Before she found New Moms, she and her son had slept in cars and foreclosed apartments just to find safety and comfort for a night. Dominique says, “I felt low, like I was failing my son and myself. I worked—but not as many hours as I needed to take care of my son.”

For the last two years in New Moms’ Housing program, Dominique has worked closely with New Moms Coaches. “What really impacted me in this program is Ms. Carolyn and Ms. Teneca. They treated me with respect and nurtured me into the young lady that I am becoming. When I thought I had no one in my corner, I always had them. I’m forever grateful for them.” 

These supportive relationships with her coaches provided mental and emotional slack so she could focus on achieving her goals. Dominique took steps to secure stable housing—her biggest and most immediate goal for her family. Housing Locator Carolyn worked with Dominique every step of the way to get placed in subsidized housing. She recently signed a lease to a townhome in the neighborhood where she grew up, just 30 minutes away from her grandmother! 

Dominique accomplished her next major goal of finding employment. She now works at Potbelly Sandwiches, where she got a raise and was promoted to floor manager! Her smile says it all—she knows what it feels like to accomplish her goals.

“New Moms supported me mentally, physically, and emotionally. Without this program I don’t know what would have happened to us. It gave me a sense of security while trying to get my life together.” 

Dominique is excited about “having a home and just appreciating what we have right now. I’m excited for my son to have sleepovers, and little play dates together with his friends. I’m excited I get to cook dinner and breakfast for my son, not worrying about if we have to move or if we are being a burden to anyone.”

Reflecting on how much she has grown since coming to New Moms, Dominique shares, “I’m glad I overcame thinking I couldn’t give my son the life he needs. I’m now stronger than ever and I’ll never let that fear take over me again. Thank you New Moms!”

Lakeisha came to New Moms around 1993 when she was 16 years old. She had a few friends in the New Moms’ parent support group who brought her along to some of the meetings. (Back then there was only one parent support group and it met on Wednesday evenings.) Lakeisha remembers that there was a group of moms who would walk to the meetings together. After school, they would all pick up their kids and on the way to New Moms they would stop by the park for a bit so the kids could let out their energy.

She said the best part about New Moms’ program was the support system it provided. She developed friendships with the other moms and found a mother-figure in the New Moms coaches.

“I didn’t have the type of support the ladies at New Moms gave me at home,” said Lakeisha, whose own mother had her at 14. “I didn’t have a motherly figure that I felt comfortable speaking with or talking with.”
The coaches at New Moms provided emotional support for Lakeisha when she went through two adoptions during her time in the program. She said no one knew she was pregnant at the time except for the folks at New Moms.

“I don’t know if I really would have gotten through that without going to New Moms,” said Lakeisha, who gave two sons up for adoption. “New Moms helped me get through that and out of the abusive relationship that I was in. They helped me feel like an adult as opposed to feeling like a little girl.”

Lakeisha now lives on the South Side in the Oak Wood Area and has been working in the field of Transportation and Logistics for nine years. She recently completed Spa School and would like to transition into a career in Wellness and Beauty. She is the proud mother of seven sons and one three-year-old daughter.

To young moms currently enrolled with New Moms Lakeisha says, “Take this program and make the best out of it. Take these sisterhoods and make the best out of it.”

She said in her experience, it’s important to “stay positive about the situation” because even if life is full of struggles right now, that doesn’t mean the struggles are going to last.

“Be kind to yourself and be kind to your kids,” Lakeisha said. “And keep going. If you need help, ask for it.”

In 1998, Ingrid was pregnant with her first child and a friend referred her to New Moms. She stayed in the program through 2000. Ingrid is now the proud owner of her own business, the mother of three adult children, and recently bought a house with her husband in Berwin.

She said during her time at New Moms she learned a lot about herself, and the type of parent she wanted to be. Her experience made her more thoughtful and made her want to do more with her kids. She really committed to being a very active parent that sang, danced, played make-believe, and took her kids on outings.

“My husband says I’m probably the only person who knows every nursery rhyme there ever was.” she laughed.

She said her favorite part about New Moms was the community. She remembers helping cook dinner for parent support group, going on the retreat trip with the other moms, and completing the parent-child activities her coach brought to their home visits.

That sense of community continued after she aged out of the program. She was able to stay in touch with other moms because their children went to the same schools. In an interesting twist of fate, a good friend of hers turned out to be a New Moms’ alumni and so did her mail carrier. Ingrid said she is also part of an unofficial “New Moms Founding Members” chat on Facebook which has helped her keep connected over the years.

To the current participants at New Moms, Ingrid says they should be happy they reached out for help and she’s proud of them for being willing to seek out resources. She said one of her best decisions was simply starting the program and “going through the door.” Reflecting back, Ingrid said it was all the small changes she was able to make in her life while at New Moms that eventually lead to big positive changes.

She wanted to remind young moms that even when it’s hard to keep going.

“Even if you’ve got to do it with tears in your eyes – keep going. Because there’s many days that I had to go sit in the bathroom stall like on “Mean Girls” and just cry. Then I splashed some cold water on my face and kept going because there were people depending on me. I’ve lost jobs. Lost parents. But the motivating factor is that I have someone depending on me and I need to carry the torch as far as I can carry it because I need them to be the ones to take it to the next level.”

