GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Helping young moms prosper— that is the goal of a Grand Rapids organization teaching them the business of parenting and providing a pathway to permanent housing.
Lakeshia Gilbert is a former teen mom. She gave birth at 18-years-old and knows the struggles that come with being a young mom all too well. It's what inspired her to create HOAP Inc., Helping Our Adolescents Prosper.
“It was a challenge for me even with support, so the bulk of our parents that we support are young moms that don't even have that,” Gilbert said.
Through a Parentpreneur Program she hopes to smooth those bumps in the road of motherhood by helping young moms ages 18-24 not only obtain affordable housing, but also maintain it.
“It's about how to have the mindset to succeed, have the mindset to be prosperous, and being able to have the resiliency and tenacity to snap back when you hit those rough spots,” explained Gilbert.
The moms are assigned a personal advocate for accountability and to connect them with community resources. For six months, they go through a series of workshops covering everything from how to budget, mental health, healthy relationships and more. Once they complete the program, the moms graduate and receive monetary support of $1,000, which can be used toward things like first month's rent and childcare— two things Gilbert says are barriers keeping some moms from taking on opportunities to make a higher wage.
This is the third year of the Parentpreneur Program. Last year, 20 moms enrolled and 90% of them have been able to successfully move into their own place and still maintain it today.
Enrollment is currently open for next year's Parentpreneur Program that starts in January. The deadline to apply is December 14. You can find more information here or email admin@hoapinc.com.
Check out our list of community resources available to help in West Michigan.