What is a Maternity Home?
Because of our own daughters unplanned pregnancy as a college freshman, we heard about a maternity home in Texas through a family friend. I did not know these residences existed, but her father and I wanted her to be in a safe environment where she could continue with her life out of the fishbowl of our town and continue with her college education as she planned for the birth of her child. It was a place we hoped she would be able to make the decision of adoption or choose a parenting plan. She would have to make the very adult decision at the young age of 19.
“Maternity group homes today are very different from the large institutional settings that held 30-50 women who went to have their babies in secret,” says Rivers Teske, Founder & President of Hidden Choices, an organization that has gathered information and resources for young women facing an unplanned pregnancy the last 16 years. In the 1990’s there was little or no information or connection to help a family facing a crisis pregnancy. Hidden Choices has identified over 350 maternity homes nationwide since then and provides a user friendly map to locate a maternity home in close proximity to major cities in 47 States .
What is a Maternity Home?
Many older homes and institutional type houses closed down after Roe v. Wade made abortion widely available. The maternity homes of old were heavily slanted towards adoption, whereas today’s mothers are more likely to enroll in a maternity home because they have chosen to parent, although many do place their babies with a loving adoptive family after researching and wisely looking at all the positive possibilities surrounding adoption.
In place of the large institutions, a variety of public and private financing for pregnant and parenting teens has arisen.
Today’s maternity group homes tend to be much smaller, typically housing between two and six clients at a time. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some simply house women for the duration of the pregnancy, while others allow mothers to continue living in the home after the baby is born. This is called the “after care program.” This after care service can be extremely successful on many levels. It is critical for a young mother to succeed in living a productive life with her children if she first learns healthy parenting skills. Good self esteem and confidence are critical components to wise parenting. Many young women come from broken and fatherless homes themselves, so breaking the cycle of poverty and lower income preparedness is essential in building a healthy life for self and child. Most homes are likely to offer heavily structured programs that may include life skills, high school or college coursework, delivery classes and adoption alternatives, career help and resume building from staff and corporate volunteers. Most homes offer free services and thrive on the generosity of individual donors. Hidden Choices has only heard of a handful of homes that charge “fee for service.”
Under the new rules of welfare reform in the 1990’s, pregnant teens ceased to be eligible for welfare benefits unless they were living with their families. So-called “second chance” or maternity homes were created to provide a stable and safe living environment for pregnant minors who couldn’t live with their families or who were kicked out of home by parents or teen boyfriends.
In 2003 Maternity Homes became eligible for funding through the Transitional Living Program for homeless youth. Approximately $10 million per year is set aside for maternity group homes although of the transitional living programs funded in 2004 and 2005, only 19 identified themselves as maternity group homes. Maternity homes are also eligible for funding through the Administration for Housing and Urban Development. Some homes receive support from state and local governments.
Private donations are critical sources of revenue for many homes, especially for the smaller religious maternity homes. Even homes that proudly refuse direct public funding apply for federal benefits for their clients, including food stamps and Medicaid.
Maternity group homes vary widely in terms of admission criteria. Most publicly-funded programs serve teenagers and homeless women. Many private religious maternity homes exclusively serve adults. Some programs explicitly state that they do not cater to women who are fleeing domestic violence or struggling with substance abuse. Drugs are not an option for a pregnancy.
Another aspect to expect. Residents have to commit in writing to carry their pregnancies to term.
Whatver flavor of home you are fortunate to find, it takes courage to say yes to “having” a baby. “Smooth sails,” I always say. There are thousands who support you and thank you for having your baby.