Homes provide a safe haven
The Catholic Charities program that shelters at-risk pregnant women needs more volunteers.
Sometimes women in crisis pregnancies need more than just a listening ear and supportive friends. They need a home.
In addition to counseling, adoption and foster care services for women in crisis pregnancies and at-risk children, Catholic Charities has a home provider program that pairs at-risk pregnant women with stable, loving families with whom they can live until the birth of their child.
“We want to get the word out that our family home providers can offer a safe haven to the young pregnant woman facing turmoil and having no place to live,” said Linda Cullen, Catholic Charities’ Children’s Services program director. “The stable, nurturing environment of one of our family homes will let the young woman have the time and calm surroundings needed to start making plans for her future and the future of her baby.”
Catholic Charities currently has only three family home providers on its roster and has an urgent need for more.
Caroline, a young mother who stayed in a family home during her pregnancy, praised the program.
“I did not get along with my stepfather, and my getting pregnant at age 17 only made matters worse,” she said. “My mother at first sent me to stay with my brother and his wife, but then (my sister-in-law) became pregnant with twins and they decided to relocate to be near her family. I was pretty desperate when I went to Catholic Charities to ask about housing. The foster family I was ultimately placed with was kind, welcoming and nonjudgmental. They became like my second family.”
Len and Barbara Rice, who opened their home to Caroline, began participating in the program in 1996 after responding to a Catholic Charities’ call in their parish bulletin. They had to formally apply and go through the same screening process used for foster parents of infants and young children.
They learned confidentiality procedures and how to work closely with the social worker who refers the young woman to their home. The social worker then made follow-up visits to provide regular counseling to help the woman make long-range plans for herself and her baby and to provide support to the Rices.
The Rices clearly explain the house rules to their visitors, which include a curfew, no drugs or alcohol, keeping a clean room and participating in family dinners.
“Some girls come from very difficult situations,” Len said. “There may be substance abuse in their families, or the adults may not be functioning well. Some girls have lost ties to their immediate families because of their pregnancy or other problems. Although most are under age 20, we once housed a pregnant woman in her early 30’s who had nowhere to go.”
After Caroline gave birth to a little girl, she and her boyfriend decided to marry, something they had considered but were unable to schedule earlier because of his call to boot camp and military service overseas. In the span of a week, they married and had their baby baptized, with the godmother being none other than Len and Barbara’s oldest daughter.
“Being a family home provider is more than setting an extra place at the table,” Barbara said. “It involves emotional energy, and it is a team approach. Our six children help us welcome the young woman and often have to share space or rearrange bedrooms. We try to make a difference in her life and show her unconditional love. We hope our children find the experience as rewarding as we do.”
For more information about becoming a family home provider, call Catholic Charities’ Children’s Services at 703/425-0100.
