Mariana, 20, Young Parents
Mariana is raising her daughter in a home she chose
Pregnant at 18 and newly out of care, she joined Young Parents and moved into a two-bedroom Landing Homes apartment.
I wanted my daughter to have what I didn't. Turns out I needed people in my corner to make that happen.
Mariana was five months pregnant when she aged out of foster care. Her caseworker referred her to Lanternhouse the same week.
She moved into one of our family apartments, where her family coach, Joy, helped her line up prenatal care, a childcare subsidy, and a crib assembled by volunteers before the baby came home.
She attends Thursday Parent Circle every week and has finished her certified nursing assistant course. Her daughter, Luz, turns two this winter.
Mariana now co-leads the Spanish-language Parent Circle that started this fall.
Shared with Mariana's permission. Some details have been changed to protect privacy.