Shelter for Abused Teen-Age Mothers Opens

MISSION VIEJO —  Abused teen-age mothers and their children are finding shelter and care in a new group house opened recently in the city by the Olive Crest Treatment Centers for Abused Children.

The group house, the first for the organization in South County, will be able to accommodate up to six mothers and children at any given time. It is also the first Olive Crest home that caters specifically to abused teen-age mothers in Orange County.

During a special ceremony Tuesday, Olive Crest officials dedicated the home in honor of Bill and Barbara Yingling, longtime supporters of Olive Crest.

In just a matter of weeks since opening, the four-bedroom house--newly remodeled after being damaged by vandals about two years ago--is already home to three young mothers and their children, a sign of the great need to serve abused teen mothers throughout the county, said Beverly Nestande, director of community relations for Olive Crest.

“There definitely is not a problem in placements,” she said. Last year in Orange County, there were 14,072 reports of child abuse, up 983% from 1975, according to the county Child Abuse Registry.

Olive Crest Treatment Centers Inc. runs one of the largest networks of care and treatment centers for abused children in the state. Founded in 1973, Olive Crest now operates 25 residential group homes throughout Southern California and serves more than 100 children in its foster-care program.

Bill Yingling, chairman and chief executive officer of Thrifty Corp., helped create the Olive Crest Abused Children’s Foundation. It was formed three years ago to help fund Olive Crest centers.