Featured Story

Young parents find home

Last November, The Manteca Unified School District Homeless Liaison reached out to our office.   They expressed they were out of resources to help two sixteen-year-old parents and their six-week-old baby.   Prior to the birth of their baby girl, the teen mom was kicked out of her drug-addicted mother’s house as soon as she revealed her pregnancy.  Shortly before birth, the teen parents were living with the young father’s abusive, alcoholic grandfather. Following the birth, they tried to continue to stay with the grandfather, given this was their only perceived option for shelter.   However, after a short while living there, they became so afraid for their baby’s safety, given the grandfather's history. 

When the School District partner called us, they asked if we knew anyone with whom these kids could stay temporarily with until more permanent plans could be made—they had already exhausted every possible angle they could think of.   The Love INC Network proceeded to go into action, we contacted a local pastor, who had experience with fostering. He discussed the possibility with his wife and they said YES! This pastor was in Manteca to meet up with the kids that day!   At their very first encounter—he was sharing the hope and love of Jesus with them.

They initially agreed to a one-week trial.   That one-week trial turned into the pastor and his wife receiving custody of the two teens.   Months later, the visits with the girl’s mother and the boy’s grandfather to transfer custody was heartbreaking.   Neither of them was all that concerned with their well-being.  

Here is the Good News…. The two young parents and their baby are thriving!  The kids both have trusted in Christ as their Savior.   The boy desperately wants to be able to support his young family and is on the right track to do so—breaking the legacy of poverty they both have grown up with.  Since July, he has been in a residential learning program at Sharpe Army Depot called Discovery Challenge, to finish high school degree while baby and mom continue to be in the loving care of their foster parents. 

Helping hurting people in our community is all about relationships.  Without the relationship between our partners at Manteca Unified School District, us, and the relationship we have with the pastor who is fostering the kids; these teen parents likely would have been sent to separate group homes and the baby would have been headed for CPS and into the foster system alone!

Check out this video we shared at our New Year’s Eve event, for the full story: