Joy Reigns Lutheran Church Pastor Sara Yotter breathes a heavy sigh when asked about the obstacles confronting women in recovery and their children. She points to daily barriers — too little support, lack of transportation, and unreliable childcare — that can make an already difficult journey even harder. “It can be a struggle, especially for those who don’t have an outside support system,” says Pastor Sara.

For a mother leaving a recovery home, staying sober is incredibly hard — and even harder when she must also figure out where to safely go next with her children. Joy Reign’s Journey to Joy Program meets women at that critical transition, giving them the time and support to rebuild their lives while welcoming multiple children, including teens. It allows families the time they truly need to heal, because leaving a recovery center should feel like a beginning, not another mountain to climb. Journey to Joy provides a safe, steady bridge to independence where women can stay up to three years, move at their own pace toward their goals, and keep their families together.

A 2025 recipient of a Fund for Anne Arundel grant, Journey to Joy is using the funds to provide recovery rental assistance to mothers and children living in its supportive and affordable sober living house, enabling the mothers to focus their attention away from financial challenges and toward sobriety and family. Most of the women who come to the program have been at a women's-only recovery house.

“The grant provides financial stability for a ministry program that’s not self-sustaining,” said Pastor Sara. “And our goal is to help our moms be self-sufficient, but they can't do that right away. So they pay a portion, 30% of their income, towards rent, which makes it affordable living. Journey to Joy is that bridge between a time when everything's taken care of for a mom and when they have to manage everything on their own. It’s too big of a gap to make alone.”

The program has four phases:

1. Welcome: The resident will manage care for her children, find a sponsor, and attend recovery meetings. She will also find one other support in the community for her and her children.

2. Claim: The resident will claim a clean and sober lifestyle by attending recovery programs and using the outside support system, which can include community involvement, religious affiliation or therapy. She also will have found an outside support system for her children. She will have taken steps to resolve legal issues and she will have set goals for her independence such as employment, education, and transportation. She will have met two of these goals before she moves onto the next phase.

3. Seek: The resident will have completed three of her goals toward recovery and independence. She will actively seek out her next living arrangement.

4. Bless: The resident will find a safe, clean, affordable living space for her and her children. She will be blessed as she leaves the Journey to Joy House.

The success stories from the program are encouraging such as the mom who was recently promoted in her job despite facing serious health challenges and childcare obstacles. With support from Joy Reigns, she was able to overcome these hurdles and continue moving forward on her path to recovery. And with the help of funding, Pastor Sara hopes that there will be many more success stories to follow.