House from ’90s film ‘My Girl’ to become home for expectant mothers, babies
BARTOW, Fla. (WFLA) – In the early 90’s film “My Girl”, Vada Sulftenfuss spends a lot of time running up and down a staircase in her house, which doubles as a funeral home.
The staircase, not to mention the exterior of the home, are immediately recognizable from the movie, which starred Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Later this year, it will be expectant mothers and, later, their babies using that staircase.
“This is the My Girl house but soon it will be known as the Hope House,” said Debbie Kelly, resident and program director at Hope House, who will live full-time in a cottage on site.
Hope House is a new 12-month non-profit maternity program for single mothers in need between the ages of 18-26.
The Bartow property, which will house six mothers at a time, will be the organization’s first.
The women will be referred to Hope House from clinics and screened to make sure they meet requirements.
The plan is to have the mothers move in during their first trimester and stay until their babies are a few months old.
“Lots of mental health, financial literacy, job readiness, interpersonal skills, relationship skills. We’re just going to spend those 12 months, pouring into them and preparing them for life in motherhood and just thriving instead of just trying to survive,” said Tara Johnson, executive director of Hope House.
Johnson says there will be no religious requirement for the residents.
They will need to have a part time job but all living expenses are covered during their stay.
“Making sure that they feel confident in themselves in being a mom,” said Johnson.
Johnson says there are security plans in place to protect the residents.
According to the Polk County property appraiser, the home was purchased by “His Hope House Corporation” in April 2022 for $551,000.
Johnson says the purchase of the home and hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovations have been made possible with community support.
Painters are in the process of transforming the recognizable blue and yellow color scheme on the exterior of the home, to all white.
The over 100-year old Stanford St. home has previously been a movie set and an inn.
“Through all of these transitions and everything – the house was meant to be Hope House one day,” said Johnson.
The goal is to open Hope House by the spring, once renovations are completed.
To learn more about Hope House’s mission and how to volunteer or donate, visit https://hopehousefl.org/.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
