Statement of Purpose: Philosophy

The philosophy of the Hope Center for Teens, Inc. includes a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to decreasing unplanned, out-of-wedlock pregnancies for young women and increasing their ability to become productive, independent citizens in the community and establish caring parental relationships with their children.

The specific goals of Hope Center include providing safe shelter, increasing the rate of healthy newborns, increasing the rate of high school completion and gainful employment, and increasing positive parental relationships.

The Hope Center serves pregnant teens and mothers who are unable to remain at home for reasons beyond their control. The center provides safe shelter at a residence that is licensed by the Department of Children and Families, meets fire and health regulations, and is supervised 24 hours a day by qualified house mothers.

Infants of young women who do not receive adequate prenatal care are often born prematurely and with complications ranging from low birth weight to mental retardation and cerebral palsy. The Hope Center collaborates with physicians in the community to provide appropriate prenatal care. The young women are assisted by the case manager in scheduling prenatal and postnatal appointments. The house-parents assist the young women with transportation to and from their appointments via city buses or the Hope Center vehicle.

Pregnant and parenting youth have historically found their only option to be dropping out of school and working temporary jobs. The Hope Center mandates that all young women admitted to the program complete high school or a GED program. Once the young women have completed requirements for a high school diploma, they will are linked to vocational programs within the community to explore job opportunities.

Hope Center offers onsite parenting classes facilitated by expert and Hope Center staff members. Hope Center is designed to decrease the abuse that is so prevalent among young parents who have unplanned, out-of-wedlock pregnancies with little or no support and unsuitable role models. The center does this partly by providing the young women with mentors who support and encourage their decision to parent their children in loving relationships.

History

The Hope Center for Teens, Inc. was incorporated September 5, 2000, by Joella Galvan and Jennifer Young to provide safe shelter for pregnant teenagers who are estranged from their families. The vision was to provide more than just safe shelter, but also training and counseling to promote self-sufficiency and independence. The expected outcome of the program is to reduce the number of high school dropouts, miscarriages, low birth-weight infants, subsequent unplanned pregnancies, and child abuse situations prevalent among this population of young women.

Hope Center was awarded 501(c)(3) status December 2001 and the staff was subsequently able to apply for grants from federal, state, and local organizations. In early 2002, Jennifer and Joella, with the guidance and assistance from several volunteers in the community, wrote a proposal to the Department of Health and Human Services, Runaway/Homeless Youth, Transitional Living Program. The federal grant was awarded to Hope Center in September of the same year.

A board of directors was developed and met together for the first time in October 2002 to establish a plan for meeting the needs of the community. The board of directors currently consists of 11 members with a range of backgrounds and skills.

In February 2003 a local realtor purchased a house for Hope Center to support the young women that Hope Center would soon serve. As soon as the purchase was finalized volunteers came from far and wide to bring the home up to code and create the safest environment possible for the future residents. The volunteers painted the interior and the exterior, built porches, plastered walls, sanded floors, built an ADA-compliant bathroom, installed fire-rated doors, installed porch columns, pressure washed the exterior, landscaped the yard, installed a fire and security alarm system, and cleaned up the mess when all the work was completed.

In June 2003, Hope Center was able to admit the first two young women, who were in desperate situations and needed a safe place to live. The referrals continue to pour in from counties across the state of Florida.

Hope Center will be able to serve seven young women along with their infants at the current location. The center looks forward to growing and meeting the needs of young women who need help in the midst of bittersweet life events.