Several years ago, a women’s retreat I attended chose to benefit a charity through the donation of essential supplies. The Refuge Ranch in Bastrop, Texas, just southeast of Austin, provided residential care and support for former victims of sex trafficking. Many clients were adolescent girls. As part of our retreat, we packed “goody bags” for the residents that included mostly toiletry and snack items. While such items might seem inconsequential, they’re a surprising source of comfort when your life is uprooted.
Jody, a friend who participated in the retreat recently sent me a link to a change in The Refuge Ranch goals and oversight. In 2024, The Refuge Ranch became a part of Arms of Hope, an organization devoted to the support of single moms and their children, which sometimes includes teen moms. Their mission is “to transform the lives of disadvantaged children, youth and families by providing hope and support in a nurturing, Christian environment.”
Arms of Hope operates several facilities in Texas, including children’s homes in the San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin areas. The organization also reaches disadvantaged children in their communities, through outreach programs. Arms of Hope receives no federal or state funds but depends on donations from the communities in which they operate.
Just outside Austin, Arms of Hope is making use of the residential facilities that once housed clients of The Refuge Ranch and has broadened its impact. One of their primary goals is to keep fragile families together and prevent children from entering the foster care system. The Refuge Ranch housed only young women.
Arms of Hope offers several support programs to resident families: The Together Program, Family Outreach, College and Career, Residential Childcare, and Right Start. One caveat about Arms of Hope is their expectation that all residents participate in spiritual activities while they reside there. This may be appropriate for many, but not all. There are other services offered in the Austin area, if a teen mom prefers support in a nonreligious environment.
The Together and Family Outreach Programs assist families in achieving independence by helping them access resources available to them. This might include counseling, referral to community resources, or financial assistance to buy groceries or other necessities. Budgeting and other life skills are taught as well. They also offer proximity to educational institutions.
The College and Career Program helps high school graduates enroll in college or vocational programs so they can transition to stable employment. Residents are supported with life skills training and individual case management.
While single moms are learning to become more independent, their children are given a stable environment in which to develop. Many families are mired in conflict or suffer from a variety of life’s challenges, and Arms of Hope can provide a healing atmosphere for the children via residential childcare. Their basic needs are met at the same time they’re exposed to healthy parenting models.
Right Start ensures that first-time single moms are supported through their pregnancies to deliver healthy babies. Providing a safe and nurturing environment is important to this goal. Some of these moms are frightened teenagers. The value of safety cannot be overstated.
The young moms I taught were often terrified when they enrolled in our program and began the school year in the company of about 50 other pregnant and parenting girls. The environment was unfamiliar to them, which is enough to inspire panic, even if their lives weren’t turned upside down with an unplanned pregnancy. But they soon discovered a nurturing staff and a safe environment. Having other girls to share their frustrations and joys was the bonus they didn’t expect. Some are still very close many years later.
For single moms of all ages in the Austin area, Arms of Hope can provide a stable atmosphere to learn life skills and parenting practices. It allows families to become independent through encouragement and support for their individual goals.
Next week, I’ll research another national program—one I’m very familiar with, called Parents as Teachers (PAT), operating in every state in the U.S. and several other nations around the world. At the school where I taught in Oklahoma, we were fortunate to have a very active PAT parent educator to work with. Students and children alike were excited by the fun activities engineered by Miss Carman!
Janice Airhart 