Young Mothers Moving Out—and Moving Forward

The single mothers we serve are ages 18 to 24 with an average child age of 23 months. These young women are just starting adulthood—and doing so as parents.

To empower these young mothers for success when they move from our transitional family shelter to permanent housing, Homeward NYC provides: counseling, access to financial and health care benefits, connections to community resources, group activities, and basic life skills (today known as “adulting”).

Last fall, we developed new move-out kits with items needed for a new home including pots and pans, kitchen utensils, cleaning supplies, and personal care items. The kits provide young mothers the essentials to make their new apartment their own home.

The kits also alleviate some of the stress of moving, and the family’s burden of needing to use their cash assistance or modest furniture voucher toward these essentials.

RM, a single mother of two young children, moved from our family shelter to the Bronx—and into her very first apartment! She was excited to receive the cookware in her move-out kit and eager to bake cakes with her daughter in their new home.