An unexpected pregnancy can bring about a host of changes in your life, and one of the most significant changes can be housing.
Brooke discovered she was pregnant in the middle of a divorce and realized her best option was to move back home with her parents. Andrea was scared to tell her mom that she was pregnant because she thought she would get kicked out of the house. Kelly had to find different college housing to accommodate her pregnancy.
While your situation may seem impossible, know that you are not the first person to experience this. Women have bravely navigated housing options to find a safe place to live and raise their new babies. This article is a guide to help you find resources for navigating your situation.
Envisioning Your Housing Options
Safe housing is essential for you and your child. It can be easy to get overwhelmed or experience tunnel vision when you are trying to decide what your next step will be.
It may be helpful to identify what your current housing situation looks like and then envision your housing options for the future. Here is a template to help you externally process your housing situation and possible solutions.
Lean on Your Community
If you have the privilege of a supportive community, lean on them while you search for a long-term housing solution. It’s never anyone’s dream to move back in with mom or dad, but it may be an option that helps you find financial stability. In addition, you may find that friends or people in your local network are able to give you support.
Finding Housing Assistance
How do you even start looking for housing assistance? Perseverance and dedication to research are key to the process. Housing assistance for pregnant women can come from the government or local non-profits.
Government Housing Assistance for Pregnant Mothers
There are various housing assistance programs for pregnant mothers available depending on where you are located. If you have no idea where to start looking for government assistance, an excellent place to go is your local WIC office (Special Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children).
Your local WIC office can help refer you to other agencies as needed and may be able to help you find affordable housing. You can also check out the Benefits Finder Tool to see what assistance you may be eligible for.
Housing Assistance through Non-Profits for Pregnant Mothers
Google “housing assistance near me” or “housing for pregnant women” to find out what local non-profit organizations or charities may offer. Additionally, many agencies or non-profits provide life skills training, financial assistance programs, support groups, food, clothing, and may be able to connect you to local public housing assistance resources.
Maternity Homes
Maternity homes have changed a lot since the 1980s and provide a space for pregnant women to stay during and sometimes after their pregnancies. Maternity homes are a temporary housing solution for pregnant women and some allow you to stay for an extended period after birth while you are locating long-term housing.
Maternity homes may be a good option if you have insecure housing or have experienced domestic violence and need to leave an unsafe situation. Remember, your safety and the safety of your child(ren) is the most important thing!
Red Flags
The difficult truth is that pregnant women can be preyed upon when looking for housing, so it is important to be aware of this in your internet search. Be aware of human trafficking and unethical agencies who are advertising “homeless & pregnant?” or “pregnancy financial assistance”.
Tips on Applying for Apartments
Once you find a housing option you are comfortable with, you will need to apply for the apartment or house. Having the right documents on hand will help expedite your application and save you a headache. A few tips to finding and applying for rentals include:
Be Prepared and Informed: Check the application requirements before applying so you can save money in application fees. Make sure you are fully aware of what is required and expected of you as a tenant. Check the renter’s agreement on miscellaneous items like whether they allow grills, candles, and hanging decorations on the walls.
Be Safe: Take a tour of the apartment complex and drive through the neighborhood to see if you like it. Look up the area on the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, Family Watchdog, Spot Crime, or other neighborhood safety sites. You should feel safe and comfortable where you live.
Be Communicative: Respond to requests in a timely manner and ask questions, bringing up any concerns that you have.
Be Organized: Start a folder on your computer to save relevant documents for easy access.
What to do if You are Facing an Eviction?
Having a possible eviction looming while pregnant can be incredibly stressful. It is important to understand what steps to take to either prevent or move past a prior eviction on your record.
Here are some tips if you have been served an eviction notice:
Contact local legal aid for support. You may be eligible for free legal assistance. File a response to your eviction case with the court.
If you are behind on your rent and worry you will be evicted:
Research local Emergency Rental Assistance
Talk to your landlord about making a payment arrangement. You want to find out what you can do to pay your rent and stay in your home.
Learn about your local laws and protections as a tenant.
A Place to Welcome Your Baby Well
Nesting is a strong urge many women have, especially later in pregnancy. The idea of bringing a baby home to live amongst boxes of unpacked things, or to a temporary home where you don’t want to be living can be discouraging.
If you’re in a housing transition you can still do small things on a budget to help welcome your baby. Having a place for the baby to sleep and an organized place for the baby’s items can go a long way to making you and baby feel at home.
Something I did while moving and nesting was organize the baby’s clothes in a plastic tote from the largest items on the bottom to the smallest on top. If renting, you may not be able to hang adorable nursery pictures in a special baby room, but you can use mounting putty to put a few prints up near where you will feed the baby so you can feel like you’re in a nursery. You don’t need a Pinterest nursery to be a good mom who loves her baby.
A Stepping Stone Towards Thriving
Remember this can be a temporary season in your life and you will move beyond it. Your options will vary depending on your unique situation and your location. Seek out your local resources and support by searching online or getting connected to a local resource center. You will find housing that will fit your needs, it may take some perseverance but there are options out there for you!
As you go through this process of finding housing, don’t forget about your goals and dreams of where you want to ideally end up living. Alice unexpectedly became pregnant in college and had to move back in with her family. It had been her dream to own a house by the time she was 25.
She kept her eyes on the goal and was able to buy a house in California as a single mom. Just because you may not see the light at the end of the tunnel now, doesn’t mean that you cannot find a home and thrive.