Agency serving pregnant youth seeing heightened demand, child development issues

When Highbanks Society opened its doors 20 years ago, it served seven families — a total of 14 children and parents. Today, it is serving 19 families, and 40 clients overall.

"We've grown so much that you can't have 21 children in one room when they range in age from newborn to 12 (years old)," said Shannon Johansen, Highbanks Society's executive director.

The non-profit organization is bursting at the seams in all areas, trying to support pregnant and parenting women between the ages of 16 and 24 years old, who are leaving situations of domestic violence, poverty and homelessness.

Johansen says the waitlist had grown to about 50 people in January, and they're receiving two to three applications per week. She believes the cost of living has driven up demand for the vulnerable group.

On top of that, Johansen says, the children they support are experiencing developmental delays, and more mental health support is needed.

"We have, post-pandemic, seen a lot of the children struggle with their ages and stages of development, their social emotional attachment," she said.

Shannon Johansen is the executive director of Highbanks Society. She says the non-profit needs more volunteers, funding and housing to meet the demand. (Taylor Braat/CBC)

"We're also seeing a significant impact on youth mental health, so our costs for mental health services have doubled in the past year."

When the program first started, it brought in moms who were already in school, but Johansen says that, over time, they've adapted to the needs of the community.

"Often their situation is so unstable and insecure or dangerous that they're not in school because they can't get there.

"They have a desire to go to school, but they need to be able to stabilize before they can even think about that, so we've evolved our program."

Johansen says the housing crisis and rising cost of living, in combination with the challenging situation of being a young parent, is why the demand is growing.

"The cost of trying to rent your own home without support is nearly impossible when you're living on income support or student loans," she said. "All of our moms in this program, regardless of what their income source is, all of them rely upon us right now to meet their basic needs."

To adapt to these concerns, programming has become more intensive, and there has been a larger focus on mental health, she says. The charity also keeps alumni moms involved to help foster a community of young parents.

That sense of community has been a blessing for Natalia Barnes, who found out she was pregnant at 16. Barnes is now 19, and her daughter is two years old.

"I'm blessed, said Barnes. "I've had proper support, and you can see it in my daughter's growth."

Natalia Barnes got involved with Highbanks Society when she was 16 years old, weeks before her daughter's birth. Her daughter is now two, and Natalia is planning to get a degree in education. (Natalia Barnes)

However, the sense of confidence she feels now was not always there.

"I found out I was pregnant at 16 and I was still in high school. I didn't really get the support of my parents, so I was seeking support through programs," she said. "It led me here."

Barnes says she's learned the skills it takes to be a good parent, and the community that Highbanks Society provides is a major part of her success.

"I consider these people here more my family than my actual family, because I see them a lot more, and they put in a lot more effort into me and my child growing," said Barnes.

"The village is definitely necessary, especially when you feel respected and heard and you trust the people."

Barnes graduated high school early, then went on to take a health-care program at SAIT. She works at the Foothills Hospital as a unit clerk. Now, she has her mind set on attending Mount Royal University to become a high school teacher.

Johansen says the organization is seeking funding to help support its programming, especially related to child development. It's also looking to work with affordable housing providers to obtain more housing, along with more volunteers.

"We are working really, really hard to try and access more housing. But I think everybody in this sector is trying to do that, and it's one of the biggest challenges we have."