New Moms serves a population that is highly at-risk—overlooked, underserved, and under-funded.  Most often, participants arrive at New Moms with nothing more than a baby in their arms and a trash bag full of their belongings.  97% are either Latino or African-American, between the ages of 13 and 21, with children 5 years old or younger.  When these young women come to us, approximately 80% have dropped out of school, and are operating at an average 4th grade educational level.  Only about 25% have ever held a job.  Almost all are multi-generational welfare recipients, or have no income at all.  100% are living in extreme poverty (200% or more below the poverty threshold).  Over 75% do not live with immediate family members.  Most have no permanent home, and report “couch surfing” from one potentially dangerous, transient living situation to another, children in tow.  Many are officially homeless, living on the streets with their children.  Most are survivors—or continuing victims—of abuse, neglect, abandonment, sexual exploitation, and domestic violence.

The volatile, dangerous environment in which these teenage mothers live not only cripples their lives and futures—but also those of their children; who are: 3 times more likely than non-homeless children to be placed in remedial education; 4 times more likely to be abused, neglected, or abandoned; 4 times more likely to drop out of school; at high risk of serious health problems; and at an 80% risk of continuing the cycle of poverty in which they grew up.  In fact, research has shown that, without intervention, 80% of the sons of teenage mothers will become incarcerated by age 19, and 70% of the daughters will themselves become mothers by age 16.  Further, the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services reported that last year, child abuse cases rose more than 5.8% in Illinois—and over 9% in Chicago.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy just released data demonstrating that, for the first time since 1991, we saw an increase in the national teen birth rate between 2005 and 2006, with an additional 20,834 babies born to teens.  According to state-by-state breakdowns, these figures reveal the most dramatic increase in teen childbearing since 1971.