Teenagers can have more freedom than adults, but also don’t have to be responsible for everything that adults need to worry about. For some, that’s not the case. Teen parents have the added responsibility of a child, and sometimes must learn parenthood without help from their families. However, The Sparrow’s Nest Maternity House is dedicated to help.

“Sparrow’s Nest is a long term housing program for moms under 20,” Alyssa Hilburn, a worker at Sparrow’s Nest, said. “Pregnant women can stay up to a year since the baby is born. During that time, volunteers who are working there teach moms how to take care of their babies.”

Usually girls who are looking for help in Sparrow’s Nest are in hard situations with their families. Expecting moms and their families can fill out an application and meet with the people from Sparrow’s. The mother and her baby can stay at a maternity house for free, making it a good solution for people in difficult financial situations.

“The majority of our funding comes from private donors from the community,” Hilburn said. “Also we have 12 churches which support us and donate money. This makes it possible for every mother to remain in the Sparrow.”

Like every teenager, the mothers need to attend school in addition to learning how to become a parent. Girls who live in Sparrow can go to high school while volunteers take care of the babies.

There are 10 people who work at Sparrow’s Nest. Some of them are part-time workers, but many are family coaches who live in the maternity home with the teen moms and offer them help around the clock.

“My husband and I worked as houseparents, living with our family full time inside the Sparrow’s Nest,” Amanda Shaheen, a former Sparrow’s Nest employee, said. “For us, Sparrow was our home, family and lifestyle. We did life with the teen moms and their babies: watching them grow each day and learning to find their worth and purpose in motherhood. It was some of the best years of our life, and is very much a part of our family story.”