Though access to housing is a key component to individuals and families emerging from crisis, empty housing is not a home. After receiving keys to priority housing, Jessica, a young mother of three, reflected on t what homing means to her:

“When your place is empty, you feel empty. I’m grateful to be out of the shelter, but it’s been sad here without furniture. These walls aren’t what makes a home. It’s the comfort of the things within the walls. Can you sleep on a wall, or relax on one?

“The changes that furniture brought to our home were immediate. Being able to cuddle on the couch, being able to put my kids to bed the first night because they finally had a bed – there are no words.

“I want my kids to know what a home feels like. Once you have the feeling of home inside you, you’ll work hard to have one and keep it. When the kids start school, they’ll be able to invite their friends over to their home with pride. It’s the little things that really are the big things in life. I always want them to know that and appreciate what they have.

“Furniture allows us to be a family—a family like any other.”

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients