Interview and Video by Angelica Villa. Photos provided by Viola's House.
Viola’s House is a remarkable organization founded by Thana Hickman that is changing the lives of young mothers in Dallas. Viola’s House provides maternity housing and critical support services to homeless young mothers, offering them a safe haven and the resources they need to transition to self-sufficiency. In 2021, more than 2,200 of the 35,000 babies born in Dallas County were born to teen girls, a number that reflects the area’s teen birth rate being double the state and national average (CDC, 2021) and highlights the urgent need for resources like Viola’s House.
From their historic home in South Dallas, Viola’s House has served countless young women. Recognizing unmet needs within the community, Viola’s House developed a social service agency that offers wraparound services, including a Baby Benefit Boutique, parenting classes, job preparation, and a partnership with HHM Health clinic. In 2023, they distributed over 6 million diapers, becoming the largest diaper distributor in Dallas County.
We sat down with Thana Hickman, CEO and Founder of Viola’s House, to discuss the organization’s journey, the challenges faced by young mothers, and the vital work they continue to do to uplift families in need.
Thana: Viola House exists to provide maternity housing and support services to mothers in the community who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Viola’s House started the residential program about 11 years ago in one apartment with two beds. We have grown since that time and housed hundreds of mothers and babies. We also have a social service agency where we educate over 600 mothers a day through pregnancy and parenting classes. These mothers earn “baby bucks” to shop in our social service agency, which is a Baby Benefit Boutique. We also give free diapers to families until their children are three.
We have a satellite office down in RGV in Brownsville, where we serve mothers who lack critical care and critical resources such as diapers, socks, education, and access to healthcare. We’ve also recently partnered with the HHM Healthcare Clinic on-site. Through Viola’s House, mothers can access healthcare, maternal care, pediatric care, and family medicine. We are so proud of the work we can do here in South Dallas.
Thana: It is very important for moms to have access to resources in the 75215 and 75216 zip codes. These zip codes have the highest disparities in black maternal health. The poverty rate is very, very high. Additionally, these zip codes are healthcare deserts, food deserts, and there is a lack of resources. So, it’s very important that Viola’s House sits in this zip code and impacts the issues that we’re seeing in communities like this.
Thana: Absolutely! One of the best examples I can give you is one of our previous residents, Jayla. She still works at Viola’s House but has come full circle with our program. She lived in our maternity home twice. She started working at the entry-level as a warehouse worker. We connected her with independent living and childcare. Her children are still in the childcare center that they were placed in six years ago, and she is now a professional at our social service agency, where she not only serves mothers every day, but she oversees all of the corporate volunteer opportunities, individual opportunities, and donors that come through our program. That is an example of a full circle here at Viola’s House and what we would love to see with providing job training, housing, childcare, and continuous access to resources.
Thana: I was a young mother. I gave birth to my first child at 17 years old. By the age of 22, I had three children and was married. Some of the greatest advice that I would tell my younger self is to trust that I’m doing my best, to trust the village that has been placed around me, and to trust my instincts as a mother. Putting the child first is essential because you are typically the child’s best resource. And then always make sure that you have support. It truly takes a village.
Thana: I’ve got a big vision for Viola’s House in the future. First of all, we’re piloting our program for Purpose Palace, which is for mothers who need emergency housing with multiple children and mothers who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy. My vision is to get the Purpose Palace completed. It’s a 26-room mansion that will be a family suite for mothers with multiple children who will go up to age 35. We’re also opening a childcare center on the first floor of Purpose Palace so that mothers have immediate access to free child care, which is a barrier for homeless mothers. We also want to open a maternity home in Baltimore, Maryland, and Chicago. We are expanding our services down in RGV, here in Texas, to reach more mothers needing critical resources when they come into our country.
Thana: We have so many ways that people can get involved. You can serve in our maternity home, or warehouse, or come to any of our events to hug some babies and give out diapers. You can go to our website, www violashouse.org, to learn how to get involved. December 7 is our biggest event of the year. We are having our gala at the Thompson Hotel. Our special guest is Fantasia. She was a teen mother and is coming to tell her story and journey. We will also be honoring the wonderful congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. So, we would love to have people visit our website and plan to join us at our gala on December 7.
Dallas Doing Good is proud to continue our partnership with the Communities Foundation of Texas for North Texas Giving Day! This year, we’re spotlighting outstanding organizations that align with CFT’s focus areas—Health, Wealth, Living, and Learning.
Join us in supporting these impactful organizations. Your donations help drive innovation and support essential services in our community. Learn more and give today at Viola’s House’s North Texas Giving Day page. Together, we make a difference!
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