mary’s place family shelter programs
guest services
Mary’s place offers these wraparound services to our guests in our family shelter. Many are also provided to unsheltered families through our outreach team.
health services
Under the direction of our Health Services Clinical Director, and with help from part-time nurses, behavior health specialists, and several health professional volunteers, Mary's Place connects families to medical supports and service providers, and provides assessment and treatment for more than 1,000 medical conditions each year!
baby’s best start
Allows moms with newborns to bond and recover after giving birth in a private, nurturing setting that keeps babies healthy and off to their best start!
Meghan enrolled in our Baby’s Best Start program as soon as she arrived at Mary’s Place with her infant twins. The program gave her the privacy and accommodations she needed and in Baby’s Best Start, Meghan could bond with the twins, get the rest she needed, and keep everyone healthy. Mary’s Place staff helped to connect Meghan with childcare for the girls, and she began working part-time. Several weeks later, she found permanent housing for her new family!
popsicle place
Provides comfort and care in a more private setting for medically-fragile children and their families, many of whom are recovering from chemo, dialysis and other treatments while living in their cars outside hospitals.
The Mary’s Place health Services team works with Popsicle Place families to make connections to necessary medical care, assist with follow-up, and support them in shelter to ensure a safe and healthy environment while navigating their journey into permanent housing.
The Benson’s – Ernest, Melissa, and their four children, were living stably in their home when little Keola was born with a severe cleft palette and kidney issues. Melissa left her job to care for the baby, and not long after, Ernest was laid off from his management position. When rent was past due, they were evicted and called Mary's Place.
With support from our Health Services team, the family was able to manage Keola’s care while searching for permanent housing. Today, the Bensons are in their own place and all of them, including little Keola, are thriving!
housing & stability
housing specialists
Housing Specialists work with unsheltered families and families in shelter to help them develop and meet financial and housing goals and quickly transition into permanent housing.
Ally's family of five had immigrated to the U.S. and stayed at Mary's Place for about three months. Their Mary’s Place Housing Specialist referred them right away to local support services like Kids Plus, El Centro de la Raza, and Coordinated Entry for All. With these resources, they were able to settle into transitional housing together.
housing locators
The Housing Locators at Mary’s Place family shelters work with landlords, property managers, and housing providers to build relationships and identify affordable housing solutions for our families.
Marla and her daughter had a Section 8 voucher but were having trouble finding a unit that met their needs – they needed a fully ADA accessible two-bedroom to accommodate her daughter’s wheelchair.
Our Housing Locators worked with a translator to make a connection with a property that fit their needs. They stayed involved during the application process, the Section 8 inspection process, and attended the lease signing and move-in appointment with the family.
outreach team
Our Mobile Outreach team works with families who are currently unsheltered and living in cars and tents. Meeting them where they are, our Outreach Specialists employ a Diversion approach, working with the family to identify a unique housing solution that meets their needs and access flexible funding to help them get back into stable housing quickly.
Sheila was living in an encampment with her children after she lost her employment and housing as a result of her health issues. Mary's Place Outreach team provided her with a temporary phone and helped clear her housing debt. Shortly after resolving her debt, the family moved into stable housing.
kids club
The Mary's Place Youth Services program offers programming to meet the social and developmental needs of our shelter guests between the ages of 0-18. Located at each Mary's Place family center, Kids Clubs provide homework help, access to libraries, connection to schools, camps, and outside activities, offering fun and enriching alternatives while parents are working on their employment and housing goals. Age-specific programming is available for toddlers, school-aged children, and teens. Through youth services programming, young people can access activities, have fun with friends, remain connected to education, and learn leadership skills.
Youth services staff and Shannon’s parents worked together to enroll him in a preschool program designed to help address his behavioral needs. After a month of attending the school, youth services staff and Shannon’s parents noticed a positive change in his behavior. Through the support of his preschool program and the youth services team at Mary’s Place, Shannon learned how to communicate his needs effectively and play well with others. He participated in Kids Club regularly, having fun and making friends.
empowerment
mary’s marketplace incentive program
Mary's Place guests earn points by participating in a community service model that sets an expectation that each adult will do three hours of chores or other type of service each week. They earn 1,500 points an hour (equivalent to $15/hr) and can use their points at an on-site store, the Mary's Marketplace. At these locations families can spend points to meet their needs – everything from clothing, to toothpaste, to make-up!
Tracey is a guest at the Women's Day Center who has been homeless and working on managing behavioral health issues that have prevented her from obtaining employment. She carries all of her belongings in a bag that weighs heavily on one shoulder. By participating in activities at the Day Center, Tracey earned enough points to replace her bag with a backpack that she could use to comfortably carry her items.
get involved
employment services
Mary’s Place Employment Services assist women and families experiencing homelessness to obtain job readiness skills, connect with jobs and job training resources, access referrals to vocational and education programs, and prepare to enter long-term employment. Our mobile outreach team brings employment resources and opportunities to families who are currently unsheltered. Employment teams work with those who have an income to achieve financial stability through financial literacy, education, and assistance.
Tara came to Mary’s Place with her son after fleeing domestic violence. Having a wide gap in her work history, Mary’s Place employment services helped Tara enroll in job readiness programming to help prepare her to reenter the work force. After a few weeks of training and help preparing her resume, Tara landed a full-time job with one of Mary’s Place partner companies.
employer engagement
The Employer Engagement team ensures direct access to full-time and part-time employment through relationships with 35+ partner companies who share job openings, welcome our women and families to apply, and train those interested in developing careers with their companies. We are always looking for new employment partners, please contact us if you’re interested in learning more!
When Amanda came to the Women's Day Center two years ago, she was unemployed and without stable housing. The Day Center staff helped her find shelter, fill out housing forms, and update her resume. She worked closely with Mary's Place employment services and within seven months she found a studio apartment and landed her dream job at a beauty salon!
food and nutrition
food & nutrition
Mary's Place models fresh, healthy eating through our meals program while maintaining pleasure, enjoyment, and family bonding around food. Mary’s Place family shelter provides over 1,000 meals a day to our guests, including breakfast, lunch, and a hot dinner. We strive to support local partners and farmers and provide vegetarian and culturally relevant foods for our guests from other countries.
food recovery
Mary’s Place has implemented food recovery programs that provide nearly 400,000 meals a year across all our shelter locations. Nightly pickups at our food partner locations enable us to offer our families a variety of fresh, ready-made foods. Mary’s Place will accept, verify, sort, and deliver almost one million pounds of donated food this year. We share about a quarter of that recovered food with our partners in the community, food banks, and other nonprofits.