Community Resources

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Fortunately there are some excellent resources in this area designed to provide assistance and support to teen parents, your children, and your families. The goal of most of these services is to help you become more informed and well educated, to improve your health and that of your child, and to help you with your efforts to become stable so that you can provide stability and security for your child. These are some of the factors that will be important as you move toward a brighter future.
People need other people in their lives who can provide support and encouragement as they face daily challenges. Knowing how to use these community resources effectively is an essential skill that is important for teen parents. Here are a few tips that you can keep in mind as you begin to make these contacts independently: 
 

• Know who to call for what kind of problem.
• Be able to recognize an emergency situation (if you and your child are unsafe, harmed, injured, ill, or threatened) and call immediately.
• Design your own personal emergency card.
• Use a planner or calendar to stay organized. Remember you have appointments for you and for your baby now, too. Keep emergency and other important numbers posted right near your telephone and also write them in your planner & keep a list in your purse, backpack, or diaper bag.
• When you call an agency, remember to:

• Speak clearly and calmly.
• Describe your problem or need accurately.
• Ask for language specific service if needed or seek out someone who can request bilingual/bicultural staff or interpreter services for you.

• Always leave a voice mail message and your return number
• If you don’t hear from them, do not give up! Ask a support staff person here at school for help with this.
• If you get an appointment, try to keep it. If you can’t make it, always call ahead to cancel and reschedule.
• Try to be polite and respectful when dealing with service helpers so they can be responsive to your needs.
• Remember to thank them when service has been provided or even to send a note if they have been particularly helpful. This may help the next teen parent who calls in.

SOME IMPORTANT CONTACT NUMBERS…
There are numerous local agencies and organizations which may be of help to you. A sampling of these with their telephone contact numbers are listed below. Note that some do have specific criteria for eligibility - you can find out whether they can provide service to you by giving them a call and explaining your situation. It is useful to begin your search for assistance by calling FIRST CALL FOR HELP and getting several contact numbers to widen the possibility of finding assistance. Remember that if you need help with this process, or if you need assistance in a specific language, or you feel that you have been treated unfairly by service providers, please see your school social worker.

NEED AREA AGENCY TELEPHONE

Emergency/Crisis 911

St. Paul Police Dept. (651)291-1111

First Call for Help (651)291-0211 or 24 hrs/day 211

Emergency Social Services (651)291-6795 (after 5 pm & weekends & holidays)

Mobile Crisis Team (651)771-0076

Ramsey County Child and Family Mental Health Crisis Line (651)290-8999

Ramsey County Adult Mental Health Crisis Line (651)523-7900

Chemical Health many available – see your school social worker, the chemical health specialist, and/or call First Call for Help. Also, many agencies provide ethnic-specific services.

Child Protection Ramsey County Community Human Services – Children’s Services (651)266-4500

Child Support and Paternity Ramsey County Attorney’s Office (651)266-3100

Clothing & Baby Items Birthright (651)646-7033

Car Seats – contact your health ins. provider - customer service # on back of card

Children’s Initiative Family Centers:
American Indian Family Center (651)793-3803
Eastside Family Center (651)793-3800
Frogtown Family Center (651)205-4260
Highland Mac-Groveland Family Ctr. (651)695-3789
North End Family Center (651)489-5442
Northwest Midway Family Center (651)917-3888
West Seventh Family Center (651)298-4566
West Side Family Center (651)205-4264

Alley Shoppe 109 – social work referral needed - see your school social worker about this.

Note – many food shelves also have clothes closets. Some students have received help from ‘life care’ centers in the metro area. Goodwill is located just across the street from our school and many students find needed items at minimal cost. Other thrift stores are useful also as well as garage sales. The AGAPE School Store is another option - see school social worker. You may also receive help from the Adolescent Parent Program or the REACH Young Parents Program.

Counseling There are many excellent options for teen parents and their families in this area. Some counseling services are provided right here at school, but for longer-term referrals please see our school social worker and she will help you identify several choices so you can find just the ‘right match’ for on-going counseling that can continue after you transition on from here. Support staff at AGAPE encourage and support your self-care efforts and feel that it is important for you to stay connected with service providers within your own community.

Domestic Violence Again you have options here and many are ethnic-specific.
These include:

Asian Women United (651)646-2118
Crisis Line (651)646-2261

Battered Women’s Crisis Line (651)646-0994

Casa de Esperanza (651)772-1723
Crisis Line (651)772-1611

St. Paul Intervention Project (651)645-2824

Women of Nations (651)222-5830
Crisis Line (651)222-5836

Domestic Abuse Office (651)266-5130

Shelter services are provided to women and children experiencing domestic violence. Call 911 or any of the above agencies or others listed with First Call for Help for assistance. See school social worker for additional help, referrals, and support in this area. Your safety and that of your child is critical!

Financial Services Contact Ramsey County Community Human Services for information about MFIP (651)266-4444
See school social worker for other agencies which may provide assistance.

Food Contact First Call for Help to find out about your area food shelf and see your school social worker - 211

Housing homeless – shelter assistance
Call First Call for Help 211

Or Emergency Social Services after hours (651)291-6795

St. Paul Public Housing Agency (651)298-5664
Section 8 Rental Assistance Programs (651)298-5555

There are transitional programs available locally, and each has specific guidelines for eligibility. These include the following:
Jeremiah Program (Mpls.) (612)962-8711
Caroline Family Services (651)772-1344
Theresa Living Center (651)774-5594
Jendayi Place, Inc. (651)330-5780
Lutheran Social Services –
Transitional Living Program (651)644-7739
Lifehaven (651)776-9805
YWCA Transitional Hsg. Prog. (651)293-9296

Please see your school social worker for additional information and other options available.

Legal Services Southern Minnesota Regional Legal
Services (SMRLS) (651)222-4731

Neighborhood Justice Center (651)222-4703

Parenting, etc. Adolescent Parent Program (also (651)766-4065 listed under health services)
REACH Young Parents (651)765-7733

Early Childhood Family Education (651)793-5410

Genesis II Teen Program (612)617-0191

Minn. Early Learning Design (MELD) (612)332-7563
(MELD’s Young Moms, MELD for Young DADS, MELD for Hmong Parents, MELD for New Parents, MELD Special, etc.)

Seton Services (651)603-0220

Summit University Teen Center, Inc.’s "Teens Choosing Healthy Options Program and Services" (651)644-3311

Other parenting support and info groups are available as well as parenting education, some home-based, some ethnic-specific. See school social worker for more information.