Westminster Homes of the Lehigh Valley Purchases Allentown Property to Launch “Mommy and Me” Recovery Housing Program
ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania – Eugene Baker and Maurice Clementi, owners of Westminster Homes of the Lehigh Valley, have purchased 212–214 N. 8th Street in Allentown to serve as the flagship location for a new “mommy and me” program designed to provide safe housing and recovery support for mothers struggling with addiction and their children, according to Jeff Barber of Lehigh Financial Group, who helped arrange the financing for the acquisition.
“This has been a goal of mine for a long time,” said Baker. “We’ve had mothers apply to our houses before, but we weren’t able to accept them. Now, we can.”
The 3,700-square-foot property features large rooms able to accommodate mothers with one or two children, and its downtown location places it near the Journeys program at 927 W. Hamilton Street in Allentown. Journeys is a free, voluntary program funded by Lehigh County that helps individuals build healthy families by connecting them to healthcare, substance use and mental health treatment, assistance programs, education, baby items, and other resources. Case management staff from Journeys will visit the new home to provide on-site support for residents.
Molly Stanton, Assistant Administrator, Lehigh County Drug and Alcohol Services, stressed the generational impact: “If we can intervene at that level and give a woman and her children all that they need as a family to heal from their addiction and build a safe and sober environment for them to live in, we’re better off for generations to come.”
Gavin Holihan of the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office emphasized the innovative use of opioid litigation settlement funds to support the project. “This is long-term addiction prevention and multi-generational crime prevention. It benefits everybody, including the surrounding community that doesn’t even know they’re benefiting from it because they never become victims.”
Barber stated, “I’m proud to have helped Westminster Homes acquire their first commercial property for such an important cause. It was a pleasure working with Eugene and Maurice throughout the entire process.”
The buyers were represented by Victor Montas and Frank Tramonte of Lehigh Valley Just Listed LLC. Legal services were provided by Loren Speziale, Esq. of Gross McGinley. Funding was provided by First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union.
Baker praised the transaction team for making the purchase seamless. “They did pretty much all the work,” he said. “It just happened pretty easy on my end.”
County partnerships, including Children and Youth Services (CYS) and Journeys, will ensure that residents receive wraparound services such as transportation to treatment, parenting skills training, nutrition guidance, and help with legal issues. “We really have a unique cross-departmental and cross-community teamwork in Lehigh County,” Stanton said. “It allows us to identify and address the gaps that keep families trapped in cycles of instability.”
Joe Martellucci, Lehigh County Drug and Alcohol Administrator, called the program “a perfect storm” of collaboration. “This fills a long-standing hole in the system, and it’s not easy to open a recovery home for families. But we have the partnerships and the will to make it happen.”
Baker, who has also served as a foster parent for 10 years, said the program is deeply personal: “Hopefully we can prevent moms from losing their kids altogether and help them work on their addiction while they still have their children in their care.”
Lehigh Financial Group, LLC is a leading source of innovative real estate capital solutions and financing options for commercial customers. Based in Allentown, the company serves the Lehigh Valley and beyond by providing capital for businesses and investors locally, regionally, and nationwide. For more information, visit LehighFinancialGroup.com.
Information and image provided to TVL by:
Chad Clauser
Phoenix Fire Media
