Young Mother and Baby Program

 We help you take your pregnancy to term and develop essential life skills as a new mother to transition into independent living.

Our program

We offer three stages of support which can each be accessed for a period of up to 12 months:

• accommodation and intensive support during pregnancy and for the first six months of the baby's life
• transitional accommodation and support for young mothers with a child aged up to three years
• outreach support for young mothers who have transitioned to living independently.

Our first stage of support accommodation is located in Perth's inner northern suburbs. It includes two adjoining houses, with young mothers-to-be living in one and young mothers who have just had their baby living in the other.

This allows you to access support from our caregivers as well as support from other young women in a similar situation.

In 2017, our program will expand to Victoria where two new young mother and baby houses will be located in Bendigo and Ballarat.

Eligibility and referrals

We can help you if you are:

• homeless or at serious risk of homelessness
• aged 16 to 22 years old
• at least 12 weeks pregnant, confirmed by a general practitioner (GP)
• do not require accommodation for any older siblings
• willing to work towards receiving a wage or obtaining Centrelink payments
• willing to contribute towards their share of rent and utilities – the cost of rent is means tested dependent on income to ensure affordability for all residents
• willing to fully participate in daily activities as agreed in their individual support plan such as school, work (voluntary), courses and counselling
• prepared to abide by the no smoking rule
• no current issues with alcohol and/or substance misuse.

Program focus

In addition to stable accommodation we can help with:

• parent education - pre and post natal care, bonding, security and attachment
• ensuring mother and baby's health and development
• home skills such as cooking, cleaning and gardening
• self-care and healthy lifestyle education such as budgeting,  nutrition and stress-management
• social connectedness and rebuilding relationships where possible to reduce isolation
• providing access to education, training and employment
• accessing ongoing community support while you transition to long-term, independent accommodation.

Contact us

For further information and referrals 9.00am to 5.00pm weekdays:

Tel: (08) 9276 6948

Email: HHmums&[email protected].

Crisis accommodation and after hours assistance

Horizon House does not provide short-term, crisis accommodation.

If you require crisis services, contact Entrypoint Perth between 9am and 7pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays.

Tel: 1800 124 684.