Miriam House ribbon cutting held Thursday

A ribbon cutting was held Thursday afternoon to celebrate the completion of a new two-story emergency exit off the back of Miram House, 249 W. Main St., Norwalk. Miriam House is a ministry of Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo and is a transitional shelter serving as "a beacon of hope" for expectant mothers, homeless women, and their children, providing safe and supportive housing, the organization says. Deb Boyce, Marketing, Communications & Public Relations Director, said the emergency exit was needed to get people from upstairs bedrooms out of the house in case of fire or another emergency. "They've created a two-story emergency exit to be able to come down if there were ever to be some kind of disaster," Boyce said. But the new structure is used for more than just as an emergency exit. "This isn't just a porch," Miriam House program manager Breanna Mantz said before a ribbon cutting. "Many events have happened on the porch." The name Miriam House reflects the importance in the Bible of Miriam, sister of Moses, who stood by him from his birth and assisted him throughout her long and dedicated life. Miriam House residents may come from inside or outside the Diocese of Toledo. Mothers receive transformative life-giving services and learn skills needed to rebuild their lives. More than 90% of the women have experienced domestic violence. Officials from the Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo were excited about the new endeavor. "We were able to successfully complete this project because of so many volunteers stepped up and provided financial support," says Rodney Schuster, Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo's Executive Director. "Miriam House continues to serve women and children in need, even though we lost $80k in federal funding five years ago. We continue this ministry with the help of so many," Schuster said. "Your contributions have made this dream a reality, and we are profoundly grateful," saysBreanna Mantz, CHW, Catholic Charities Huron County's Program Coordinator Community Emergency Services & Miriam House. Since 1914, Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo has brought comfort, relief and hope to ourneighbors in need across Northwest and West Central Ohio, regardless of their faith orbackground. Every day, the group says it provides hope and a helping hand up to thousands of vulnerable neighbors, providing food, shelter, crisis management, emergency rent assistance, education, adult advocacy services, disaster relief and a variety of social justice ministries. Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo has offices in Norwalk, Mansfield, Sandusky, Bryan and Toledoand serves the following 19 Ohio counties: Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot.