Rev. Twanna Henderson, executive director of the New Beginnings Community Life Center, of New Beginnings Church in Matthews. The church is opening Hope Home, place for unwed and teenage mothers who also are in foster care.
Courtesy Twanna Henderson
Teenage pregnancy has declined nationally – dropping by 78% since a modern day peak in 1991, says the Centers for Disease Control.
As those numbers start to plateau, a curious intersection remains.
The number of teens in foster care who are pregnant or who are already mothers continues to be a perennial concern.
Supporting these teenage mothers in foster care touched the heart of Rev. Twanna Henderson at New Beginnings Church and New Beginnings Community Life Center. It became the focal point of a ministry at the Matthews-based church.
“It’s something that we strongly believe in, because, again, this whole thrust of our ministry has been outreach and really supporting our community, in ways we’re being a blessing for people,” Henderson told The Charlotte Observer.
To that end, the church and its community life center arm are opening Hope Home for teenage and unwed moms, marking the occasion during a special ceremony this Saturday.
A few years ago, the church acquired the homestead located in the 7000 block of Gates Drive in Matthews, near its main church building on Stillwell Road, Henderson said. The church renovated a space that is 5,000 square feet and can house up to five young women and their babies.
The home will also have accommodations for two house mothers – paid full time positions – as well as an upstairs education training room, a downstairs gathering room and five and 1/2 bathrooms.
“The goal has always been to kind of have that whole subdivision as a subdivision of hope and a home for our teenage program moms,” Henderson said, “ … looking at how we can support those in our community and … seeing how we can be a part of the solution.”
Henderson said the church is looking to hire house mothers and encourages interested parties to contact the New Beginnings Community Life Center.
There are many reasons teens in foster care are particularly vulnerable to becoming pregnant.
Some experts say it is the lack of consistent parental-adolescent guidance and connection with a higher percentage of teens engaging in risky sexual behavior.
Recently, other growing reasons are changes in federally-protected reproductive rights. This includes the Supreme Court’s overturning Roe vs. Wade and increasing backlash against sex education in schools, all of which may contribute to increased birth rates among teens, a recent article presented by the Kaiser Family Foundation said.
The faith-based organization is working with a number of agencies in Mecklenburg County to identify teens who could benefit.
Nearly 8,000 North Carolina teens between ages 15-19 in 2020 have reported a pregnancy, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2021 the teenage birth rate in North Carolina was at about 16 per 1,000 births as compared to South Carolina which is 18.6 and a national rate of 13.5, the CDC says.
Other organizations, including Crittenton of North Carolina, also are building on services for teenage mothers in the foster care system.
The Charlotte-based nonprofit served 59 mothers last year in its Sarah’s House facility. At least one was as young as 10, CEO Jada Charley said, with nearly 19% of those who are teens in foster care.
“Our numbers have remained steady in Sarah’s house. We have almost always been at or near capacity,” Charley said in an email to the Charlotte Observer.
A special opening ceremony for Hope House takes place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with tours of the new facility on Sunday, April 7, following services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
