A long-term residential care program for pregnant and/or parenting teens

On a recent sunny day, Dr. Rocco Cimmarusti drove up to the administration building at the Eisenberg Campus and spotted an empty baby stroller. Alarmed, he raced into the building only to find that one of our Casa Imani girls had been frightened by a deer, snatched up her baby, and fled inside.

This girl was not atypical of the Casa Imani young ladies suffering from a mental illness who are pregnant or who have small children. Many are urban refugees who have never seen a deer, seldom heard a tender word or been comforted by a gentle touch.

At Casa Imani, we work to prepare our girls, who range in age from 13 to 19, for the challenges of motherhood and eventual independent living. At the same time, we are interrupting the cycle of abuse, either physical or sexual, and neglect that these young women have suffered at the hands of strangers or within their own families, most of which have abandoned them.

We also work to educate these vulnerable young women on the dangers of drugs, how to escape and avoid domestic abuse, and familiarize them with the numerous therapeutic services that are available to help them address the various mental, emotional, and behavioral challenges these teen mothers face in their daily lives.

"Our hope is that when they leave us that they can transition smoothly into a foster home, an independent living situation, to their families, or to a transitional group home,  bolstered by the therapy and parenting classes they have had with us and the hope of a brighter future for themselves and their babies," said Susan Miller, Casa Imani's Program Director.

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