Today we’d like to introduce you to Thana Simmons.
Thana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up on the south side of Chicago in a very middle-class home. As a teen, I found myself facing an unplanned pregnancy at the age of 17, just as I received my acceptance letter for college. At the time, I did not understand the shift in my plans. Just two years later, I became a teen bride. So, by 19, I was a teen mom and a teen wife.
I was determined to finish what I started, although my journey had shifted. I was never homeless due to the amazing support system I was blessed with. My parents, my sisters and my godmother were the support system that helped me realize that I could have a husband, children and still obtain a degree and career. I started an insurance career at the age of 21 and continued the journey of completing my degree in Business Administration now with three daughters. My support system with grand!
As I evolved in my journey, I relocated to Dallas in 2007. I realized that I was blessed with something that many girls did not have, a real mother, a father, a surrogate mother and a village of women around me, thus Viola’s House was formed in 2008 as a mentoring program to give aid and support to teen mothers. My passion was undeniable as I felt all teen mothers deserved support and the opportunity to obtain education and a successful career to take care of their children. Shortly after the inception of the mentoring program, I realized that SO many teen mothers in the Dallas area lacked housing and became homeless after learning of their pregnancy for various reasons. Hence, we started a residential program for homeless expectant teen mothers. Through a partnership with Cornerstone Baptist Church, we opened one apartment with two beds in 2015 to start our residential program. Within six days, we had approximately 10 applicants for two beds! Shortly thereafter, we opened more apartments and we were at capacity at all times with 7-8 homeless expectant teen mothers and their newborn babies after they gave birth.
3 1/2 years later, Viola’s House has given a safe home, a bed, and programming to over 50 homeless teen mothers in South Dallas. We currently operate out of our newly renovated state of the art facility which holds six mothers and four babies. We have staff on site 24 hours a day and licensed counselors, mentors, and educators who partner with us to ensure the growth and success of our residents.
I currently hold a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, am a certified Life Coach and I hold a license of ordination in ministry. I have had a successful insurance career for 18 years for several top insurance companies as a catastrophic claims manager and have served several non-profit organizations in Chicago and Dallas. As the Executive Director of Viola’s House, I have found my greatest joy in serving homeless teen mothers as they transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency. I am blessed with three beautiful daughters who now serve at Viola’s House in various capacities and we still reside in Dallas, TX.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been easy at all. The process of obtaining and maintaining the funds to operate and complete a renovation project certainly revealed opportunities for growth. Also, when serving a young demographic of broken teen mothers, you encounter the issues that come with serving that demographic.
Remember, I was a teen mom and teen bride all at the same time. After 18 years of marriage, I experienced divorce from the man I married at 19. At 19 years old, you do not understand your passions or your purpose. The danger in getting married before you know who YOU are is when you discover who you are, your mate either will partner with that purpose or distance themselves from that purpose. In my case, I continued to grow and evolve in my passions and purpose and my mate did not grow in the same direction. Through a series of events, while running the residential program, my family experienced the pain of divorce.
Learn who YOU are and why YOU are before joining with someone who does not know who they are.
Take the time to invest in YOURSELF first and then bring others along on that journey. It’s the old concept of putting the air mask on yourself first before helping someone else with their air mask, you could lose your air while helping others if you are not breathing first. I have learned valuable lessons on this journey.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Viola’s House story. Tell us more about the business.
The first thing that we provide to a homeless teen mother upon entry into the doors of Viola’s House is a beautiful room and the smiling, warm embrace of a woman who tells you that you are on safe, sovereign ground and you can breathe. We provide love, grace, and compassion to the teen mothers and their babies. This is what sets us apart. We are not mandated to provide the service to these mothers and do not receive state funding, everyone at Viola’s House is there because she is passionate about serving.
I am most proud of the fact that all of the babies who live in our facility receive everything they could ever need and they receive love in the purest form from a village of loving women. The young teen mothers see an example and support from women who love them with no motives.
We are set apart because of our foundation of love, through the love of Christ. We are because He loved us!
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
Viola Paris has been one of the greatest inspirations in my life which is the namesake of the organization. I did have a wonderful loving mother, but I was a difficult teen. My parents understood that it took a village, so they would allow me to spend summers and weekends with my Godmother so that I could receive inspiration from a different perspective. Viola was a hard working woman who made poor choices in her early years and found healing in love through her relationship with Christ. She shared her home and life with me during my difficult years and taught me how to be a woman who maintained a home, took care of business and who took care of her kids. Viola transitioned from this earth on 8/27/2012. She is the wind beneath my wings and the wings of the program.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1828 South Blvd Dallas, TX 75215
- Website: www.violashouse.org
- Phone: 469-751-2017
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @violashousedallas
- Facebook: Viola’s House Dallas
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