After escaping domestic violence and losing their home, Justine and her children, Luna and Alex, were living in their car. When she connected with the Mary’s Place outreach team at the Allen Family Center, Justine received essential supplies and support, while her children found space to play and just be kids—leaving her with renewed hope and a community by her side. 

The earliest years of a child’s life lay the foundation for everything that follows—but for hundreds of thousands of young children experiencing homelessness, that foundation is shaped by instability, stress, and limited access to critical supports. A recent article in Beyond Housing Magazine delves into what happens when young children experiencing homelessness don’t have access to early childhood education and what Mary’s Place is doing to serve children during critical developmental years.

Homelessness among babies and toddlers is one of our community’s most urgent crises, but “it’s kind of an invisible problem,” shares Jason Gortney, Chief Program and Innovation officer at Mary’s Place, “People just don’t have any idea that in King County, we have families sleeping in tents and cars with babies.”