The Northwest Center

 CELEBRATING LIFE and INSPIRING HOPE since 1983

The Maternity Home program seeks to provide for each of our young pregnant or parenting women, a home, parenting skills, household management skills, education and/or job skills opportunities, and effective interpersonal communication skills.

The mothers and children who come to the Maternity Home program are usually homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. They bring with them tragic stories of having been abandoned by loved ones, neglected, and abused and most have poor educational backgrounds.  These issues present them with handicaps as they struggle to gain the skills they need to be able to adequately provide for themselves and their children.

The Northwest Center’s Maternity Home program provides the boundaries and structure to counteract these underlying issues on a daily basis. The expertise of a qualified social worker forms the foundation on which we are able to provide a safe, calm and predictable home for our moms and children. This kind of environment helps ensure that the moms progress toward independence.

Upon acceptance, a resident meets with the Maternity Home Director to draw up a contract, which identifies her long-term, short-term, and immediate goals. Each contract is tailored to individual strengths, identifying specific steps a woman will need to have a healthy pregnancy, become proficient in parenting skills, complete or continue her education, and achieve self-sufficiency.  Thereafter, each resident meets weekly with the Maternity Home Director to review her progress.  Between meetings, each resident works with the Maternity Home Manager and volunteers on mutually agreed-upon tasks designed to help her progress towards her goals.

Most of the young women who come to the Maternity Home have been abandoned or rejected by their families.  An important part of our program is to provide a home-like atmosphere where every resident can have an experience closely akin to responsible family life. Communal meals, community nights, and dedicated volunteers to help with homework, to listen and to care are integral parts of our program.  The Northwest Center’s Maternity Home program also helps to keep families together by permitting a pregnant woman with a young child to bring her child with her to live at the home.  We strive to keep these struggling families together and to strengthen them.

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