Statements
Mission
The mission of ELLA'S HOUSE is to provide holistic help for pregnant and parenting collegiate students, balancing their education, health, and family through semesters and trimesters.
Background
A college degree is often a stepping stone to a brighter future, but each year hundreds of women enrolled in college become pregnant. Greater Nashville area colleges are not set up to serve pregnant and parenting mothers, which can leave women feeling they have no place to turn. A collegiate woman can continue her degree and abort her baby. Or, she can keep her baby and drop out of school; forever impacting her earning potential. Ella's House offers a solution. Ella's House is a comprehensive residential respite designed to be a place of refuge during one of the most challenging times in a woman's life. We believe the first step to helping someone is to surround them with love and dignity. We strive each day to walk with women as they create a beautiful future for themselves and their child.
At Ella's House, we uphold our core values of providing holistic help to balance education, health, and family through trimesters and semesters. Through support, wellness and community, courageous women can achieve their academic goals and raise their babies. Ella's House provides residential housing for pregnant women with a live-in resident director. It is also a respite for pregnant and parenting students who may have adequate housing, but who long for connection and community. Specifically, Ella's House provides room and board, on-site doula, health and wellness education, counseling resources, tutoring, budgeting, parent and child enrichment classes, peer to peer support, and childcare resources when needed. Ella's House serves any student between the ages of 18-24 who attends one of the 20+ Greater Nashville area colleges.
Impact
Ella's House meets a unique need in the greater Nashville area. Currently there are no housing/wellness/community resources specifically tailored for pregnant and parenting students and yet we have 20+ colleges in the area. We know that unexpected pregnancies occur for collegiate students and when this happens, what are the alternatives? Terminate a pregnancy and continue school? Keep a child and drop out of school? Both options are poor and unnecessary. A women can have her baby and complete her degree. Ella's House can help.
In 2020, TN had 68,494 student parents, 30,093 of which were single mothers. Statistics indicate that 65% of women who have children are more likely to drop out of school than women without children. Additionally, less than 2% of teen moms earn a college degree by age 30. Many are forced to delay a degree or never return to college. When these single mothers drop out of school their earning potential plummets. In fact, $3.8 billion equals the national cost of dropping out of college measured by lost earnings in a single year. With limited earning potential, many women are forced to secure government funding and resources to support themselves and their baby. Ella's House will reduce economic strain in our community.
Studies show, 38% of women who get abortions do so because, "having a baby would interfere with their education." The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports abortion is a higher-ed issue, with most abortions provided to women in their twenties. All pregnancies may cause temporary existential and emotional crises in women, and yet we also know abortion can be tied to mental health struggles that last a life-time. When a college-age women finds she is pregnant Ella's House provides her with support, community and wellness, so that keeping her baby feels plausible.
Ella's House opened it's doors in July 2022, as of July 1, 2023 we have served 35 women and their babies.
Needs
1. Ella's House is currently at capacity housing not only pregnant students, but also student mothers and their babies. Ella's House needs funding to secure a transitional
home where mothers and babies can stay while they complete their degrees.
2. To introduce and expand Ella's House mission and brand throughout Greater Nashville.
Strategy: Promote awareness of pregnant/parenting students based on relevant information and data defined.
Performance Indicator: In 2023, seven schools identified and contacted with a 40% conversion rate
3. Diversification of revenue and financial resources to sustain and grow Ella's House.
Strategy: Explore sustainable opportunities to generate recurring revenue
Performance Indicator: Identify five sustainable new sources in place to generate 5% increase in revenue
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Family Services |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Student Services |
| Tertiary Category: | Human Services - Single Parent Agencies/Services |
Areas Served
Located in and serves residents of at least one of the ten counties in the Nashville Economic Market (Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, Wilson).
| TN - Davidson |
