Sheila worked as a school bus driver for 13 years until last March when she broke her knee, couldn’t work, and lost her job. She’s been homeless in the past, but never for this long.

Sheila and her 18-year-old daughter, Charquella, spend their evenings in hotels and with friends. Charquella is a senior at Ingram High School and, as Sheila will tell anyone who will listen, her daughter maintains a 3.0 GPA and will be the first in the family to graduate from high school.

Sheila looks proudly at Charquella and says “I must have done SOMETHING right!” Charquella will tell you that her mom keeps her focused on her goals of being a fashion designer. She wants to make her mom proud by graduating and being successful.

At Mary’s Place Sheila finds peace of mind and community. “The women and staff, even if they don’t know you,” she says, “will come up and talk and ask you how you’re doing.” Sheila says people listen to her at Mary’s Place.

With your gift, Sheila can find the support she needs to make sure she and her family can stay focused on their goals and create a better future for themselves. Thank you!

Jennifer left Spokane, Washington to move to Seattle to be closer to her children’s father.  They share custody of their girls, ages two and five. When she arrived he informed her that the girls could stay with him, but Jennifer could not.  The girls’ father worked late, so the girls would stay with her in her car until he got home, then go inside and Jennifer would sleep in her car.

Worried about the children’s care because of Jennifer’s lack of housing, Child Protective Services took the girls into custody.  They said they would return them to Jennifer’s care when she had a place to stay overnight.  Jennifer arrived at Mary’s Place sobbing and distraught. A staff member at Mary’s Place assured CPS that she and her girls would have shelter and they agreed to bring them to her. With the overnight shelter provided by Mary’s Place and donors like you, they were reunited. Today Jennifer has a place to live but she returns to Mary’s Place often to see her friends and help others.

Thank you for giving support that keeps families together.

In 2003, Sheri fell asleep at the wheel while working an overtime shift for her job.  Her car slid under a refrigerated truck and she was almost decapitated.  She came close to dying and was left with numerous injuries.  She had disability insurance for many years but it eventually ran out.  Unable to work due to her injuries, Sheri became homeless.  She started volunteering at a church that also let her sleep in the basement.

Sheri has always relied on Mary’s Place.  Most recently, due to cutbacks and changes with her limited medical coverage, she was unable to get her medications.  “I walked in to Mary’s Place and they knew I was in trouble.  Within hours I was at Harborview Charity Care getting my medications.”

Today Sheri is battling lupus and still dealing with her injuries from her life-altering accident.  Whenever she is down she heads straight to Mary’s Place to help in the kitchen and feel the encouragement it has always brought to her.  “Mary’s Place feeds me.  They helped me find a home.  They got my medication.  Mary’s Place saves my life every day.”

Thank you for giving Sheri the life-saving support she needs.

Rosie and her six brothers and sisters were dropped off at an orphanage in New York in the late 1960’s.  Her family was from Puerto Rico and her parents could no longer afford to take care of their children.  She and one of her sisters were adopted by a couple in Seattle and raised here.  Throughout her life she has been a victim of domestic violence.  She has three grown children and Pablo.  She and her 5-year-old son, Pablo have been homeless off and on since he was four months old.  When she made it to Mary’s Place she was welcomed and immediately started to feel less depressed and scared.  They have helped her find shelters that will take her and Pablo each night.  Today Rosie is looking for work in retail and hopes to find a job and housing so she can stay with her son.

Your gift, Gregj, of a week of safety and support has allowed Rosie and her son Pablo to overcome challenges and start over.  Thank you so much for your generous gift!

Michelle has survived things most of us could never imagine.  She has been raped, beaten and left for dead more than once.  She has woken up in some of Seattle’s most dangerous alleys and spent days on life support.   For 27 years Michelle battled drug addiction and homelessness.   “I was slowly committing suicide every day.”

Michelle was a straight A student in high school with plans to go to college.  Her parents’ sudden split when she was a teen changed her plans in an instant.  With no skills to handle her depression Michelle lost her self-confidence and put her dreams on hold.

A little over a year ago Michelle walked into Mary’s Place.   At first she didn’t want to socialize with the other woman or participate in activities.   The staff didn’t give up on her.  They knew that if Michelle started to feel connected to other women she would see she had a life worth fighting for.  She started with things as simple as knitting.  “Mary’s Place helped me see the life I had been missing for 27 years.”

Michelle entered a recovery program and got help for her depression.  “Mary’s Place was always there for me.  The women there would celebrate my accomplishments and held my hand during my failures.”  Today Michelle has a new goal to attend college and get a great job.

Thank you, Varun, Valen, Peter, Pradeep and Michael, for giving Michelle hope for a better life.

Barbara came to Mary’s Place a little over a year ago.  She had left a life of 20 years of drugs and crime in Southern California and was determined to start fresh in Seattle. “We started by camping and I could convince myself that it was temporary. When it became clear that we needed some help we came to Mary’s Place.” Not only was Barbara homeless, her health was getting worse.  he is diabetic and was unable to monitor her blood sugar. As soon as she came to Mary’s Place she saw the nurse and within days she was getting her diabetes under control. “Mary’s Place saved us.”

Immediately Barbara realized that Mary’s Place could offer her a fresh start and she jumped into volunteering and making friends. “We never felt sorry for ourselves. We had to leave the drug world and Mary’s Place didn’t judge our past. They just were supportive.” It didn’t take long for Barbara to find housing with the help of Mary’s Place and the REACH program. “We got lucky the day we walked into Mary’s Place and I will never forget it.”

Thank you for giving Barbara the chance she needed for a new beginning.

Theresa was her mother’s caretaker while her mother was dying of breast cancer.  When her mother passed away, Theresa moved to stay with her children in different states, but never had a place of her own. She moved to Seattle a year ago. She heard about Mary’s Place and started spending Saturdays at the Church of Mary Magdalene, a spiritual community of homeless women and a sister organization to Mary’s Place.

Theresa says the hardest part of the day for her is between 7 am and 6 pm when the shelters are closed.  The only places to go are the public library or a women’s day center like Mary’s Place. Mary’s Place is warm and the people are kind.  She feels fortunate to have a warm place to go during the day.

Thank you for giving Theresa a safe and supportive place to find shelter during the day!

Susan became homeless 6 months ago.  Her husband had lost his job and became very ill, then passed away in the hospital.  Susan had no place to go and very little money–only her social security.  Her children did not have room to take her in and she spent five months in a shelter and came to Mary’s Place every day.  She commented that “There is very little privacy when you are homeless.  There are no doors on bathroom stalls and you sleep in a big room.  It is easy to lose your dignity.”

A caseworker helped Susan find a subsidized apartment.  She loves the support she gets from other women and the staff at Mary’s Place.  Even after finding housing, she comes back twice a week to volunteer at the front desk.  She says Mary’s Place offers hope for women and children.  “It helps those of us who really need it get back on our feet.”

Thank you so much UBS for helping Susan reclaim her life!

Danielle has been homeless for four years. She had a good job working with children with autism and was working towards becoming a medical assistant. She started using drugs and lost everything within months. She has a son who lives with his godparents.

Danielle has now been clean for over a year and is working hard to regain her life. She is enrolled in a job-training program. She comes to Mary’s Place for spiritual direction and to get support and encouragement from other women. “We need Mary’s Place because it supports women and helps us turn our life around.”

Thank you for giving Danielle a place to reclaim her life with safety and support.