THE CRITERIA FOR SELECTING WOMEN INTO OUR PROGRAM INCLUDE:

1.    A referral from one of the crisis pregnancy centers, or another foundation or medical professional that we collaborate regularly with, or the Department of Child Protection. We then interview the woman to determine her eligibility.*

2.    The woman has no family support system to help her in her time of crisis, or has a dysfunctional family support system or she or her children are at risk or in danger of abuse or neglect; (usually due to a history of physical, emotional or sexual abuse in the family or neglect or the woman herself was raised in an orphanage and has no family.)

3.    She has little or no financial resources, and is in need of a place to live, and has no other possibility of a place to live.

4.    The woman is usually mentally or socially handicapped, with little or no education, job training or social skills necessary to have and maintain healthy relationships or job, low level of emotional or intellectual ability, social vulnerability. The women usually don’t have ID, or other proper papers, including birth certificates for self and children, marriage license etc.

5.    She has one or more children and is especially vulnerable because of pregnancy or is with a newborn baby.

6.    Woman and her children are usually medically vulnerable due to living conditions and lack of proper medical care; usually have medical problems which may include STD’s, malnutrition, long term dental infections, pregnancy and associated problems. Children are usually at risk medically due to abuse, neglect, malnutritional diseases or communicable diseases such as parasites or worms.

7.    The woman must want to change her lifestyle and must desire to keep her children and not to abandon them to be admitted into our program.

8.    She must also agree to follow the rules and regulations of the home as long as she lives there.

9.    She and her children must have the required medical tests before being admitted into the home, for the protection of the others living in the home and so that we can start the necessary medical treatment and care for those being admitted into the home.

10.    If after careful evaluation, it is determined that the woman is not eligible into our program, or that her problems are beyond the scope of this program (she is aggressive, psychotic, or severe personality disorder, or has sever medical problems) we will try to refer her to another foundation or agency or medical facility that may be more suited to helping her with her particular situation.

*Before the initial referral to us, the counselors at the crisis pregnancy center have already met and interviewed the woman and made a determination about her case based on what they observed. They try to help her however they can depending on her situation, and they give her “homework” to do to see how responsible she is. When they are certain she will fit into our program, they contact us.

After the initial referral, we set up a face to face interview with the woman, usually at the crisis pregnancy center, and our management team talks with her about her life, her problems and her plans for her future. We observe how she interacts and relates to her child or children and if she blames others for her problems or if she takes responsibility for her life’s choices or not. Her attitude determines a lot about how she will adjust to living in our care home and whether or not she will be able to make a successful transition. She has to want a better life for herself and for her children and be determined to do what it takes to accomplish that.