HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC RADIO) - A new program assists teenage mothers caught in the crossfire of poverty and violence, with the mothers themselves often participating in at-risk criminal activity, stakeholders said.
The program called Roca currently operates in Massachusetts.
"A significant number are pregnant and parenting. They are increasingly involved in high risk behavior, including trafficking and prostitution. They are being arrested and detained at higher rates. They are experiencing staggering levels of domestic violence. They come from unstable homes and won't open the door to a home visitor and they're found in the mix when street and gun violence occur," Roca Vice President Sunindiya Bhalla said.
No existing intervention programs exist for these young mothers, advocates said.
"I've seen kids struggling to grow up with an incarcerated parent, a deceased parent, and in extreme cases, a child orphaned by gun violence. Roca seeks to address the very specific needs of young women who are affected by urban violence. The young women who we hope to be leaders at work and in their home," Hartford State's Attorney Sharmese Walcott said.
The program's goal is to help women heal from their trauma and to break intergenerational cycles of poverty and violence by providing parenting and employment skills.
Funding for the program comes from a partnership with the city of Hartford, the Dalio Education Foundation, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the Tow Foundation.
