When a 17-year-old got pregnant and dropped out of high school, her sister reached out to the Utah-based non-profit Ohana Beginnings for help.
The sister had been through the same thing, said CEO Sherie Allen. She knew the difficulties ahead. Allen’s team was able to step in, offer parenting classes and help the 17-year-old on the path to finishing high school.
Completing her degree might be harder without the assistance — single moms only have about a 50% chance of completing their high school degree by age 22, compared to 90% of teen girls who don’t give birth.
“Our whole program is founded on the importance of creating powerful women through education,” Allen said.
In 2021, one out of every three single mothers in the U.S. lived in poverty, according to Utah State University’s Utah Women and Leadership project. That same year, about 13% of all Utah families with children under 18 had single mothers at the helm.
Last year, the Utah Legislature committed to supporting pregnant women. Ohana Beginnings is one of a few organizations that got funding through the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. The $1.23 million grant, doled out over five years, is to help single mothers in the state.
In the competitive process to be chosen, Allen said what set them apart was their comprehensive program with seven areas of service. On top of educational support, they help women get medical care benefits and provide things like cribs and car seats at no cost. They also have adoption services and support for dads.
Allen said next, they’ll add day care services and a mentoring program.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ciara Hulet: Why focus specifically on single women, ages 14 to 24, who are pregnant or have kids already?
Sherie Allen: So to be clear on that, our grant is actually for 18 and older. However, we do have some other funders that help us to also help that high school population. The reason that we reach up to the age of 24 is [that’s] where the majority of women are participating in abortions. And we want to make sure that if they're making that choice, it's because they're making a choice and not because they don't feel they have a choice. We are an openly and unapologetic pro-life program. However, you know, our services do extend to post abortion healing and empathy towards those women who are really struggling, and we want to make sure that we service anybody who is facing an unplanned pregnancy.
CH: What struggles do single women face who are pregnant or have kids?
SA: They're very economically disadvantaged because the younger they are, the less education, right? And the less education, proportionately, the less amount of income, plus they're not experiencing the advantage of having that dual income that so many families are needing just to get by nowadays. There's also mental health concerns that come into play. Work instability because she's taking care, solely, of a baby, and everybody knows, oh my goodness, in the state of Utah, child care has become such a difficult, big issue, so expensive. And also the decreased amount of time to devote to their children and their own personal well-being.
CH: How much of a difference can this money from the state make?
SA: Oh, it's making all the difference for us. We're able with this money to buy a considerable amount of product. We've been able to hire a licensed clinical social worker to be able to go into the homes or to meet virtually with these girls statewide, and so we're going to be doing some therapeutic services. A lot of these girls have had traumatic backgrounds. As well as more educational opportunities with the parenting classes and such as that.
CH: What happens if women don't get these resources?
SA: Their kids are more likely to have behavior problems. We're trying to reduce national welfare cases, as well as to break these cycles of unexpected pregnancies, so that women can have more of a choice in bringing their children into the world and to have more opportunities for education. Part of that also goes to, when a woman feels that she is individual and self-sufficient, she doesn't get into a desperation marriage, which oftentimes will lead to a divorce. And now she's just years down the road back at square one.
