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. 

We’re grateful to Stephannie Stokes and The Seattle Times for helping shine a much-needed light on family homelessness in King County in a recent story.

Once a week, you’ll find Amirah Casey at Mary’s Place, serving meals and swapping stories with families staying at The Glen shelter in Seattle. For Amirah, sharing a meal and serving others is about so much more than food—it’s about care, dignity, and community.

Tara, a dedicated single mom, was working hard to provide for herself and her family, but after the birth of her youngest, her minimum-wage job could no longer keep up with the cost of caring for two kids. With support from our Outreach team, she and her kids are rebuilding stability with help from a supportive housing community.

Following a breakup with his long-term partner, Ryan suddenly found himself supporting himself and his son, Andrew on a single income. Ryan worked tirelessly to stretch his budget and keep life as stable as possible for his son, but the fire turned an already difficult situation into a crisis…

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.”

The day Jasmine and her children were evicted is a moment she will never forget. “I just remember my kids asking me, ‘Mommy, where are we going to go?’” she recalls. “It broke my heart.” Today, after receiving support from Mary’s Place, Jasmine and her kids are building a bright future in their new apartment.

Homelessness is devastating at any age—but for children, the impacts can shape the course of their entire lives. Mary’s Place and our partners are working to minimize trauma and build pathways to stability for families, breaking generational cycles of homelessness. 

“If you told me a few years ago that I’d be living in a three-bedroom apartment with my three kids, thriving in my preschool teaching career, and excitedly planning our first vacation with just the four of us, I never would’ve believed you…”

For Jada, life used to mean just getting through the day—barely surviving, not truly living. That all changed when she reached out to Mary’s Place…