Holy ground pbc
Our Services
We are committed to empowering and transforming the lives of the young mothers and children we serve, aiming to be a catalyst for generational change. Listed below are our services that are associated with our programs. Unfortunately, Holy Ground PBC cannot provide services to anyone with substance abuse or mental health issues.
Access To Essential Resources
The mothers in Holy Ground’s care have access to our free client pantry, which stocks groceries, cleaning supplies, and other household items. They receive supplemental clothing, as well as assistance with healthcare needs and transportation-related costs. We also help our young mothers to find affordable daycare through the Early Learning Coalition and various other community services, such as bus passes and food stamps.
Through our Outreach program, Holy Ground assists not just the mothers who are in our residential program, but also vulnerable mothers in the larger community. They are assisted to locate and access necessary resources, such as baby equipment, supplies, and social services, and may receive short-term financial assistance, on a limited basis.
Case Management
Our Case Manager interacts one-on-one with each of our mothers. With encouragement, compassion, and understanding, she helps each mom to develop her individualized stability plan, which sets forth a set of achievable personal and professional goals, and then continues to guide her until her goals are complete.
Educational and Vocational Guidance
Our Career Coach works individually with each of our young moms to help them achieve both vocational and academic goals, at both the high school and college level. Against the odds, all of our clients have completed high school or their GED by the time they graduated from Holy Ground’s program (fewer than half of teen mothers obtain their high school diplomas) and then progress to either a vocational program that is suited to their talents and interests or to a two- or four-year college.
To guide them toward their vocational and academic goals, our career coach performs skills and interests testing, recommends suitable courses, helps them to identify career paths, and aids with job hunting, resume writing, and interviewing. She continues to guide them as they advance in their careers.
Financial aid toward both educational and vocational goals (available to moms in all of our programs) is offered through Holy Ground’s own scholarship fund, the Fr. Obin Fund.
Family Enrichment
Holy Ground hosts a number of events throughout the year, where food, drinks and activities are provided, so our busy moms can just relax and play with their children. We have also hosted outings and cultural enrichment events for the moms. During these outings, our moms get to share new experiences with each other, knowing their children are being well cared for. The Learning Tree has also arranged educational field trips for the children. In addition, we offer child enrichment via play-based therapy for the littlest members of our program.
Financial Literacy
Our budget advisor explains basic financial concepts in an easy-to-understand way in order to motivate these young moms to manage their limited resources wisely and start saving for the future.
Health and Wellness Classes
Health and wellness classes are offered to our moms by a licensed practitioner, to keep them informed about their own health needs and those of their children, and to give them a chance to get their questions answered.
Life Skills Classes
These monthly classes fill in the gaps in basic knowledge (e.g., budgeting, healthy eating, social interactions) that result from our clients’ often unstable backgrounds. Beyond the basics, our Life Skills facilitator and occasional guest speakers address topics such as healthy relationships, domestic violence and good decision-making.
Mentoring
Our Holy Ground mentors are key advocates who monitor the evolving needs of both mothers and children. They are trained adult women who provide emotional support, encouragement, and guidance as our young moms progress through our long-term program. Often, the bond formed between the mother and child and the mentor they are matched with becomes an on-going family relationship, extending long past the mother’s years in our program. For more information about our mentoring program, see Become A Mentor.
Positive Parenting Classes
Our young mothers benefit from parenting classes that teach healthy nurturing and methods of positive interaction with their children, to ensure that these moms are preventing stressors in their children’s lives and dealing effectively with the aftereffects of previous adverse experiences.
Spiritual Development
We host an annual nondenominational retreat that nourishes our moms both body and soul. The retreat customarily includes motivational speakers, vision boarding, and yoga.
Trauma-Informed Counseling
Most, if not all, of the young women who enter our program have endured adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), leaving them with emotional scars. According to the Centers for Disease Control, unaddressed ACEs can lead to lifelong impacts, such as chronic health problems, mental illness, obesity, or addiction. ACEs can also negatively impact educational attainment, job opportunities, and earning potential.
With targeted intervention, however, significant healing can take place. We provide trauma-informed counseling, in both individual and group settings, by our licensed psychotherapist. These therapy sessions, based on each mother’s ACE assessment results, help them heal from past traumas, develop self-esteem, build resilience and coping skills, and learn healthy behaviors that they can model for their children.
Holy Ground also offers training in ACEs to educate our young moms on how to prevent stressors in their children’s lives. Their children also benefit from age-appropriate, play-based therapy.
Tutoring For Children
The children in our Holy Ground family receive one-on-one assistance with their schoolwork at our on-site summer and after-school tutoring program, The Learning Tree.
With input from the children’s schoolteachers, our adult tutors – assisted by standout high school students – identify areas in which each child needs additional assistance, and work with them, patiently helping them to improve. The children and tutors, along with their mentors and moms, have also embarked on educational outings and field trips.
The Learning Tree is a safe and fun environment in which the children learn, share feelings, practice kindness with one another, and develop their self-confidence.
Building Adult Capabilities to Improve Child Outcomes: A Theory of Change
A 5-minute video from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child.
