The Seattle Times editorial board rightly sounds the alarm about families “hiding in plain sight” across our region, desperate for shelter that simply doesn’t exist. But the crisis is even more urgent than the editorial describes.

In King County, approximately 7.4% of residents identify as Black and just over 1% identify as Native American. Yet at Mary’s Place, 88% of the families we serve identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. This disproportionality makes one thing clear: homelessness cannot be addressed without confronting the structural and historical racism embedded in our systems.

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.

In a recent Mary’s Place Moment conversation, CEO Dominique Alex sat down with two people who play an essential role in one of our most joyful and transformative programs: Make-a-Home. She was joined by Olga Chinka, Make-a-Home Coordinator and Katie Bernson, a longtime volunteer partner with Coldstream Wealth Management. Their conversation offered a powerful look at how a furnished home can change the entire trajectory of a family leaving homelessness.

When her Multiple Sclerosis (MS) symptoms led Nicole to fall behind on rent, she found herself living in her car with her young daughter, Ella, as winter quickly approached. Hope returned when she connected with our mobile outreach team.

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. 

Mohit and Ojaswani Suley turned their Diwali celebration into an annual fundraiser for Mary’s Place, raising $14,000 to help families find safe, stable housing.

When Kelly arrived at Mary’s Place with her two young sons, Cole and Jayce, they had nothing but the clothes on their backs. Like many families fleeing domestic violence, Kelly had to leave everything behind — family photos, important documents, and her children’s favorite stuffed animals. That’s when a kind stranger told her about Mary’s Place, where she could find emergency shelter and housing resources for families experiencing homelessness.