A Fresh Start For Young Mothers

By:Emma Slaven, Emma@thedanielislandnews.com

At 16, CeCe didn’t know where she would live, how she would finish school, or how she would raise a child.

“I was scared, uncertain, and honestly, I had no idea how I was going to navigate through it all,” the now 24-year-old told a packed audience at a mother’s brunch downtown. 

Today, she’s preparing to graduate high school, newly certified as a pharmacy technician, with plans to continue her education in radiology. The difference wasn’t luck; it was stability. And in Charleston, that stability is exactly what one organization is fighting to provide for more families right now. 

Every day in South Carolina, 19 girls under the age of 19 learn they are pregnant. For many, that moment doesn’t just change their future; it destabilizes it, cutting off access to housing, education, and support systems. 

That’s where Young Moms Together steps in. 

Formerly known as Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina, the organization has spent nearly 130 years supporting young mothers, from pregnancy through the first years of their children's lives, offering not just shelter but a comprehensive system of care designed to change the trajectory of two generations. 

Now, they’re working to do even more. 

By May 31, the organization must raise $58,000 to unlock more than $230,000 in federal housing funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. If successful, that funding will provide a full year of stable housing and wraparound support for at least 12 young families in Charleston. 

It’s not just fundraising. It’s a multiplier. 

“This is not short-term shelter. It is a housing-first solution that creates stability for two generations at once,” said board President Tara Palmatier, a Daniel Island resident. “Nothing else works if home isn’t stable. Not school, not work, not parenting.” 

Filling a system that doesn’t exist 

Organizers from Young Moms Together say Charleston, for all its growth, still lacks dedicated shelter systems for youth experiencing homelessness – especially for pregnant and parenting teens. 

“We are the closest thing to a homeless shelter for youth, but we’re not a shelter; we’re a program,” Executive Director Cheryl O’Donnell said at the organization’s 4th annual Legacy of Hope brunch on April 30. 

Instead of emergency, short-term fixes, Young Moms Together has built what O’Donnell describes as a “continuum of care,” one that starts with housing and extends into every aspect of a young mother’s life. 

“Housing is not a short-term intervention for young parents experiencing homelessness – it is the starting point for breaking cycles of poverty and abuse, improving child outcomes, and building stronger communities,” she said. 

That philosophy shows up in everything the organization does. 

Young mothers are placed in safe, home-like environments – often smaller, family-style houses designed to mirror independent living. They’re paired with a dedicated success coach who meets with them consistently, helping them set goals, navigate systems, build parenting skills, and stay accountable to the future they want. 

“We are the only program in the state providing comprehensive care for teen mothers from pregnancy through the first two years of their child’s life,” Palmatier said. “That includes housing, health care, education, parenting support, and emotional support – all centered around a relationship-based model.” 

“We’re not just stabilizing a situation; we’re strengthening the bond between a mom and her child from the very beginning,” O’Donnell said. 

‘It takes a village’ 

If there’s one thing these young women know, it’s this: no one succeeds alone. 

“Numbers and programs only tell a part of the story,” host Zandrina Dunning said at the brunch. “The real story is what happens in people’s lives.” 

Dunning knows that firsthand. Years ago, as a young mother herself, she found stability through the same program. 

“They paid my rent for an entire year. I was able to move out of my mom’s house, and because of them, I was able to get on my feet,” she said. “That village has been strong ever since.” 

That word "village" came up again and again. 

“It does truly take a village to raise a child,” Dunning said. “When a young mom has safe housing, support, and someone walking alongside her, everything shifts. She can stay in school, she can go to work, and she can plan for a future that once may not have felt possible.” 

After survival comes stability 

For CeCe, that shift was life-changing. 

“(Young Moms Together) gave me more than just a safe place to stay. They gave me a fresh start.” 

That fresh start looked like practical, everyday support: learning how to budget, cook, and manage time. It meant help finding her first job and eventually her first apartment. It meant having someone believe in her when she wasn’t sure she believed in herself. 

“It wasn’t just a group home. It became my family,” she said. 

Today, her story is exactly what the organization hopes to replicate, again and again. 

“When you invest in a young mother, you change the trajectory of two generations,” said Preston Bankson of First Horizon Bank, a sponsor of the Legacy of Hope brunch. “You are creating stability where there was uncertainty and hope where it may have once felt out of reach.” 

Different zip codes, one shared city 

For Palmatier, the mission is also a call to action, especially for communities like Daniel Island. 

“As a Daniel Island mom, I experience firsthand the incredible sense of community this island fosters,” she said. “But it also gives me perspective. The stability I have – a safe home, good schools, a village around me – this is something every young mother deserves, and it’sexactly what too many don’t have.” 

She sees communities like Daniel Island as part of the solution. 

“You don’t have to live in the same zip code as the need to make a difference in it,” Palmatier said. “Our strength as a suburban community lies in what we can give – our time, our resources, our professional networks, and our voices.” 

With the May 31 deadline approaching to unlock federal housing funding, she says there’s a clear opportunity to make that impact tangible. 

“The federal dollars we’re working to unlock can cover a full year of rent,” she said. “Every dollar raised locally is effectively tripled.” 

As Mother’s Day approaches, Charleston will fill with storefront cards, flowers, and brunch reservations, but not every version of motherhood fits that framing. For the 12 young families tied to this year’s housing effort, that steadiness would mean something even simpler: a year that can be lived forward, not constantly rebuilt.