Tonya’s Story

‘I want my daughter to live a better life than what I wanted to pursue…’

‘I was incarcerated while I was pregnant – it was very tough.’ Tonya came to New Moms after being released. Before she was incarcerated she was running with the wrong crowd. ‘I got kicked out of my mama’s [house] when I disrespected her.’

But at New Moms she found an opportunity to make a change. She found stability in our Housing Program and a place she could really focus on her life and the future of her daughter.

‘The housing is our own space. I have a studio apartment – everything is like having my own apartment at 21 – I just love it!’

Tonya’s determination is infectious. In parent support group you’ll often find her motivating other young moms in the program, challenging them to take this opportunity at New Moms seriously. She’s not interested in going back to where she came from – she’s moving forward.

Before New Moms’ Tonya shared that she was alone, trying to ‘come up with the next dollar’ to care for her daughter. But now she is surrounded by a whole community of staff and other young moms who are supporting her as she seeks to transform her life. It won’t be easy, but now she won’t be alone on this journey.