Selena's Story

Selena Wilson, pregnant and homeless, didn't know where to turn. When her social worker told her about Northwest Pregnancy Center, a maternity home in Washington, D.C., that could help her and her baby until she was back on her feet, Selena immediately knew this was her best chance to get her life back together.

Three years later, Selena is the mother of two precious children, living on her own and working toward her high school equivalency degree. "Northwest Center did a lot for me," Selena told NRL News. "Thank God for them."

If the Women and Children's Resources Act becomes law, Northwest Pregnancy Center and many other groups providing alternatives to abortion will be able to help more women like Selena give birth to healthy babies and work toward a better life.

"I recommend the program to whoever needs it," Selena Wilson said. "I tell them you have to deal with what's in your own heart, to do what's best for you and your baby."

Selena needed help in 1996 when she was in her mid-20s, pregnant with her first child, homeless, and owning "only two little bags" of possessions. She was no longer able to live with her mother, and had nowhere else to turn. With the social worker's help, she was interviewed by staff at the Northwest Pregnancy Center and was accepted into the program.

"It's a home for moms to live until you're ready to be on your own," Selena said. "The moms share rooms, do chores, clean up, cook dinner. We all take turns and pitch in." The maternity home can accommodate five moms at a time.

Selena lived in the center for almost two years, until she had a place to live on her own and began her high school equivalency studies. "I made a promise to Northwest Center that I would finish school," she said. "One day I want to work in a nursing home, helping older people."

She can dream of a better life for herself and her two children, daughter De Angele and son Deante Robinson, because of the help and hope she received from the Northwest Pregnancy Center. Selena goes back often to help the moms who live there now and to celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving with her friends at the center.

"All moms who need help should have places like this to go to," she said. "They were there for me, so I'll always be there for them."