There’s nothing easy about getting pregnant as an unmarried 18-year-old, especially if you’re homeless. On top of hormonal and physical changes, young mothers often have to juggle work and school, as well as the changed plans and strained relationships that sometimes accompany unexpected pregnancies. For young mothers in the District experiencing homelessness or unstable living conditions, the Olaiya’s Cradle program can offer hope.
Olaiya’s Cradle, funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is an independent living program for young mothers between the ages of 18 and 21. Olaiya’s Cradle can accommodate five young mothers and their children at the program’s facility located near the Eastern Market Metro stop.
“A lot of the residents come from unstable homes. It could either be a level of abuse, homelessness, evictions, issues with the primary caregiver of the young mother, or arguments that led to them being kicked out of the home,” said DeAnna McCall, program manager at Olaiya’s Cradle. “Sometimes it’s just basic homelessness. We had one potential resident who was actually living out of a 24-hour McDonald’s.”
Beyond providing a safe place to live, Olaiya’s Cradle offers case management and a supportive environment. The program employs two primary counselors, two overnight counselors and two weekend counselors. Each young mother is assigned a primary counselor who helps her apply for various types of aid – such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and Medicaid– and helps her identify goals she can work toward during her stay in the program. Many residents hope to earn their high school diploma or GED, enter either a higher education program or a job-training program.
Olaiya’s Cradle is addressing an underserved need. But with just five beds, it can only do so much. To enter the program, potential residents must either be in the third trimester of their pregnancy or only have one child under the age of two, in addition to satisfying the 18–21 age requirement. According to McCall, even with these specifications the program maintains a waiting list of at least 50 young women. That’s 50 young mothers who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, or are in unhealthy living situations.
“We get, on average, two to four calls a day for persons to be placed on the waiting list,” said McCall. “And that’s not including those persons who have called who aren’t eligible for the program, who might have more than one child.”
McCall said she has seen an increased need for the Olaiya’s Cradle program. The Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, a facility in Northeast offering emergency shelter for families, is mainly a hypothermia season option. As McCall said, “unless the temperature drops below 32 degrees, they will not allow anyone in unless it’s a complete, imminent, dire, homelessness situation.” Because the District experienced a relatively mild 2011–2012 winter season, many families have been left with nowhere to go.
“I remember before I transitioned into this position, I had to make a report to child protective services for neglect because my client was staying in her car with her child,” said McCall. “It’s backwards.”
Olaiya’s Cradle falls under Sasha Bruce Youthwork, an organization that addresses youth homelessness in the District through various programs. The three-bedroom Olaiya’s Cradle facility, located above the 8th Street Sasha Bruce offices, enables the most senior mother in the program to have a private room for herself and her child, while the other mothers and children share bedrooms.
The site also offers a common living room, a computer room and a large kitchen. The residents, who are assigned chores on a rotating basis, work to keep the site clean and organized. They also sometimes work together to take care of each other’s children.
“We’ve been really fortunate with this batch of young women. They’ve been very good…The oldest resident, she just possess this natural leadership quality about her and so she’s actually assisted the other residents with watching their children if they have to run out to the store real quick,” McCall said, “…it’s pretty supportive. Not too many arguments.”
During the day, while the mothers are at work or school, their children are placed in daycare or left with family members. Olaiya’s Cradle counselors are available to walk residents through the process of finding an appropriate daycare facility.
Olaiya’s Cradle residents can stay in the program for up to 18 months, but most stay for about nine months, McCall said. No mother has stayed for the maximum 18 months. During their stay in the program, the residents move through six different levels. They begin with orientation, which lasts for 30 days. During this period, the resident is not allowed to leave the facility on the
weekends (except for religious services) and must be back at the site by 8 p.m. The other five levels, each lasting for about three months, come with progressively more lenient curfews, as well as passes to leave the facility for the day, for the night or for the weekend.
Residents usually leave the facility by 9 a.m. and start returning between 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Though curfew for most levels of the program is 9 p.m., residents receive exceptions if their job requires them to stay late. All residents in level one and above are expected to have a job and pay rent. Employed residents pay 30 percent of their income, while those receiving TANF pay 10 percent of their income.
“The beautiful thing about that is that the money that you pay goes into a savings account. McCall said, “When you leave the program, you get back all the money that you saved.”
When mothers leave the program, they can go in a number of directions. According to Eric Collins, director of residential programs at Sasha Bruce, Olaiya’s Cradle can help residents find affordable housing. Some mothers move back in with family members, some find their own apartment. One recent graduate moved in with her boyfriend’s family.
“A success story would be like the two previous residents who decided to become roommates and get their own apartment together,” McCall said. “…or [when] they transition into longer term transitional housing, or a permanent housing program.”
The hope is that mothers who leave the program will have gained the life skills and confidence to deal with the general challenges of motherhood, and the particular challenges faced by young, single mothers.
“This program is needed because it can really provide structure and support to these young mothers, especially since their experience may not have given them an opportunity to really see what a loving and supportive environment looks like,” McCall said. “We’re just really challenging how they may see different things, and letting them know that their voice has been heard and that their opinion matters and that they’re valued.”
