This Nashville Mom Rebuilt Her Life at Renewal House
A Nashville mom shares her powerful journey through Renewal House, a remarkable Middle Tennessee program that allows mothers to heal while raising their children. Image: Facebook / Renewal House
Editor’s Note: We are so grateful for the brave stories that encourage and uplift others. To honor her privacy, we’ve changed the name of the woman featured in this story.
When Maya arrived at Renewal House, she was carrying more than a small bag of belongings. She was carrying fear, exhaustion, a violated probation, and a 6-week-old baby she desperately wanted to protect. Today, she lives in her own apartment, works full-time, and raises her 7-month-old son in a quiet, stable home. And while her transformation may seem remarkable, it’s the kind of change Renewal House makes possible every day.
Maya spent her childhood in Nashville and became a new mother shortly before entering Renewal House. “I have a 7-month-old son who lives with me,” she explains. “He was six weeks old when I came to Renewal House.”
Her arrival came after a series of events that pulled her further and further away from the life she wanted to build. “I was furloughed to Renewal House from incarceration because I violated my probation,” she tells us. “I had so many things that went wrong that led me to a not-so-good place. I am not making excuses; they just happened.”
For too many women in Middle Tennessee, this path is heartbreakingly familiar. But Renewal House — the state’s only long-term, comprehensive residential treatment program where mothers and children live together — exists to rewrite stories like Maya’s.
Founded in 1996, Renewal House provides treatment, housing, therapy, education, and wraparound support to women with substance use disorders and their children. It’s one of the only places in the region where a mother can heal without being separated from the child she loves.
Renewal House CEO Pamela Sessions says this is what sets their program apart. “Renewal House was founded in 1996, and we provide specialized substance use disorder treatment for women while supporting their children at the same time,” she explains. “So we treat, promote healing, and provide housing to women and children who are impacted by substance use disorders, and we provide a combination of services here, from short-term intensive outpatient services to long-term residential treatment.”
What that looks like in practice is a blend of therapy, behavioral support, and community-based medical partnerships. “The majority of the services offered at Renewal House are behavioral,” Pamela says. “Because we’re working to help mothers change their behaviors as they become sober. The work is done by social workers, counselors, and behavior therapists.”
She emphasizes that Renewal House refers all medical care (prenatal, pediatric, dental, and more) to community partners. “If there is a partner in the community, Renewal House probably uses them, whether for OB care, dental care, primary care, or early intervention services,” she says. “We refer all of it out in the community.”
For Maya, the program’s structure — especially being able to live with her son — was everything. “Renewal House was the right place for me because I could have my son with me,” she says. “I could bond with him and be a part of his life. Eventually, I got a job and am able to support him.”
Her son isn’t the only piece of her story influenced by family. “There was a history of addiction in my family with both my mom and dad,” she shares. “However, I was not able to escape this disease.”
At Renewal House, she found the kind of support she’d never known. “Renewal House is a great place to get sober,” Maya says. “I got a lot of support, and that is especially good for someone who doesn’t have a lot of family. It was also a good place to be with my child because of the safe environment without drugs or alcohol.”
Unlike many treatment programs, Renewal House residents live in their own apartments on campus while attending therapy, classes, and support groups. They cook, clean, care for their children, and slowly reclaim the rhythms of daily life.
Pamela says this independence is intentional. “Although she’s getting treatment here, she is living independently in her own apartment with her child,” she explains. “So she’s having to do things at night like you do at home. She has to take care of her child. She has to make sure he’s fed.”
Maya felt the impact immediately. “Renewal House made it easy,” she says. “I didn’t have to worry about paying for stuff. I worked to manage my life and focus on me and my baby.”
That practical support was life-changing. “They supplied everything I needed,” Maya adds. “They gave me food, clothes, formula, diapers, everything. I just bought my first outfit for my baby, and he is 7 months old.”
Beyond survival, Maya began to grow. “This program allowed me to reflect, bond with my baby, attend parenting classes, and learn how to communicate with people in society again,” she says. “I’ve become more assertive and learned how to set boundaries for myself.”
Her progress is both emotional and visible — the kind of transformation Renewal House sees year after year. And now, the organization has an even stronger tool to support women and their children: a brand-new child care center that opened on September 22.
“The child care center at Renewal House is actually operated by St Mary Villa Child Development Center, and child care is available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., five days a week,” Pamela shares. “They provide services to children six weeks to five years of age.” The new center accommodates up to 75 children — both from Renewal House and the broader community.
“We’re excited that this center not only supports families at Renewal House, but it also supports parents who have children in the community, because we know that there’s just not enough affordable, high-quality child care in our city.”
For women like Maya, this means a priceless opportunity: the ability to work, attend therapy, and grow — knowing their children are safe, nurtured, and nearby.
Today, Maya’s life looks dramatically different from the moment she first arrived with her infant son. “Today life is good,” she says. “I have a job, I am a good mom, and it all happened for me way faster than I expected.”
She’s found stability, peace, and pride. “I am proud that I completed treatment and moved into my own apartment,” she shares. “There is no chaos in my life. I am at peace and moving in a positive direction.”
When asked what life might have looked like without Renewal House, Maya’s answer is simple: “If Renewal House had not been part of my story, I would not be where I am today.”
And for women who are where she once was, her advice is unwavering. “Go to treatment and stay in treatment no matter how hard it is,” she says. “It is worth it.”
Far too many mothers have nowhere else to go, and success stories like Maya’s don’t happen by accident — they happen because Renewal House exists and because donors believe in second chances.
Pamela says it best: “Renewal House is unique, and there are very few places across the entire country where a mother can participate in treatment and bring her child with her.”
To learn more or make a donation, explore our partnership with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.