Maternity Home (Glossary)

Maternity Home: A group residency environment where a pregnant women who is considering placing her unborn child for adoption can live until her child is born. The number of homes has decreased substantially over the past three decades, and existing homes often have a waiting list of women. The women who live in a maternity home may pay a small fee or no fee to live in the home and they often apply for public assistance and Medicaid payments. In many situations, in addition to birthing classes and counseling that are provided at the group home, the women that live in maternity homes may also be involved in some type of vocational or educational programs, such as a program allowing her to complete high school or her GED.