Every night, thousands seek refuge.
Your support provides shelter, essentials, and hope for a fresh start.
It was late afternoon when Alyssa made up her mind.
Alyssa realized that she and her child were no longer safe where they were.
So she packed what she could carry and stepped outside, hoping for a safer tomorrow.
Packing Only What Truly Matters
Most leave with only a few essentials: identification papers, a change of clothes, a child’s toy.
There is little time to plan, and even less time to prepare. The priority is simply reaching safety.
The First Steps Toward Safety
In New York City, families with children enter the shelter system through a set process:
1) Call Homelessness Hotline.
2) Complete an intake at the PATH center.
3) Answer questions and provide documents.
For a parent who has just left a difficult situation, it can feel like a long day or night—but this intake process is the front door to safety.
Safety, but Only for a While
Shelters offer protection, stability, and a place to breathe. But they are designed as short-term, temporary housing—not a permanent home.
In one shelter Alyssa visited, the hygiene kit she received contained just a single pad, a small bar of soap, and a toothbrush for the week.
Gaps like these are where community support can make a very practical difference.
Shelter Entry & Life Inside
In 2024, an average of 19,148 families with children stayed in New York City DHS shelters each night.
(NYC DHS, 2024)
On one 24-hour day in the U.S., hotlines received 23,348 contacts—almost 973 contacts every hour.
(NNEDV, 2024)
On a single night in 2024, 771,480 people were experiencing homelessness in the U.S.
(HUD AHAR, 2024)
Challenges after the shelter’s protection
Many mothers leave with renewed strength and hope, thanks to the stability shelters provide.
But the challenges that follow are still significant:
- Finding stable housing
- Earning enough income
- Arranging childcare
These are all difficult challenges.
Strong Mothers, Still Standing
Many of these mothers are hardworking, skilled, and determined to rebuild.
They have experience, ambition, and hope.
What they lack is not motivation—
but the support needed to keep going: transportation, food, diapers, and basic essentials.
With $30/m, you can support a mother and a child
1. Monthly Hygiene Essential Kit
2. Mothers Day Celebration Meal
3. Encouraging Cards & Holiday Gifts
How We Empower Women Inside & Outside Shelters
1) We work directly with local shelters who care families the most.
2) Through your support, shelters receive essentials like diapers, wipes, hygiene items, and clean clothing—items they run out of most often.
3) We empower single moms by providing essentials and encouraging them with holiday events and gifts.
These small supports keep families from falling into crisis again—and help mothers rebuild stability step by step.
Stories of Hope
“I felt like someone finally saw us.”
“We had nothing, and then suddenly we had what we needed to keep going.”
“These small items gave me courage to start again.”
These real moments remind us that even simple acts of care can spark real change—and that every contribution helps restore dignity, hope, and stability for another family.
Your gift helps women and children in shelters find safety, dignity, and hope.
Together, we can make every shelter a place to begin again.
| Donate
- Become a Monthly Donor – Help women and children in shelters rebuild their lives with safety and stability.
- Make a One-Time Gift – Provide essentials and comfort for families seeking refuge today.
- Give In-Kind Donation – Send hygiene kits, baby items, or other daily necessities to shelters in need. [link]
