COVID-19 has affected almost everyone, but not everyone has experienced its effects equally. In reality, the pandemic has “reinforced important truths: Economic instability, unsafe housing, neighborhood violence, and lack of safe and stable child care and social support can worsen already tenuous situations.” (New England Journal of Medicine, Dec. 10, 2020)
The ALPHA House of Pinellas County knows that these factors are especially dangerous for expectant mothers. Despite increasingly strained resources, it offers hope and helps families in need.
ALPHA House provides a transitional living program where women and teen moms can move towards the ultimate goal of self-sufficiency.
ALPHA House: Transforming Lives
Founded in 1979, ALPHA House’s mission is “to provide housing and supportive services to homeless pregnant women and teens, new mothers with infants, and families experiencing crisis pregnancies.” As the only residential maternity program in Pinellas County, ALPHA House offers a safe and educational environment where women and teens affected by poverty, homelessness, neighborhood violence, domestic abuse, or trafficking can transform their own lives and their children’s futures. Licensed by the Department of Children and Families, ALPHA House provides a transitional living program where women and teens can move toward the ultimate goal of self-sufficiency. Designed to provide a stable environment, rather than a short-term emergency stop-over, ALPHA House allows minors to stay until they turn 18. Adults can stay up to 24 months after the birth of a child. These extended stays allow women and girls the stability necessary to attend high school or college or pursue their GED. They also develop skills needed for self-sufficiency such as budgeting, stress management, nutrition, child-care competency, and substance-abuse prevention.
2020: “It’s been challenging.”
As a formerly homeless teen mom and abuse victim, ALPHA House Executive Director Jennifer Stracick understands, better than many, the importance of a place like ALPHA House. Since 1979, more than 3,000 women have completed the program, with more than 90 percent successfully transitioning to independent lives. But the staff’s dedication and passion are not enough on their own. ALPHA House needs funds to survive. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, ALPHA House relies on grants and donations to finance the House and its programs. Last year, nearly 20 percent of expected operating funds failed to materialize because of COVID-19 grant reallocations and reductions. The deficit has made providing necessary services difficult and spread the remaining staff thin. It’s not just the loss of direct grant funds that have affected the bottom line, however; it’s also the loss of person-to-person connections that help raise awareness and encourage donations.
Hoping for a Better 2021: How Can We Help?
Visit www.alphahousepinellas.org for information about making online donations, dropping off needed items for ALPHA’s Community Assistance Program, and volunteering. To do more or donate directly, contact Jennifer Stracick at (727) 822-8190 or [email protected]
