| About Jewel House and Jeff Yalden Homes |
| The Jewel House will accommodate up to eight pregnant teens or young women ages 13-21. While at the house, they will live family style with house parents. The young women will receive counseling and support services to empower their choice to become parents or to give the gift of a child to waiting adoptive parents. |
| The young women will be assisted in realizing their full potential, thus breaking the cycles of low self worth, poverty and abuse, enabling them to make a life for themselves and/or their babies. Staff will inspire expectant mothers to do the right thing, for the right reasons. |
| Jeff Yalden Homes and The Jewel House strive for an atmosphere that is supportive and structured which will offer educational opportunities, networking and employment options, parenting classes and assistance with adoption if necessary. Counseling and mental health assessments will be mandatory as will drug free living. All young women will be required to either continue their education or work, depending upon their age and personal assessments. |
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| The Jewel House Mission is to provide a safe, innovative and nurturing environment which enhances personal growth and education for young first time mothers and their unborn babies. |
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| Statistics |
| Less than 2% of all those facing unplanned pregnancies make an adoption plan. |
| 6,020 Iowa teens become pregnant each year (Guttmacher Institute, State Center publication) |
| Young people, who want to make adoption plans, report intense pressure from peers and teachers to parent even if they feel unready to do so - and even if they do not have economic resources or personal support systems to help them. |
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| Why Jeff Yalden Homes and Jewel House? |
| Being a teenager or young women is hard enough without the added pressures of being pregnant, making decisions for you and a child which will have long lasting implications. Add parents, boyfriend, friends and others who love you all offering advice – that can lead to stress, heartbreak and frustration. |
| You may have experienced your first real taste of love, or you may have just gotten caught up in a moment when sharing a kiss turned into something much more. Now you find yourself wondering how your parents, friends and others at school will react when they find out that not only have you been having sex, but you are now pregnant. |
| At Jewel House, there are no recriminations, just assistance with your choices, support and a chance to better yourself and your future. Young mothers who are experiencing the challenges of being a first-time mother, an unplanned pregnancy, aloneness, or other difficult life situations can come together twice a month to learn and to support one another. |
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Jewel House offers
- A home staffed with House Parents and with private and/or shared bedrooms for the girls.
- Pre-natal care and delivery at a local hospital.
- Work, school, and GED opportunities located close to the residence.
- A convenient location close to shopping, hospitals, parks.
- 24-hour support from staff and volunteers.
- Professional counseling and personal mentors who can help you make a plan that is right for you and your baby.
- Referrals for adoption assistance.
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The main goal of Jeff Yalden Homes and the Jewel House
is to be a safe place to grow and a place of compassion |
