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.

For Craig, home had always been the apartment where he was raising his two kids, Tanner and Ellie. Then, one day, their world was turned upside down. Severe water damage made their apartment unlivable. With nowhere else to go, Craig and the kids began an exhausting cycle — moving between hotels, crashing on friends’ couches, and eventually, sleeping in their car. Hope returned when they connected with Mary’s Place…

For Shifali, volunteering is about more than activities—it’s about helping kids see their strength and potential. “These little affirmations can mean so much—they help kids start to see new paths for themselves.”

For Mary’s Place donor Kristi Hanna-Cruz, giving back has always been second nature. “I was taught at a young age that all people are deserving of opportunity and to always help when I can.” As the creator and designer of Posh Beauty Bar and an online coaching platform, Kristi is passionate about helping people’s inner beauty, love, and potential shine through and a master at connecting people around a cause!

On Friday, September 19, 2025, Mary’s Place and Mercy Housing Northwest broke ground on a bold new project in Burien: a campus that combines emergency family shelter and permanently affordable housing on one campus