Shelter provides more than just a warm bed

The People's Emergency Center offers shelter and education to young mothers. Kelly Stancil was somewhat distracted while talking about her recent 21st birthday -- her daughters, ages 3 and 2, were tugging at her shirt and clamoring for her attention. Stancil is like many other young mothers at the People's Emergency Center -- a homeless shelter for women and children at 39th and Spring Garden streets -- struggling to keep herself and her children off the streets. PEC operates by its motto "from homelessness to independence" in attempting to provide permanent changes in the women's lives -- and not just temporary help. The center is the only facility in Philadelphia licensed to take in teenage girls with children, and PEC often faces the difficult task of teaching young girls how to be mothers. The shelter was founded in the 1960s by a group of University students and the University chaplain, according to Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman. The first floor of the three-story facility is an emergency shelter which can provide up to 75 women and children with meals and clothing. Transitional housing units on the second floor provide private family rooms for eleven families, in addition to classrooms, children's playrooms and a library. The third floor contains low-income subsidized housing apartments, allowing the women to live on their own and separate themselves from the shelter as part of their final move towards independence. PEC provides education and guidance to the women, in addition to housing and food. Each woman is assigned a case manager when she arrives at the shelter, and she is required to set goals to accomplish during her stay. Mothers are required to attend a Parent-Child Education Program each morning with their children for their first six weeks at the center. The program teaches parenting skills to the mothers -- from nutritional planning to properly disciplining children -- and encourages bonding between the mothers and the children. PEC also offers day-care for the children so all the mothers can attend the center's adult education and job training programs. "It's probably the first time in their lives they're getting the skills necessary to work," said Susan Daily, PEC's director of development. Self-esteem workshops and group counseling sessions on issues such as domestic violence are also part of the center's programming. As Stancil played games with her daughters -- Cinquetta and Kelairha -- in the shelter's day care room, she talked about living at the center. "It's helpful but stressful," she said. "After awhile it starts to get to you." Stancil plans to begin high school classes next week for two hours each night, but is cautious about the future. "I think about long-term goals," she said. "But I just focus on one thing at a time." Another young mother, 18-year-old Ebony Green, looked on as day-care children sang before snack time. She pointed out her son Robert Green who, she proudly noted, will be 17 months old this Friday. Unlike many of the women at the center, Green has obtained her high school degree and wants to be a nurse. She added that her time in the center has helped her get back on her feet and prepare for the future. And Scheman -- who donates money to the center -- said the facility is "beautifully run." "[PEC] has an affirmative, positive affect on the neighborhood," she said. "They're trying to provide an intervention." Students interested in volunteering at the center should contact Loraine Latham at 382-7524. PEC is seeking General Equivalency Degree and elementary school tutors, as well as day-care helpers.