Hannah House, Inc.

Agency:	Hannah House, Inc. P. O. Box 591 Lebanon, New Hampshire 03766
Telephone: Fax:	(603) 448-5339 (603) 448-5398
Contact Person:	Randy Walker, Executive Director
Annual Budget:	$463,499
Primary Funding Sources:	New Hampshire Health and Human Services; other government agencies; grants; fundraising (general and corporate); and interest income.

Support pregnant and parenting youth in developing independence and in making healthy parenting choices, thereby promoting their own well-being and that of their children.

Hannah House, Inc. is a school-linked nonprofit program located in a small city. The program, which began in 1988, offers a residential facility, outreach, vocational training, and other support for young parents. Its service population includes white (86 percent), Hispanic (8 percent), African-American (2 percent), Asian (2 percent), and American Indian (2 percent) youth, 13 to 24 years old. Annually, the program serves approximately 30 pregnant teens, 80 teen mothers, and 12 teen fathers. Child care is provided on site for 24 children.

The program takes a comprehensive approach to the needs of pregnant and parenting teens on both the New Hampshire and Vermont sides of the Upper Connecticut River Valley. Services include a six-bed residential program, community-based outreach, child care for infants and toddlers, outreach and vocational programs, vocational services, and a domestic violence prevention program. Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Midwives monitor the health of residents and their babies.

The residential program, the only one for pregnant and parenting teens in New Hampshire, focuses on independent living and parenting skills. Participants must either attend school or be involved in a vocational program to earn a GED and get job placements. Residents run the house, do chores, cook, and shop for food. Case management, parenting groups, home visits, and networking are part of the outreach component. Job readiness skills, job shadowing and placement, and GED prep are also available. The Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE) curriculum is used in parenting group sessions and in home visits.

A vocational worker co-facilitates a family relationships group that emphasizes violence prevention. This project is designed to stop domestic violence in new families before these patterns take hold.

The program verifies its success in improving the health of children and parents by monitoring the health of residents and their babies. It assesses its success in reducing repeat pregnancies through initial assessments and follow-up after participation in parenting classes.

A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Community-Based, School-Linked Programs

Hannah House, Inc.