While in the program, Denise finished high school and graduated from South Suburban Community College. She said the support she received from New Moms coaches was an important reason she was able to pursue her education.

“I just thought that I wouldn’t be able to ever finish,” Denise said. “I just thought that I would be a statistic and a dropout, so my biggest achievement was being able to go back to school and actually get a degree.”

She said her favorite memory from New Moms was the Christmas Store. During the annual participant Christmas party, moms could play games to win tickets which they redeemed at the Christmas store for gifts for themselves and their kids. She said her first year, the store was a surprise to the moms. They thought they were just playing games for fun. When it was revealed they could shop for Christmas presents, they were all so excited.

Denise is now married and the mother of four children. She is happy to say her two oldest girls have both graduated from college with their Bachelor’s degrees. Denise herself had gone back to school and is studying nursing at Ambria College of Nursing.

She is still in touch with other New Moms alumni. She said they bonded while attending Parent Support Groups together. In fact, a group of them would walk over from their apartments to the main New Moms’ building every week for their meeting.

To current young moms, Denise said that she knows how challenging it can be but, “set those goals and you’ll succeed.” She said she learned so much about herself while at New Moms and was proud of finishing school and starting her career.

Cheryl was able to leave the housing program after only one year and move out with her daughter on their own after receiving a job as administrative assistant with the Hilton Hotel. From there, with no experience but a willingness to learn, Cheryl began a lengthy career journey through hospitality, graphic design, IT management, and accounting.

She has since received her Associate’s degree and numerous certificates from Kaplan University. Last year, Cheryl started her own career consulting company, Impress IQ, crediting her dynamic path and humble beginnings for her ability “to help people meet their potential.” She now lives in Houston, TX with her four children, but Cheryl will always credit New Moms for providing a safe environment to allow her to focus on her next steps. Cheryl aims to one day become a COO based on her love for people and desire to give back. To current New Moms participants she advises, “You can do whatever you want to do as long as you believe in yourself.”

“My name is Cheryl Darling and 10 years ago I lived at New Moms Shelter from 1997-1998. New Moms was the only family that attended my high school graduation.  There after high school I got a job at the Chicago Hilton & Towers as an Administrative Assistant and moved to my own 2 bedroom apartment.  I am still a single mother and for the last 3 years I have been working as a Technical Analyst at ADP (Automatic Data Processing- payroll company) making over $40,000.  I have a beautiful townhome and am still working on my BA at DeVry University majoring in Computer Information Systems. I wanted to tell you all this because I want New Moms clients to know that there are single women out here who can and are making it day to day.  I hope to be one of you guys success stories.  I love my children and myself and I thank New Moms now and back then for taking a chance on me.”

What she remembers most from her time at New Moms are the outings coaches planned for participants. She said each year, New Moms would organize a weekend retreat to Timberland Camp for all the young moms. She said she also remembers being connected with a sister organization called “Literature for All of Us” the held creative writing retreats.

A few years ago, Adrienne moved to Georgia with her family. She is now the mother of two daughters and one son all of which have graduated high school. Adrienne herself has gone back to college because her employer is paying for technology certifications. She is hoping this training will allow her to climb the professional ladder at her company.

Adrienne said she is a firm believer that you are the sum of your experiences and that all her hard lessons and blessings prepared her for where she is now. If she could go back in time, she would tell her younger self, “You will learn and grow. So, hang in there, it will all make sense.”

To current moms at New Moms, she encouraged them to ask for help and not be afraid of judgment or rejection. She said, “If you need it, say something because resources and programs lose funding if no one utilizes them.” She wants all moms to take advantage of the resources available to them and to spread the word to their friends and families.

Adrienne is excited to see how much New Moms has grown over the years and would like to connect with other alumni and give back to the current group of young moms.

While at Bright Endeavors, Precious was accepted into the Chicago Housing Authority program, and moved from New Moms’ Cooperative Living Program to her own apartment, where she has been stably housed for over 6 months.

After completing her internship, Precious moved into the job search phase.  It was challenging, and for several weeks, Precious went on many interviews, without being offered a job.  However, when a new 6-month Team Leader position opened up at Bright Endeavors, Precious applied for, and was offered the position.  She started in September 2011, and has since trained more than 30 participants in candle making, inventory, customer service, shipping, and bookkeeping.

Over this time, Precious has become a confident, self-aware leader who is self-directed, professional, kindhearted, and thoughtful.  She is persistent, and has developed strong conflict resolution skills.  Her communication skills have improved tremendously.

While she was off, she got a part-time job at Soldier Field, working with special events, and enrolled in New Moms’ Academy of Professional Development, with a career goal of becoming a nurse.  As soon as she could, Laura returned to school to finish her CNA, going straight into a New Moms internship at a healthcare organization.

When she finished her 4-month internship, Laura was hired full-time by her internship site as an administrative assistant.  She receives job retention support from New Moms’ Academy of Professional Development staff, and continues to attend parent support groups

New Moms helped her to balance it all. She completed our Job Training program and earned her degree in psychology. Kirsty has been a supervisor since she graduated our program, and she’s taking classes to pursue her dream job in nursing! “New Moms keeps you motivated and encouraged,” Kristy said. “I am grateful to not only have the love and support of my loved ones but to be involved in a program such as New Moms.”

To other participants, Kristy said, “I encourage you to never give up, no matter how tough it gets – keep going.”