What happens to all the homeless women in the streets?
Phoenix, AZ
Across the United States, efforts are being made to address homelessness among women.
Yet according to public survey data, there are 106,119 homeless women right now. That means there are more homeless women now than during the Great Depression!
The good news is that women are getting support and resources… EVERY DAY!
These interventions happen because of the work of community organizations, outreach programs, and the dedication of people who care and remain vigilant about the issue.
But few talk about what happens afterward.
Do they find a safe place to stay?
Do they have access to the healthcare they desperately need?
Do they have the chance to reclaim a sense of stability and pick up where they left off?
Unfortunately, the reality isn’t often discussed, and that’s because it’s not a pretty story.
Some of the challenges these women face once they leave the streets can be just as daunting and painful as their experiences of homelessness itself.
In the picture-perfect Hollywood story, a woman finds refuge, returns to a warm, welcoming family, and instantly heals from her trauma, living happily ever after.
That story sells tickets and gives us a comforting escape from a harsh reality.
But the truth is often gut-wrenching, messy, painful, and difficult to confront.
The reality is that women experiencing homelessness usually need months, sometimes even YEARS, of intensive support before they can truly rebuild their lives.
Over the past 15 years of working with homeless women, we’ve seen a lot…
- We’ve seen a many women come into our shelter who have been sexually or physically abused.
- We’ve seen women who became homeless because they had a child who ran away and finding that child consumed them to the point of homelessness.
- We’ve seen women who would rather sleep in the dirty and dangerous streets than with their abuser at home.
- We’ve seen women come into our program pregnant after some man offered to “rescue” them from the streets but raped them instead.
- We’ve seen women come in with severe diseases that they contracted from exposure to the disease and filth of living on the streets.
- We’ve seen women whose family have given up on them, abandoned them to the streets and care nothing for them.
- We see minds that have been warped to think that everyone on the streets is out to get them, even their own family.
So, no, they don’t just get into an apartment and life is magically perfect again…
Every day, we see the “rest of the story” and the HUGE need these homeless women have.
And what is their greatest need?
The greatest need these women have is for people to come alongside them and help them as they heal.
Some people teach classes or mentor the women. But not everyone has the time to truly commit to sticking with these girls while they heal. It’s a process…for sure.
Many people have decided to try sponsoring a woman’s recovery journey as she heals. It’s something that most people can do and it truly does help these homeless women get the thing they need most – HEALING.
Effective sponsorships start at as little as $10 per month.
What good does $10 per month do?
A lot.
That $10 may be the first healthy, nourishing, and loving meal that the woman has had in months…or years.
That $10 may be the co-pay for the first medical appointment she has had in a long time. Or it may take care of the medicine she needs for her first prescription to heal something she has going on physically or mentally.
That $10 may cover the gas and transportation costs for a woman as she is transported from the police department to the Dream Center where she will start the healing process.
That $10 may buy her a comfy shirt or PJ’s…or maybe when she’s out shopping with our staff she’ll see a stuffed animal she falls in love with and wants to take back to her room.
So, what does a $10 sponsorship do? It immediately starts the healing and restoration process.
And, that $10, when added to the hundreds of other people also giving $10 per month, becomes an unstoppable flow that restores hundreds of homeless women we serve every year.
And, if $10 can do THAT, imagine what $100 can do!
Bottom line – monthly sponsorships make a difference. So, why not try sponsoring a homeless after she has been recovered out of homelessness?
What better gift than to walk alongside a woman who is recovering from the horror and the same of homelessness.
Any amount is appreciated and every amount goes 100% directly to help the girls heal. All of our overhead costs are covered by a private foundation grant.
Try a monthly sponsorship to help homeless women recover their lives today!
Important Privacy Note – When you sponsor a homeless woman, you will receive details about the journey that a woman takes when she comes through our women’s life recovery healing program. We ask that you never share the details that you are sent. Some of the women we serve have an open police investigation against their abusers, so no one’s personal identity can ever be compromised including real names, pictures, or details that would affect their police case. We have also taken great measures to conceal the identity of any homeless woman you are sponsoring. Any stories or details we share are based on true stories and actual events as they are related to us by the women who have shared them with us. But any details that may jeopardize a woman’s safety will be altered or not shared in order to protect the woman. Optionally, you can also sign up for mentor training to mentor a homeless woman after she has completed the healing program. You would then meet her as you joined her mentor team. Mentoring is not required for monthly sponsorships.
What women who have already been sponsored are saying...
“My heart was broken out there in the streets. I hurt everywhere, every day. People looked at me like I was trash. I thought everyone hated me. But the Dream Center outreach workers loved me. They saw me for who I am. I feel safe here and I’m so thankful that I have a second chance at life.”
Paula L
“I was just ready to die. Every day I woke up I got sad because I knew how hard it was going to be just to try to find food and keep safe. These men out there in the streets are like animals. Every day I had something stolen from me, including my own safety and my own body. But that life is behind me now. I’m grateful to God for all the good things that are in front of me now.”
JoJo M
“I’m so thankful that the Dream Center had a bed open for me. I was on the waiting list of 5 different shelters and no one had room for me. There are so many girls and women still out there. I hope they can all be safe and get help. I know they need a lot of help. Maybe someday I can help them like someone helped me.”
Barb T
- Your monthly sponsorship funding will be used to sponsor a woman who is in the women's homeless recovery program and you will begin receiving reports in 2 to 3 days
- You will be able to write a personal note to a woman in the healing program and share encouraging words, quote and thoughts with her
- You will get regular update emails about the healing journey that a woman who goes through our healing program experiences
- You will get reports about things that a woman in the program is going through, and what happens next for her after the program
- You will feel like you are walking along side a woman in the program as she heals from the trauma of homelessness
- You will see your monthly sponsorship actually making an impact in a woman's life meeting her immediate healing needs
Number of homeless women who currently live in our life recovery healing program:
Number of homeless women still needing sponsorships:
Bonus gift for Monthly Sponsors!
We don’t have many of these Angel Wing Keychains. When the last one is gone, this bonus goes away.
When you become a Monthly Sponsor we’ll send you one.
And, we’ll give one to the woman you are sponsoring and tell her that it’s from a “friend who cares”.
Try A Monthly Sponsorship To Help Restore A Woman
Our 100% Guarantee
100% of your donation goes directly to help women recover from homelessness. Our administrative overhead costs are all covered by business revenue and a private foundation grant.
And, here’s some more good news – in Arizona your donation is eligible for the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit and you can get $938 in state tax credits for couples filing jointly and singles can get up to $470 in AZ Charitable Tax Credits.
