My Girlfriend's House
tagline

  • I never considered myself to be beautiful. Now I can confidently say that I am worthy.

    -Taylar

  • Coming to mentoring has inspired me to dream big. I’m excited about my future and looking forward to college.

    -SuRae

  • The Clubhouse is like my home away from home. These girls are my sisters for life.

    -Brianna

  • My Girlfriend’s House gave me something to believe in. It makes me happy to know I am not alone.

    -Arianna

  • I was always afraid to speak in front of large crowds. Now I have a voice that is powerful, impactful and unapologetic.

    -Kaelyn

The Community Issue

A myriad of social problems affect the impoverished teen girl community. Instances of depression, truancy, poor grades, dropping out of school, teen pregnancy, STDs, abuse (self and otherwise), and homelessness can all be found in large concentrations in the poor urban environments of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

The teen girls served by My Girlfriend’s House come from low income homes, area shelters, group homes and foster homes throughout the Washington DC Metropolitan area and have risk factors identified by the Surgeon General (2001), The Urban Institute (2006), the Juvenile Justice Bulletin (April 2000), and the Public Reference Bureau (2000) that may compromise their ability to successfully transition into adulthood. These risk factors include, but are not limited to: 1) living in poverty, 2) separation of parents, 3) delinquent peers or siblings, 4) Low academic achievement, 5) Anti-social behavior, and 6) low levels of parental involvement.

The Magnitude of the Epidemic

spacer-small

  • 52.2% of students receive free or reduced meals.
  • More than 25% of students scored below the “proficient” level in all three categories of the Maryland State Assessment.
  • 70.5% of girls were absent for more than 5 days.
  • 180,000 Maryland children live in poverty, which has resulted in lower academic performance compared to their wealthier classmates.
The Consequences

spacer-small
According to J. Escarce of Health Services Research, “The cumulative effect of socioeconomic status on families, neighborhoods, schools, and health care guarantees that poor and low-income adolescents arrive at young adulthood in worse health, engaging in riskier and more dangerous behaviors, and with lower educational attainment and more limited career prospects than their more affluent counterparts”.
spacer-small

  • Girls who fail to graduate from high school have a higher rate of unemployment, make significantly lower wages and are more likely to rely on public support programs to provide for their families.
  • Children born to mothers younger than 18 years old score significantly worse on measures of school readiness including math and reading tests.

spacer-small