Held and Housed: Protecting Maternal and Infant Well-Being from the Harms of Homelessness

Homelessness strips away the steady, nurturing environment that pregnant people, new parents and their infants need to be well. When a family has nowhere secure to land, the effects ripple through every stage of the perinatal journey, from pregnancy through the earliest months of a child’s life. The absence of stable housing can disrupt prenatal and postpartum care, compound mental health struggles, and deepen the very disparities that already put too many parents and infants at risk—particularly in communities long underserved by our health and social systems.

This webinar will examine how homelessness and gaps in maternal, perinatal, and infant care reinforce one another, and why solutions must cross sectors that too often work in isolation. We’ll explore approaches that treat stable housing and quality maternal and infant care not as separate goals, but as intertwined foundations for family stability and thriving communities. You’ll leave the webinar with a deep understanding of the damaging effects homelessness has on pregnant people and families with young children and how states and communities are working across sectors to provide the safety and stability these families need.

Join us on September 30 from 2 – 3:30 ET for an in-depth look at the human toll homelessness takes on maternal and child health and how, with the right support, families can flourish.

Speakers

• Jami Helmig, PhD Student and Parent Leader, Warren Village alumni and Johns Hopkins University
• Kanika Harris, Executive Director, The National Association to Advance Black Birth (NAABB)
• Erin Patterson, Director, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, SchoolHouse Connection
• Paige Klemme, Assistant Professor of Research, Director of Healthy Beginnings at Home, Grassroots MCH Initiative, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Indiana University
• Tyese Lawyer, President and CEO, Our House