When Melanie Cantu moved out of Seton House in July, she had $3,300 in her savings account, a steady job and was enrolled in night classes at Casper College.

When she moved in a year-and-a-half ago she had no money, recently left rehab and didn't really have a job or full custody of her children.

Cantu was one of many single parents to enter Seton House's doors. They're the lucky ones, she said.

Seton House has 19 apartment units, housing between 40 and 45 children and their parents each day.

If all goes as planned, it will have four more by winter, said Executive Director Pam Kozola.

Even with 19 units that house between 40 and 45 children and their parents, Kozola said, "the need is huge."

Each day, 30 to 45 families call to request an apartment. On Tuesday, Seton House staff placed 92 names on a waiting list.

"Even though we have expanded in the past, the need continues to far outpace our facility," Kozola said.

Seton House recently purchased a condemned property next door for the expansion. The area was originally zoned commercial, which meant Kozola had to ask the city's Planning and Zoning Commission to give the nonprofit a conditional use permit.

"In the summertime when it's warm, people can camp out if they have to," Kozola said. "But in the winter you can't, so we are hoping to have this done before winter."

Seton House isn't an emergency shelter, Kozola said. It's a place single parents can call home and receive help and direction to move forward with their lives.

It took one and a half years for Cantu to turn her life around. Without the help of Seton House, she said, she's not sure where she or her son and daughter would be.

"When I moved into Seton House, that was the first time I felt like I could unpack my things in 10 years," she said. "It was a home for me and my children, and they have done so much for me."

Each resident contributes 15 percent of his or her income to pay for rent and another 15 percent goes directly into a savings account for the future.

Residents can stay in the apartments for up to two years as long as they follow the program. Each are required to work, either in the community or jobs at Seton House.

Amy Taggart stayed almost two years before she was able to move out on her own.

The 34-year-old was pregnant and living in a rescue mission when she started calling Seton House to find an apartment.

"If you are serious about getting in there and if you are serious about going there, you call everyday for two weeks or two months," she said. "You just have to have the patience and persistence."

She lives in her own apartment now with her 2-year-old son, Ethan, and has held the same steady, full-time job for the past eight months.

"It's a very positive atmosphere, and it's very good for our children and for people who are serious about getting their life back on track and starting over," she said. "They aren't there to babysit or be your caretaker, they are there to make you be independent."

Seton House saved her life, she said, and with four more apartments, she hopes the program will save even more.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com