September 26, 2024
DACULA, Ga. — The Haven at Hebron, a 7,000-square-foot maternity home for homeless pregnant minors, is complete and will be able to receive residents as soon as licensing is finalized. Danette Fleming, who sits on the Board of Directors and is responsible for donor development, says that could take up to 90 days, and that she hopes to have residents in the home by the end of the year.
The Haven at Hebron is a home for single, pregnant women 21 and under who need residential care throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Under Georgia law, pregnant women under age 21 are considered minors.
Once fully operational, up to eight young ladies will live at the home along with their babies after they give birth. A houseparent couple will also reside at the home in a separate, private suite, and be on duty six days, with three days off. There is also a bedroom for relief houseparents to stay when the houseparents are off.
“This is currently only the second maternity home for minors in Georgia,” Fleming explains, “and the first to open under the newest Georgia guidelines by the state legislature.”
There is an application process for residents, who may be referred by school counselors, pregnancy resource centers, and such. Once accepted, they can stay at the home for up to 12 weeks after giving birth. There is already a waiting list for acceptance, says Fleming.
Plans are in place to build two more homes on the property, which was donated by Hebron Baptist Church. The first of these will be a “second-chance home,” where women will be able to stay for up to two years after giving birth.
Landon Dowden, lead pastor at Hebron, says that when he arrived he was asked about the property owned by the church. “I said the two most important questions are, ‘How can we steward this property for the good of the Gospel? And how can we steward this property for the good of our community?’”
“Based on the rate of teen pregnancies and the absence of a maternity home in our area,” he recalls, “and determining having a home rather than just using the homes of members would be best,” the church moved from the idea of a maternity home to the reality that has come to fruition today.
Leah Manning, executive director of The Haven, says they are currently debt-free thanks to donations from Hebron and other churches.
“God has provided every penny,” Dowden declares. “Post-COVID the overall project shifted from initial estimates of one million to over three million. But God has shown Himself strong every step of the way!”
Manning is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the home and the program. She will meet with each resident to assess their strengths and needs, and develop individual case plans to help them succeed. That may include helping with school enrollment, getting a driver’s license, employment, and more.
The method is known as Trust-Based Relational Intervention and was developed at TCU. The website states the method is designed “to meet the complex needs of children who have experienced adversity, early harm, toxic stress, and/or trauma. Because of their histories, it is often difficult for these children to trust the loving adults in their lives, which often results in perplexing behaviors.”
For the ladies, there will be a weekly Bible study opportunity as well as regular sessions with licensed counselors. Life skills training, dietary and nutritional training, financial planning, referrals, pregnancy/parenting classes, and assistance in completing their education will also be available.
Once the mothers give birth, they can choose to parent the baby or choose parents for them through adoption. That decision is completely up to the mothers, Manning says.
Ideally, Manning explains, these ladies will find their independence and learn the skills needed to succeed. In addition to assisting the mothers, she hopes that The Haven will also minister to their parents and the babies’ fathers. The hope is that will lead to generational change, she says.
Dowden shares that hope, saying “We cannot wait now to see how God will use this home for the good of the Gospel, for the good of our community, and for His glory.”
The ultimate goal, Manning emphasizes, is for each of the residents to “know who Jesus is, and that they are loved and have been redeemed.”
“The Haven is not the end,” declares Manning, “but the beginning of their story.”
