Grand Views: Arvada Chamber of Commerce e-newsletter

Teen parenting is a significant issue in our community. In fact, 18 babies are born each day to teens in Colorado, and every four hours a baby is born to a Colorado teen between the ages of 15 and 17. Furthermore, teenage mothers are more likely to abuse, abandon or neglect their children.

HH1 Due to these realities, an innovative venture called Hope House of Colorado was launched in 2003. Designed to help disadvantaged, at-risk teenage mothers become stable, nurturing parents, the program addresses many areas including economic sustainability and personal development. Hope House provides a wide range of services for teenage moms and their babies including:

- Residential Housing for teen moms and their children;
- GED classes and test preparation / funding;
- Assistance in seeking further education following GED certification;
- Life Skills classes (Parenting, Dealing with Domestic Violence, Healthy Relationships, Nutritional Cooking, Anger Management, Job Skills, etc.);
- Mentoring;
- Certified counseling.

Hope House fills a significant gap in the metro area. Although there are multiple providers of supportive services for pregnant teenagers, there are very few support services for these teens after they have their baby and begin parenting.

This gap puts teen moms at risk due to the fact that in Colorado, a single mother must work 108 hours per week at minimum wage to earn enough annual income to meet basic needs without public assistance, according to estimates provided by the 2008 Self Sufficiency Standard prepared by the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute.

"Through our various programs, our participants receive the education they need to earn a living wage or even move on to further education," says Lisa Steven, founder and executive director of Hope House.

HH2 However, Hope House isn't just about statistics; it's about teen moms and their stories of transformation. For example, not long ago Anne was a homeless teen mom, sleeping in a park in Arvada with her 11-week-old baby boy. When she entered the Residential Program, she immediately received housing and resources for herself and her baby. Later that year, Anne went on a field trip to a law firm and was inspired to revisit her dream of becoming a lawyer. She soon received an internship at that same law firm and enrolled in paralegal classes at a community college. Today Anne and both of her children live in their own home, and she is a part-time Junior Paralegal. She will become a full-time Paralegal once she finishes her Associate's Degree.

HH4 Personal development is also an integral aspect of Hope House, and the teen moms receive support and training in a variety of areas that help them become stable parents. The results have been recorded through formal evaluation methodology and straight from the teens themselves.

"I learned to be confident that I could take care of my child. Hope House made me feel like I wasn't by myself," said 17-year-old Tia after completing the Nurturing Parenting Program.

HH5 "A sense of community is one of our primary goals," says Steven. "It is a key component as we reach out to help at-risk teen mothers and their children, giving them hope for a brighter future."

For more information, please see www.hopehouseofcolorado.org or contact Lisa Steven at 303-429-1012.