Of course, anywhere you go will have pros and cons. At first, I wanted to remain neutral and simply state that my experience was my experience. However, I feel it’s important to share a few postives along with my concerns.
Pros
The biggest advantage of The Living Vine is that all housing, utilities, food, and transportation expenses are covered. You are provided with your own room to share with your newborn, which makes things more comfortable. If you follow the program’s standards, you’re allowed to stay for up to two years from your admission date.
Another benefit is the “vine bucks” system—you earn them weekly and can use them or convert them into vouchers to exchange for hygiene products, clothes for yourself and your baby, or essential items like diapers and wipes.
Cons
While those pros are significant, the cons—though they may seem small to others—had a major impact on my overall comfort and well-being.
Phone Policy: As an adult, I struggled to understand why I was required to turn in my phone every night and could only retrieve it once a staff member clocked in.
Visitation: Visits are only allowed every other Saturday, and after birth, the baby’s father is only permitted a few hours on Sunday. While I understand there may be reasons behind this, I felt it did not support healthy co-parenting.
Work Life: At some point, you may be strongly encouraged or required to work at Blessingdales for very low pay, where you might be treated as “lesser” by other employees. This is framed as a way to give back to the nonprofit that covers your living expenses. However, if you want to pursue outside employment, you are only allowed to work Monday through Wednesday.
Social Life: Opportunities for socializing outside of the Vine are limited. Outside of interactions with other residents or phone communication, your social life will be very restricted. Freedom to come and go as you please is also not a given.
Religious Affiliation: Most importantly, please be aware that this is a Christian organization. While they claim to welcome people of all faiths, in practice I often felt like I was in a cult-like environment. Certain staff and missionaries openly demonized other spiritual practices and repeatedly insisted that Jesus Christ is the only path to God. I found this deeply troubling and personally invasive. Being required to attend church felt like a violation of both my free will and my First Amendment rights.
I know The Vine is working on making changes, and I am genuinely grateful that my time there was not entirely negative. Still, I have to be honest: much of my experience felt like something I had to survive until enough time passed. I would not recommend this program unless you truly have no other option or feel confident in your ability to endure the challenges.
Things can be very political... my advice is to always speak up and stand firmly in your principles.
