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…

“I never thought I would end up homeless. What happened to me was the furthest thing from my mind. I had a successful military career, I’m an Iraq veteran. The staff at Mary’s Place were so caring, I always tell them they gave me my life back.” - Paula

“We’re fortunate to have stability and a little extra to sustain our life and we want to see all families in that position - that’s why we donate monthly to Mary’s Place!”

“If it weren’t for Mary’s Place, I’m not sure where I would be right now” shares Tanya, a single mother who came to Mary’s Place while she was pregnant with her baby girl, Bella.

For the last 25 years, Mary’s Place has provided wrap around services to women and families experiencing homelessness with the help of compassionate, dedicated, LOVING, volunteers!