, care for their babies, parenting programs as well as nutritious meals. All residents at Villa Rosa are required to be in school and follow-up programs.
Once our residents have delivered their baby, their child is cared for on-site while they attend classes. Our Parent-Child Centre offers them the opportunity to learn and model parenting based on examples set for them by our staff and volunteers, as well as individual and group instruction. Our social workers, teachers and early childhood educators work in teams. This has been found to be the most beneficial approach to expectant and new parents seeking our services.
On average Villa Rosa provides service to 300 residents each year through the residence, post-natal house and the follow-up programs.
Since its inception Villa Rosa has served over 14,000 parents and their children.
Villa Rosa History
"Airing the Babies" on Wolseley Avenue circa 1910
Villa Rosa was founded in 1898 by the Misericordia Sisters, who created a safe environment where a pregnant single person could find shelter during their pregnancies.
In an effort to embrace members of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds Villa Rosa has evolved over the years into a community-run organization that celebrates the diversity of our residents and strives to honour all denominations and traditions. While the founding vision of providing a safe place for pregnant persons remains intact, Villa Rosa has changed substantially in recent decades.
Residents were once mostly middle class women sent to complete their pregnancies away from home. Villa Rosa now primarily serves some of the most vulnerable persons in Manitoba. These are pregnant persons who often face considerable hardships and have health issues and emotional needs that require significant care.
Villa Rosa was incorporated in 1965 and became a charitable organization in 1967.
.png)