Nonprofit launches incredible program to give struggling moms second chance: 'This is everything I ever dreamed of'

The first resident has moved into a Mom and Me Tiny House Village after a grant from Mazda Toyota Manufacturing helped make the nonprofit LifeSource's vision a reality. 

"This is everything I ever dreamed of. I never imagined this could be my life," Alisha Moon told the Hartselle Enquirer of her tiny home, which is fully furnished for her and her son, Braxton.

Posted by LifeSource on Wednesday 24 September 2025

Robin Ladner, who founded LifeSource's residential drug recovery program, explained that the tiny house village is meant to be a safe space for moms in transition to bond with their children. 

For Moon, who became involved with LifeSource at the age of 41 after her release from jail, the tiny house has served as a launching pad for her new life and her relationship with Braxton. 

"When I was pregnant with Braxton, I was using. He had to go to the NICU, and I lost custody of him. He went to foster care, and I went to jail," Moon shared with the publication. "When I came out of jail, I went back to using."

Moon reached out to LifeSource after a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) contacted her about a potential reunion with Braxton. Determined to reconnect with her son, Moon dedicated herself to addiction recovery. She has a stable job at Wendy's and hasn't used in a year. 

"When I lost custody of Braxton, I was completely lost," Moon said to the Hartselle Enquirer.

"I stayed focused on trying to do whatever the Department of Human Resources wanted me to do. I focused on God and keeping my trust in him," Moon added. Now out of foster care, Braxton has joined Moon at a 4-by-36-foot tiny home. 

Ladner envisions the tiny home village providing a sense of community for residents. "Staying here is so much better and safer for the women. They don't have to worry about going back to their old stomping grounds and having old acquaintances pressuring them," Ladner said.

Tiny home village projects elsewhere are also offering people a new path forward. For instance, 12Neighbors is helping residents in Canada out of poverty. 

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Because tiny homes require fewer resources, they are eco-friendly to build, while also providing a lower cost of living, given their minimal energy requirements.

"These homes help us fulfill our mission," Ladner told the Hartselle Enquirer of LifeSource's emerging village. "We want them to live out the purpose God created them to live. For the women in the Mom and Me Tiny House Village, part of that is being a mom."

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