She thought she was worthless.
Her daughter convinced her otherwise.

At 16, after seven years in “the system”—youth homes, foster care—I moved in with my boyfriend and his parents. For the first time in my life, things looked positive. But when I found out I was pregnant, they couldn’t accept a child out of wedlock. They gave me twenty dollars and showed me the door. I was homeless.

Each day, I didn’t know if I’d have a warm place to sleep at night or enough money left over for something to eat, much less medical care for my baby. When I heard about Mountain Home, I feared living in another group home, but I needed a place to sleep and food to eat.

Now I’m completing my senior year in high school and I’ve got plans for college—something I never thought possible. And when I have my baby, I’ll have my own home to bring her back to—she, her father, and I are moving into a two-bedroom apartment. I’ll be 18 then and free from the system for the first time in my life. And I couldn’t have done it without Mountain Home.

Now, not only will I succeed, but, more important, my daughter will be given the chance she deserves.

 

NOTE: All photos, names, and story details have been changed to protect the identities of our moms and their kids.