Young Mother Finds Help at Project Self-Sufficiency

Several years ago, Yolanda Dones was in a lonely and terrifying position. Pregnant and addicted to drugs, the young woman was determined to get clean for the sake of her unborn child. She turned to Project Self-Sufficiency for assistance with preparing for childbirth and parenthood. “It was very difficult,” Yolanda reflects now about her past drug use. “I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I didn’t know how to stop.” She registered for the Healthy Families home visitation program at Project Self-Sufficiency, and was admitted to Sunrise House rehabilitation center for assistance with her addiction issues. A trained home visitor began visiting with Yolanda during her pregnancy, and continued to meet with Yolanda after she gave birth, even though she was still living at Sunrise House. The newborn was taken away from Yolanda for several months while she recovered. During this time, Yolanda continued to meet with her home visitor, learning valuable tips about child development, health and wellness, literacy, parenting skills and community resources. When her infant was finally returned to her at the age of five months, Yolanda was clean and well-prepared for motherhood.

Project Self-Sufficiency offers three separate home visitation programs tailored to meet the needs of low-income parents. The Healthy Families program is designed for pregnant women and mothers of newborns. Participants receive free parenting tips, baby items, information about childhood health, and other topics from certified professional home visitors. The program combines home visits with educational outings for mother and child to help parents boost literacy levels and address health issues within their new family. Women who are pregnant or parenting infants, as well as those with children up to the age of three are eligible. Services are available to income-eligible residents of Sussex and northern Warren Counties.

The agency’s Healthy Families program helps prepare children for kindergarten and addresses developmental delays that might otherwise have been overlooked until the child entered school. The Healthy Families program also gives mothers have the opportunity to meet regularly with other women in similar circumstances by attending monthly Mommy Parties held at Project Self-Sufficiency. Participants receive the latest information about household safety, parenting, health and wellness, and other topics, while enjoying lunch and engaging in craft projects with their children. While on site, mothers can also take advantage of the other programs and services available to families at the agency. Transportation to the monthly gatherings is available to women in need.

Yolanda Dones thrived as a result of her affiliation with Project Self-Sufficiency. “My home visitor went everywhere I went,” remembered Yolanda as she recalls her odyssey from shelter to halfway house to her own apartment. “I could tell her anything. What surprised me most was her eagerness to help. I feel like we are part of a team. The home visitors are very easy-going, happy people, and they love kids.”

Yolanda particularly enjoys attending the monthly Mommy Parties at Project Self-Sufficiency. “I like that we can get together and I can ask questions. We are all learning together and doing things together. It’s been fun, it’s not work.”

Through Project Self-Sufficiency, Yolanda was able to obtain childcare and job training. She has been offered a full-time job at a local agency where she is currently interning. She has even secured a used car through the agency’s automobile donation program which will allow her to get to work and care for her daughter much more conveniently. “I have options now,” smiles Yolanda. “We are very happy.”

Three home visitation programs offered by Project Self-Sufficiency are available to income-eligible participants. Factors such as residency, pregnancy and the age and number of children, help determine which program is best suited for the parents’ needs. The Nurse Family Partnership® Program offers home visits to women in Sussex, Hunterdon and Warren Counties who are pregnant with their first child. The Healthy Families home visitation program is available to at-risk single parents, teen parents, and two-parent families in Sussex and northern Warren Counties during pregnancy and through the child’s third birthday. The Parents as Teachers program is designed for women who are parenting and infant or toddler in Sussex or Hunterdon Counties. All three programs are funded by the New Jersey Department of Children & Families.

The Healthy Families home visitation program at Project Self-Sufficiency is funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Children & Families. Project Self-Sufficiency is a private non-profit community-based organization dedicated to improving the lives of low-income families residing in northwestern New Jersey. The agency’s mission is to provide a broad spectrum of holistic, respectful, and comprehensive services enabling low-income single parents, teen parents, two-parent families, and displaced homemakers to improve their lives and the lives of their children through the achievement of personal and economic self-sufficiency and family stability. Since 1986 Project Self-Sufficiency has served more than 20,000 families, including over 30,000 children.

To learn more about the home visitation programs at Project Self-Sufficiency, or to receive information about any of the other services offered by the agency, call 973-940-3500, or visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org.