Resources for Mothers

This exceptional guide provides resources for mothers, low-income families, domestic abuse survivors, and those struggling with mental illness or substance abuse. Created by Alex Samuels of The Texas Tribune.

We have also included the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC) and Department of State Health Services Joint Biennial Report 2022, which estimates 90 percent of the pregnancy-related deaths in Texas were preventable.

Does your organization provide much-needed services to Texas mothers? Please reach out to us and we will include your information on this list. Thank you!

support for all mothers

across texas

• The Women's Health and Family Planning Association of Texas supports family planning clinics throughout Texas that provide confidential reproductive health care, including birth control, pregnancy testing and counseling, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and preconception health services. Services are on a sliding scale based on income. Find a clinic near you here.

• The WIC Lactation Care Center of Dallas provides breastfeeding support to mothers who’ve recently given birth. These services are free to all mothers who are eligible for the WIC program, regardless of income. 

  • Lactation Care Center - Spanish

  • Lactation Care Center - English

• Planned Parenthood affiliates around Texas offer prenatal care, birth control, pregnancy tests, postpartum care, and screenings for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

• The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) has chapters in Houston, Austin and College Station. The organization works to promote cesarean awareness and improve outcomes for moms and babies.

• Planned Parenthood has health centers located throughout Central and North Texas, including Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Paris, Tyler, Waco and surrounding communities. They offer family planning for teens, women and mothers.

• La Leche League, which operates in more than 70 communities across Texas, provides resources to women who are currently breastfeeding, about to start, or trying to stop. They have local support groups and meetings.

austin and surrounding area

• The Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Alliance of Texas has an online, comprehensive list of therapists, psychiatrists, OB/GYNs and midwives in the Austin area. The organization also has programs to help low-income women get access to psychiatric care.

corpus christi and surrounding area

• Women's and Men's Health Services of the Coastal Bend offers preconception and early prenatal health care; family planning and reproductive life planning; pregnancy tests; screening and treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and women’s annual exams, including screening for breast and cervical cancer.

houston and surrounding area

• The Legacy Community Health Clinic, a United Way-affiliated agency, provides health care including adult primary care, pediatrics, dental care, vision services, behavioral health services, OB/GYN and maternity care, vaccinations and immunizations, health promotion and community outreach and comprehensive HIV/AIDS care to Houston and Harris County residents.

• AccessHealth offers comprehensive prenatal care, including health education and family planning. It also offers pediatric services, behavioral health services, nutrition counseling and HIV care management. It has locations in several Texas communities, including Richmond, Missouri City, Weimar, El Campo and Prairie View.

San Antonio and surrounding area

• San Antonio-based Family Service Organization is a nonprofit offering job training, counseling and early childhood education services for Texas families. 

for low-income families

across texas

• The Nurse-Family Partnership empowers first-time moms to create a better future for themselves and their babies. The nonprofit has specially trained nurses who partner with expectant moms, starting early in the pregnancy and continuing through the child’s second birthday. The organization offers services to women in 43 counties throughout Texas.

• The Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) provides federal assistance to low-income women during and after pregnancy as well as to infants and children up to age 5. Find a local WIC agency here. For eligibility information, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services website.

• Jewish Family Services, which assists people of all faiths, has locations in Austin, Dallas and Houston and offers free individual counseling sessions for low-income families. They also have a food pantry and offer classes and counseling for women seeking career advice.

• Some local fire stations and police departments will give mothers free or reduced-priced car seats.

austin and surrounding area

• Central Health helps low-income Travis County residents get access to affordable healthcare. They also provide assistance to those suffering from substance abuse disorders and mental illnesses.

• For Austin-area women, Giving Austin Labor Support is a nonprofit volunteer organization that provides free prenatal care. They also provide free, on call doula services to mothers and have partnered with the Travis County Correctional facility and provide doula services to incarcerated pregnant women.

• The Foremost Family Health Center in Balch Springs offers health services on a sliding scale based on income.

• The Maternal Infant Outreach Program provides free services, such as health education, one-on-one home visits and labor and delivery support to low-income black women in Travis County.

• The Central Texas Food Bank provides mobile food bank services to all of Central Texas. It also provides social work services and enrollment support in programs such as SNAP.

• Project Access Austin gives free medical care and ancillary services to low-income, uninsured and underinsured Travis County residents.

• Simply Safety offers everything from safety seats and life jackets to portable cribs and childproof locks at cost or a reduced cost. They also offer financial assistance for car seats for qualifying families.

dallas and surrounding area

• The Network of Community Ministries in Richardson offers baby clothes and bill assistance. 

• For Dallas area residents, the nonprofit ChildCareGroup provides early childhood education services to children and parents. It also supported Help Me Grow North Texas for parents and families to find resources such as family support services, parenting programs, and early education and child care programs.

houston and surrounding area

• The Houston Food Bank helps women apply for SNAP — the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

• Community Family Centers provides family support services and early childhood education to low-income families living in Houston’s Greater East End.

• Houston's Star of Hope is dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless men, women and their children living in the Houston area. They offer health clinics, parenting classes, on-site day care and counseling.

san antonio and surrounding area

• Latched San Antonio provides lactation services to low-income women in San Antonio.

for domestic abuse survivors

Austin and surrounding area

• The SAFE Alliance in Austin (formerly SafePlace and Austin Children's Shelter) provides housing and support for individuals and families affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and exploitation.

• The Austin Shelter for Women and Children serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to mothers and children (boys no older than 17) and has case managers available for residents.

• In Austin, LifeWorks helps assist children and families facing homelessness, trauma and abuse.

Dallas and surrounding area

• The Family Place in Dallas provides shelter for women leaving abusive relationships.

• In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, CHETNA supports members of the South Asian community impacted by domestic violence.

• Hope's Door New Beginning Center, which has several locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, specializes in intervention and prevention services for those affected by family or domestic violence.

• Expectant or current mothers in Plano can visit Emily’s Place, which provides weekly counseling sessions, addiction recovery programs, vocational assistance and employment assistance. It is faith-based organization that requires an up-to-24 month commitment for their residents. The mandatory classes cover topics such as life and job skills, financial training, parenting and etiquette.

• In Kaufman, Forever Families serves women who are, or have been, in abusive relationships and women with substance abuse issues. Victims of domestic violence in Kaufman can also find housing, counseling, parenting classes and job services at the Genesis Center.

Houston and surrounding area

• Bay Area Turning Point provides several resources, including shelter, to families and victims of violence in the Houston area.

• The Houston Area Women's Center offers counseling and shelter to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their non-offending family.

• Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse in Houston provides domestic violence victims with free legal representation by their trauma-informed staff attorneys. They also offer psychoeducation counseling for abusers.

• Katy Christian Ministries offers counseling services and shelter referrals for those affected by domestic violence. It also offers limited financial assistance, food pantry referrals, Christmas assistance and more for  eligible families living in the Katy and west Houston areas. 

Lower rio grande valley and surrounding area

• Mujeres Unidas in McAllen supports female victims of domestic assault and sexual abuse.

san antonio and surrounding area

• The Bexar County Family Justice Center provides crisis intervention and emergency shelter to domestic abuse survivors. They also offer legal help and counseling.

tyler and surrounding area

• The East Texas Crisis Center, which has offices in Smith, Henderson, Van Zandt and Wood counties, provides safety, shelter and education for victims of family violence, sexual assault and other violent crime.

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