The Laura Walker Project, a maternity home for pregnant and parenting teenagers, will be opening its doors in Grove City at the end of October.

The Laura Walker Project is a group home program designed to provide education and support to pregnant and parenting teenagers. The goal of the project is to provide the young women with shelter, food, clothing, education, life skills, counseling, mentors, career training and support.

The program was created by Laura Colapietro under her nonprofit organization, Moms Without Moms. It was named after her mother, Laura Lee Walker Iannarelli, who was the victim of domestic abuse and homicide at the hands of her father when Colapietro was 7 years old.

A ribbon-cutting and baby shower will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the maternity home, 202 W. Pine St., said Jessica Hartle, administrative assistant.

“We are very excited as everything is starting to come together,” she said. “The entire community is welcome to attend the event and, if they want, bring small baby gifts.”

While the ribbon-cutting will be held next week, young mothers and mothers-to-be are not scheduled to arrive until the end of the month after a week of staff training, Hartle said.

The Laura Walker Project was licensed by Department of Public Welfare to house nine girls and Ms. Hartle said she expects the house to be full by the end of the month.

The girls will be referred to the house through Children and Youth Services in Mercer, Crawford and Lawrence counties, according to Joe Colapietro, Laura’s husband. The counties will also provide funds for housing the girls and to pay for any other expenses.

The girls will stay at the maternity home for six months while they take classes in nutrition, cooking and other courses, Colapietro said.

“They will also learn baby and life skills as well as general skills for when they go out on their own,” Ms. Hartle added.

Tentative plans call for the girls to get their education in Grove City schools, Ms. Hartle said. “The girls are required to get their high school diplomas so after they graduate they can get gainful employment.”

In addition to Grove City Area School District, the girls will be taught by tutors and volunteers at the home and the Grove City Education Center for Adults will also assist, Ms. Hartle said.

“We will do whatever it takes to get the girls educated,” she said.

According to Hartle, construction on the Laura Walker Project maternity house began in mid-August, two months after the Grove City Zoning Board approved a variance allowing residential use at the property.

The maternity house is a former UPMC Northwest medical building and was zoned central commercial. The zoning board unanimously approved a variance allowing for residential use there.