LaDonnae Wells, a mother of two, had been searching for stable housing while navigating motherhood. Now, as her youngest child celebrates their first birthday, LaDonnae is expressing deep gratitude to her perinatal care coordinator, who supported her throughout her pregnancy ensuring she had the resources, care, and guidance she needed while also experiencing homelessness.
LaDonnae participated in Community of Hope’s Housing Our Newborns Empowering You program (HONEY), a specialized initiative designed to support pregnant mothers experiencing homelessness in Washington, DC. Over the past two years, the HONEY program has served over 200 families and connected those families to over 1,000 resources and community partners meet their needs.
We’ve been making an impact! A new evaluation completed by George Washington University, highlights the effectiveness and impact of the program. It underscores the importance of intensive, flexible, perinatal-focused care coordination can significantly improve outcomes for pregnant individuals experiencing homelessness.
The biggest change can be seen in pre-term births. HONEY participants experience pre-term births 8% of the time, while DC residents on Medicaid experience pre-term births 15.6% of the time.
“We also see a reduction in depression and anxiety that we typically see when other stressors are present in the pregnancy. We are seeing that people are feeling better about their pregnancies.” – Morgan Carrillo, HONEY Program Director. LaDonnae understands this all too well. “Honestly, I don’t think I would have got through majority of my pregnancy without [my perinatal care coordinator]”. “I would stay here forever if I could.”
Her words reflect what so many families experience through HONEY: safety, dignity, and a foundation to build on.
As the program continues to grow, so does the hope that every pregnant mother facing homelessness in DC can receive the same care, compassion, and opportunity for a healthy start.
Watch LaDonnae in the program impact video.
