Teen Pregnancy Help

Pregnant teen shelters can be an extremely helpful resource for pregnant teens that have no where else to go. Unfortunately there are many teen girls each year who get pregnant and have no place to live. Fortunately there are pregnant teen shelters to help.

Some teens who find themselves pregnant may not have the most supportive family structure to begin with and after getting pregnant have nowhere to go. Some teens are kicked out of the house when their parents learn they have gotten pregnant. Some teens have parents that have financial troubles of their own and cannot support having a pregnant teen and a new baby in the house. However, in situations like these fortunately there are pregnant teen shelters that exist throughout the United States to provide that support in helping teens to receive love and nurturing that is vital during the course of the pregnancy.

What is a pregnant teen shelter?

A pregnant teen shelter is often similar to a homeless shelter, but unlike homeless shelters for individuals and families, a pregnant teen shelter only houses the mother and her unborn baby. Most pregnant teen shelters will house the pregnant mother until she gives birth and for a short time after to help give her time to adjust to being a mother. Pregnant teen shelters are often non-profit organizations and help provide a nurturing environment for pregnant teens where they can learn about what it takes to be a mother. Many pregnant teen shelters will also offer classes and resources to help the teen learn about parenting skills like how to change a diaper, swaddle the baby and burp and put them to bed. The idea of a pregnant teen shelter is to give teen parents the skills it takes to be a successful parent. Many of these pregnant teen shelters also have connections with local employers to help get the pregnant teen working and to get a job so they can save money and prepare for the financial costs associated with having a baby. The work of the pregnant teen shelter is to help pregnant teens get into a situation where they can become financially stable and emotionally ready to become a mother. Many shelters will institute rules while the pregnant teen is there like a curfew, chores around the shelter and other responsibilities. Structure is often one of the ideal messages shelter organizers want to get across to their tenants. Learning such behaviors is essential to becoming a good, strong parent. While some pregnant teen shelters are non-profit organizations, some are also sponsored by local churches and religious organizations.

How to find a pregnant teen shelter:

Unfortunately not all cities and states have these kinds of resources, which may present a problem for teens that live in areas like this. In these situations, there are still other types of shelters available, which is better than nothing for a pregnant teen. At these shelters, there are shelter volunteers and organizers that have access to tons of resources that can be extremely valuable to a pregnant teen including Women, Infant, Children (WIC) information as well we other types of welfare and assistance. Some of these other shelters might be able to arrange to have the pregnant teen sent to one of the pregnant teen shelters that is available elsewhere. The best way to find a pregnant teen shelter is to do some searching around online or to ask your local church if they have heard of any such organizations. Most of the time bigger cities will have at least one or two, but smaller towns might not. This may cause for relocation for teens that find themselves pregnant in an area where there isn't a shelter available.

There is no strong data to support whether or not pregnant teen shelters are an effective tool for pregnant mothers in their teens. However, a solution like this may be the only option for some pregnant teens. If you are a pregnant teen with nowhere to go, be sure to look into shelters near your area to learn more about pregnant teen shelters to determine if this is a good idea for you in your current state.

Sources:http://www.teenshelter.org/, http://www.npr.org/news/specials/housingfirst/nprstories/020813.teens/index.html