MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW)-Two local programs hope to reduce the number of teen pregnancies in Horry county after getting a new grant. A Father’s Place and family outreach will share the money. A Father’s Place usually mentors more than 300 young men each year, but this year they’re able to help more people starting at a younger age.
In the past the organization has only been able to help men who are 18 and up. Now they can help anyone between 13 and 24. The organization’s goals are to increase education as many drop out of high school, reduce the amount of repeat pregnancies and ensure the teens get proper parenting skills.
Executive director Wallace Evans says he believes the biggest problem with teen dads is they simply don’t know what it means to be a father, and a lot of times, what it takes to be a man.
“Quite often many of them come out of a father absent home and so they’ve never had that model of manhood so they don’t know how to be a father so they just repeat that cycle so really being able to provide some services tailored to them is going to help reduce repeat teen birth which is critically important.”
The program primarily helps men but Evans said over the last year they helped more than 1,200 under-served parents through counseling as well as helping them find jobs.
