Providence House For Pregnant Women And Children

A faith-based, woman-focused agency headquartered in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community of Brooklyn, Providence House is built around the use of a unique mentoring model at smaller, congregate transitional housing facilities scattered throughout New York City.
That model has been fashioned upon the religious Sisters who founded and still perform many of the essential duties running the agency. The Sisters live in the same housing with clients, sharing dinners most weeknights, as well as weekends together. Because of this participation by the Sisters in communal life with residents, they are able to regularly provide counsel and act as informal mentors, creating a much more intimate experience than is typical with larger and more institutional rehabilitation efforts.
Providence House focuses its programs and services on two at-risk and underserved populations: women and children who are homeless and women recently paroled from prison. Providence House provides women and children in crisis with shelter, food and security as well as support services to help them transition to independence including: enrolling in education or job training programs, searching for employment, obtaining medical services and finding a permanent place to live.

HOMELESS SERVICES PROGRAM
We serve some of the more difficult homelessness cases families requiring more intensive supervision and support than larger shelters can provide. At any one time, more than 100 mothers and children are living in our residences.
We currently operate three congregate residences in Brooklyn, Queens with a total of 25 units; a 10-unit congregate residence in Westchester County; and a 15-unit Apartment Program in Brooklyn.
Mothers and young children stay an average of about six to eight months in the program. They have experienced episodic disruptions in their lives brought about as a result of living in poverty. The women may be victims of domestic violence, may have been forced to leave their parents home after getting pregnant, or may have been living with a relative who asked them to leave. In most cases, the women served have usually never had their own apartments or found employment. During their stay with us, the women begin the process of learning those skills needed to live independently and to stay out of the cycle of homelessness.
The social service staff begins to work with all families immediately upon arriving at Providence House; and every family is assessed medically to ensure that they are current with vaccinations and physicals. Case managers work one-on-one with each family to address all obstacles to their ability to live independently and making appropriate referrals for professional help such as mental health screening and anger management.
The staff Employment Specialist works individually with each woman to assist her in all areas related to searching for a job. The staff Housing Specialist bolsters the employment efforts by simultaneously providing assistance in searching for safe and affordable housing. All of the families benefit from our Aftercare Services: we follow-up with them for up to two years after they leave Providence House. This allows the families to benefit from continuity as they adjust to independent living and gives our staff the chance for early intervention if obstacles should arise such as landlord-tenant problems or loss of employment.