In the aftermath of overheating and passing out in the middle of her college campus, Denise Anderson made a connection that would ease a burden she was largely carrying alone.
Anderson, who is 21 and studying psychology and Spanish at Tennessee State University, spent the first few months of an unexpected pregnancy doing mental calculus on how she’d keep her scholarship and finish her degree. She began to worry about where she would live when her daughter, who is due in July, arrives.
Denise Anderson looks through a shelf of children’s books April 3 at Ella's House in Nashville. She said she is excited to have her baby shower soon.
The word “strong” is pinned outside Denise Anderson’s bedroom at Ella's House.
But when the nurse at her school handed her a pamphlet with information on Ella's House, everything changed. The Nashville-based nonprofit offers free or low-cost housing and other resources to pregnant and parenting mothers in Middle Tennessee colleges. In the organization's words, it supports students "through semesters and trimesters."
Soft-spoken and articulate, Anderson is focused on finishing her degree and dreams of one day opening her own school.
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"It ensures stability and guarantees that I'll graduate on time," Anderson said of Ella's House. "I don’t know how to say how grateful I am."
Anderson lives in the main home that Ella’s House offers, alongside 29-year-old Allie Wilson and Wilson's 1-year-old son, Jhy'eir. The home, tucked into a quiet neighborhood in southwest Nashville, has room for several women.
Allie Wilson holds her 1-year-old son, Jhy'eir, on April 3 at Ella's House in Nashville, Tenn. Ella's House, a nonprofit, supports female college students who are pregnant and parenting.
For Wilson, living at Ella's House spells the difference between navigating a cramped living space and a grueling daily commute versus room to breathe while juggling school, work and parenting. She is studying to be an occupational therapy assistant at Nashville State Community College.
"It's just a sense of community and family away from family," Wilson said. "Everyone here is just so genuine and thoughtful."
How Ella's House came to be
Ella's House was founded in 2021 and opened its first home in 2022. Along with providing free housing on its main campus, the organization also offers low-rent transitional housing for mothers with small children. It connects the women with other resources like baby supplies, counseling, doula services and job and resume coaching.
Elise Jenkins founded Ella's House, a home for pregnant or mothering college students in Nashville.
Elise Jenkins, 31, was inspired to start the organization after her own experience with an unplanned pregnancy during her senior year of college. Thanks to the support of her family and her now-husband, she was able to finish her degree. A few short weeks later, her daughter Ella was born.
Jenkins, now a mother of two, said she is deeply grateful for the support she had. But that doesn’t mean things were easy. She lived at home while finishing school and an internship, away from her friends and her partner. She ended up skipping her graduation ceremony because she was embarrassed about her pregnancy.
"I remember feeling so alone," she said.
As she laid plans for Ella’s House, she made sure community with other college-going moms was among its core tenets. The organization hosts everything from "mommy mixers" and family dinners to baby showers and wellness classes.
Sydnee McRae shows her 1-year-old daughter, Sevynn, how to blow on a dandelion April 1 outside a transitional home for Ella's House in Nashville.
'I'm not doing it alone'
For Sydnee McRae, the transitional housing offered by Ella's House has given her a place to rebuild her life. In the years leading up to her daughter Sevynn's birth, she struggled through a pregnancy loss and a death in her family that derailed her college career. She wasn't sure if going back to school was possible. But the support she's received from Ella's House, along with becoming a mom, has given her the strength to push forward.
"Having Seviee … makes me want to be a better person," McRae said. "And I'm not doing it alone."
The transitional home offers low-cost housing at an East Nashville triplex. The space is designed to give mothers with small children more room and independence as they work and finish school. McRae shares custody with Sevynn's father and works from home while she studies for a degree in business management.
Along with rent set at just 30% of her income, Ella's House provides McRae with diapers and other essentials. She was also given free financial counseling, which helped her pay off credit card debt. Staff members frequently check on McRae and the others who live in the triplex, along with including them in community events and assuring they have everything they need.
Kaylor Murray holds her 2-year-old daughter, Kana-Leia Murray, while standing next to her mother, Kathryn Murray-Mays, while their dog, Cocoa, plays nearby March 31 at their home in Nashville.
A story of reconciliation
When Kaylor Murray was six months pregnant in 2022, she lost her job and faced a housing crisis. Estranged from her mother and family, her child's father was also absent from her life. Murray began looking for resources for single mothers around Nashville, which eventually led her to Ella's House.
When her daughter Kana was born, Murray spent hours studying her face. All she could see was her family.
Murray prayed for wisdom on how to mend her relationship with her mother. When her daughter was 3 months old, she finally reached out.
"The next week mom met Kana, and that was a wrap," Murray said.
Michael Mays plays with his 2-year-old step-granddaughter, Kana-Leia Murray, on March 31 at their home in Nashville.
It wasn't long before Murray moved back into her family's home, which she now shares with her mother, stepfather and brother.
Mom Kathryn Murray-Mays is grateful the Ella's House team cared for her daughter, along with gently encouraging her to reconcile with her family. Now that everyone is back together, Murray-Mays finds comfort in knowing her family is safe — and joy in having her now 2-year-old granddaughter under her roof.
"She runs the house," Murray said of her daughter. "She definitely brought this family together."
