About us

Helping You Help Yourself And Families Inc. stands out for its grassroots heart, lived experience, and deep commitment to uplifting homeless individuals and families with compassion, dignity, and real pathways to stability and self-sufficiency. Our approach is rooted in quality and integrity, ensuring that everything we do reflects our commitment to excellence.

What motivated us to start

The motivation to start Helping You Help Yourself And Families Inc. came from a place of deep personal experience, pain, and purpose. As a woman and single mother who has faced serious challenges—housing instability, lack of support, and being failed by systems that were supposed to help—I know firsthand how hard it is to ask for help, and how much harder it is to find help that’s genuine, compassionate, and consistent.

There were times in my life when I had to fight for stability—not just for myself, but for my children. I felt invisible, unsupported, and overwhelmed by red tape, judgment, and closed doors. I realized that if I, as a capable and determined parent, could be pushed to the edge, then so many others must be suffering in silence, without options, and without hope.

That realization became my calling.

I founded Helping You Help Yourself And Families Inc. because I wanted to be the voice and the shelter I once needed. I wanted to build something different—an organization rooted in empathy, not ego; dignity, not charity; and transformation, not just temporary aid. I wanted to help others rise—not by rescuing them, but by walking beside them as they reclaim their strength, identity, and future.

This 501(c)3 organization is more than a nonprofit—it’s a movement. A promise. A safe space for people to find stability, support, and the resources to move forward. My personal journey fuels my passion every single day, and I’m committed to building a place where families can break the cycle of homelessness and start a new chapter—with dignity, stability, and hope.

What makes us different

Beyond just providing shelter, our specific programs and services make us different:

1. Personalized Case Management with Lived-Experience Insight
   Unlike many shelters that provide short-term relief, we offer individualized case planning rooted in empathy and real-life understanding. Our founder’s personal journey through housing instability shapes how we listen, support, and guide each client. We treat people as people—not numbers—and help them build customized plans that align with their goals and circumstances.
2. Real-World Job Readiness Support
   We go beyond job referrals. Our program helps clients build confidence and independence through:
   • Resumé creation and mock interviews
   • Help with obtaining work clothes or uniforms
   • Transportation assistance to job interviews
   • Partnerships with local employers and job training programs
   We focus on getting and keeping employment—and overcoming barriers like childcare, past records, or lack of experience.
3. Life Skills and Financial Literacy Workshops
   We provide hands-on education in areas that help clients stay housed and self-sufficient, including:
   • Budgeting and money management
   • Tenant rights and lease navigation
   • Cooking and meal planning on a budget
   • Parenting and time management
   These skills reduce the risk of returning to homelessness and empower families to thrive independently.
4. Emotional Wellness & Trauma-Informed Care
   We recognize that trauma and homelessness often go hand-in-hand. Our approach includes:
   • Peer support and wellness circles
   • Referrals for licensed mental health counseling
   • Stress management and healing-centered programming
   Our safe, non-judgmental environment helps clients rebuild mental and emotional stability, not just physical shelter.
5. Housing Navigation and Long-Term Stability Support
   We don’t just shelter—we transition people into permanent housing through:
   • Help with applications and documentation
   • Security deposit and housing search assistance
   • Continued follow-up even after clients move out
   We believe true success means helping someone stay housed, not just survive tonight.
6. Community Advocacy and Barrier-Breaking Support
   We serve clients often turned away by others due to background, disability, family size, or complexity of need. We:
   • Advocate for those denied services
   • Help access benefits and IDs
   • Offer transportation, school support, and system navigation
   We fight for the people most likely to fall through the cracks—and help them reclaim their power.
7. Aftercare and Continued Support
   Even after a family leaves our shelter, we stay connected with:
   • Ongoing check-ins
   • Pantry access and emergency support
   • Invitation to workshops and community events
   We build community and accountability—not dependency or isolation.

In Summary: Helping You Help Yourself And Families Inc. stands out because we don’t just offer temporary shelter—we offer a transformational path to healing, rebuilding, and thriving. Everything we do is grounded in lived experience, local wisdom, and radical compassion.

Client Challenges & Our Responses

1. Crisis Housing & Family Separation
Challenge: Families—especially single mothers—are often turned away, split up, or waitlisted at other shelters.
Our Response: We provide emergency shelter access designed to keep families together and stabilize them quickly with meals, hygiene supplies, and child-safe space.
Intended Impact: Reduced nights unsheltered; fewer family separations; faster engagement in services.

2. No Clear Path Out of Homelessness
Challenge: Many shelters stop at “a bed.” Clients are left cycling between temporary stays and the street.
Our Response: Every client gets personalized case management with goal-setting for income, benefits, and housing. We track progress—not just stays.
Intended Impact: Increased exits to permanent or transitional housing; measurable progress on income and benefits enrollment.

3. Unemployment, Underemployment & Work Barriers
Challenge: Lack of ID, resumes, transportation, childcare, or recent work history blocks job access.
Our Response: Job readiness coaching (resumes, interview prep), document recovery help, referrals to workforce partners, transportation assistance, and work-appropriate clothing.
Intended Impact: Higher rates of job placement and retention; sustained household income.

4. Trauma, Mental Health Strain & Burnout from Survival
Challenge: Many clients carry trauma from violence, eviction, loss, and chronic stress—often untreated.
Our Response: Trauma-informed support, peer-led wellness circles, warm handoffs to counseling, and safe spaces that restore dignity and trust.
Intended Impact: Improved emotional stability; higher engagement in services; reduced conflict or program dropout.

5. Navigating Systems & Documentation Barriers
Challenge: Without IDs, birth certificates, or benefit enrollment, clients can’t qualify for housing, employment, or aid.
Our Response: Hands-on systems navigation—forms, appointments, advocacy with agencies, and follow-through until documents are in hand.
Intended Impact: Faster eligibility for benefits, housing vouchers, healthcare, and school enrollment.

6. Financial Instability & Risk of Returning to Homelessness
Challenge: Even when housed, clients struggle with budgeting, fees, debt, and rising rents.
Our Response: Financial literacy workshops, budgeting help, rent-readiness coaching, and linkages to utility aid and emergency supports.
Intended Impact: Longer housing retention; fewer returns to shelter; improved credit behaviors over time.

7. Stigma, Discrimination & “Program Fatigue”
Challenge: People with prior evictions, justice involvement, disabilities, or large families are often screened out. Repeated rejection leads to disengagement.
Our Response: Low-barrier intake, equity-focused policies, and advocacy with landlords and agencies. We welcome those who’ve been turned away elsewhere.
Intended Impact: Increased service access for high-barrier households; improved equity in housing outcomes.

8. Parenting Under Pressure & Child Stability
Challenge: Homelessness disrupts school, routines, mental health, and child safety. Parents fear system involvement.
Our Response: Family stabilization services: school enrollment help, parenting support, child resource referrals, and coordinated care with local schools and health providers.
Intended Impact: Reduced school absenteeism; stronger family reunification and stability.

Vision for growth