Skills for Life

Many people assume that pregnant and parenting teens are naturally equipped to handle the challenges of not only adulthood, but parenthood, too. Project HOME Indy knows this is not always the case. Parenting skills, managing household finances, caring for the home and creating safe and nurturing environments for their children are learned skills. We partner with programs and organizations that offer pregnant girls or new parents ways to help them develop existing abilities while expanding their own life skills.

Parenting

Teens may not have parenting skills, or have the social support systems to help them deal with the stress of raising an infant.   A child born to an unmarried teenage high school dropout is 10 times as likely as other children to be living in poverty at ages 8 to 12.   A child born to a teenage mother is 50 percent more likely to repeat a grade in school, and is more likely to perform poorly on standardized tests and drop out before finishing high school.  In addition, parenting skills for mothers of newborns are vastly different from those with toddlers, and even teens.   Project HOME Indy offers new parents programs based on medically accurate information, in partnerships with hospitals, clinics, and community-based health networks.

Economic Literacy

Pregnant and parenting homeless teen girls encounter all the complex demands of being a teenager, a parent, a caregiver, and a head of household. Many are also faced with the additional challenges of finding employment and securing stable housing. With all of these considerations, sometimes skills like basic economic literacy are not considered priorities in parenting teen’s lives. Yet, research shows that although budgeting and understanding household finances are important for creating stable home environments – many girls do not get opportunities to learn about money management. Project HOME Indy provides programs that teach family budgeting and basic personal finance, providing ways to learn about meeting both basic needs, and long-term economic independence and well-being of their children.

Mentoring

Many recent reports in the youth development field indicate that not only is quality mentoring effective in helping teens find their way in education, careers, or other life goals, but interest from adults in becoming mentors is at an all-time high. The vast majority of pregnant and homeless teen girls do not have supports and opportunities in place to take advantage of the benefits mentoring relationships offer. Project HOME Indy seeks to link teen girls with individuals and groups who approach mentoring with the needs of this population as central to their efforts.

Transitional Services

A recent study indicates that 80 percent of minor mothers who are homeless are unable to find long-term stable living arrangements. One of Project HOME Indy’s main goals is to offer programs and services that lay the foundation for homeless teen mothers’ successful transition to self-sufficiency. Through a thorough intake process, we work to create life plans with each client to ensure adequate supports and options are in place after she leaves Project HOME Indy whether that is in housing, child care, medical care, or career services.  We personalize the needs – and track the progress – of every teen while at Project HOME Indy.  This support is essential to her future success.