Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Harris.
Taylor, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 2014, I thought I met the man of my dreams. I even thought he was going to sweep me off of my feet and possibly marry me like he said he would. At 19, I dropped out of college, lost my job, blew the engine of my car, and was homeless. “What a fool of me,” I thought.
Ten months later, I was pregnant with my beautiful 3-year-old daughter. During my fourth month of pregnancy, I was abandoned by the person I thought I’d be starting a family with. Nine long months of loneliness, depression, anger, resentment, and heartache was crushing. I decided that I did not want to go back to my parent’s house with a baby. It was time to “woman up.”
In April of 2015, I ended up in a maternity home that changed my life and allowed me to experience the best pregnancy ever in spite of. When my daughter was three months old, I fell for the Okie Doke and got entangled with her father again. I then became pregnant with my son.
Again, I was abandoned. After going through two pregnancies alone and even delivering both children alone, I dealt with depression for two years, calling this guy every day for more than a year and could never get an answer… I was crushed. For two years, I experienced homelessness with my babies.
Today, I am saved by grace, healed and set free from depression. With two years of stability, two years of celibacy, and four years single, working on my degree and much more. I now feel that I am more than ready, willing, and able to help other young mothers who may be going through a similar walk.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Can you imagine being pregnant and left all alone? With no help or phone calls from the father or his family. Pregnant during the summer with no car, walking a mile or more away from the shelter you reside at just to get to and from the bus stop everyday. Delivering your babies all alone, going back to the shelter all alone as a new mother not knowing what to do. Then raising your babies in a shelter for the first one and two years of their lives. It definitely was not easy, it was devastating.
However, when I was going through this storm, God made it so easy. When you are obedient to him, he will reward you greatly. When I became pregnant and had no idea what I was going to do and how I was going to get everything for my children, God said: “worry not.” When my children were born, I had brand new cribs for both that I did not have to pay for. I had up to 2,000 diapers which lasted for about six months. I was blessed with clothes and shoes galore. Everything was handed to me on a silver platter, but it was because of my faith. No matter what came my way, I kept the faith and knew that God would come through for me and he did just that. “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her.” -Luke 1:45
Taylor’s House of Hope was established as a 501(c)(3) back March 21, 2019. It has only been five months since we were announced as a new nonprofit in Houston. We are catching like wildfire and are already known around the city for our “Community Baby Showers.” On September 21, 2019, I was awarded a “Houston’s Hidden Gems” award at the Release Fest 2019 hosted by Apostle Brenda Henton-Price and Pamela Hawkins which was truly an honor.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Taylor’s House of Hope is a new 501(c)(3) non-profit maternity home in the North Houston area. We are one of only three maternity homes in a 14 county area and the only one in the North Houston area. We provide services to assist teens and young women who are experiencing unplanned pregnancies. We aspire to turn a crisis pregnancy into a life-changing opportunity for success. Our mission is to pour knowledge and information into these young women that will teach them to be self-sufficient. We offer life skill classes, career training, parenting, financial budgeting, cooking, diet and much more.
Currently, Taylor’s House of Hope does not have a facility/home. Plans are in place to obtain property in North Houston to be able to provide shelter for the expectant mothers until they deliver or have arranged other living arrangements. All residents will benefit from cost-free dwelling, meals, prenatal care, counseling, and access to work/school. Most of all, they will be surrounded by nothing but caring and loving people during their time of need.
Since Taylor’s House of Hope is currently without a home and cannot provide shelter at this time, we offer cribs, playpen, strollers, car seats, walkers, clothes (for mom as well), hygiene items, household items and more.
However, even though we are unable to provide shelter right now.. we host “Community Baby Showers” as I stated above. We have been blessed with the privilege to use Pastor E. A Deckard’s church (Green House International) for all of our events. Pastor Deckard and GHIC has been a great support system of ours during this time and we are truly grateful. From the use of the church to donations and volunteers. We can’t thank them enough.
June 22, 2019 we had our very first “Community Baby Shower” which was a great success with over 40 families and each were able to leave with at least two weeks worth of brand new name brand clothing and supplies. We had many private donors as well as the “Houston Urban League” that sponsored the event. Walmart donated very generously in gift cards and Chic-Fil-A catered the food. August 11th, 2019, we had our second event which was a “Community Baby Shower/Back-to-school” event. There were 700+ families that came out and attended this event and they were blessed tremendously. As of right now, we are planning our next one for October 26, 2019 which will serve 80-100 families.
“When God gives a vision, he also gives provision!”
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always a happy, loving, friendly and sharing kid. My family always kept me in church and my parents and pretty much my entire family are musicians. So therefore, I always had an interest for music. I grew up singing in choirs, playing the violin and piano. For some reason, I could never fit in with the in crowd. I was always rejected and didn’t understand why, but now I see why.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tayharris42.wixsite.com/taylorshouseofhope
- Phone: 8326027872
- Email: taylorshouseofhope@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/TaylorsHouseofHope
- Other: paypal.me/taylorshouseofhope
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
