Our story begins in 2019 with a friendship between Jennifer and a woman named Landa. Landa was facing a difficult season of life and needed to relocate closer to her medical support team. The move brought her into a small studio apartment. While the apartment itself was a blessing, it felt empty and temporary. Because of financial limitations, Landa had been unable to bring most of her belongings with her. The space held little more than a bed, a chair, and a few cherished family heirlooms. It was shelter, but it did not feel like home.
Jennifer visited Landa weekly and began to notice a quiet but serious shift. Landa stopped inviting people over. She stopped reading. She spent more and more time in bed. What had started as discomfort slowly deepened into depression. Landa had always dreamed of a small cottage, something warm and personal, a place that felt safe and settled. Looking around the bare apartment, Jennifer realized that the environment itself was working against Landa’s healing.
Jennifer decided to act. Using a local thrift store, she carefully selected furniture and household items to transform the studio into a space that felt lived in and welcoming. There was now a place to sit and watch television, a table for evening meals, and a bedroom that felt calm and cozy rather than spare and cold.
The change was noticeable almost immediately. Landa began getting out of bed. She started reconnecting with family and friends. Her mood lifted, and over time her health improved as well. The depression that had taken hold began to loosen its grip.
Today, Landa still lives in the same apartment. She describes her life there as “happily content.” She and Jennifer remain close friends, and what began as a simple act of care became the seed of a much larger mission: the belief that creating a sense of home can play a meaningful role in restoring dignity, stability, and hope.
In December 2021, just days before Christmas, Jennifer and Christina furnished an apartment for a woman and her daughter who were escaping a severe domestic violence situation. The two had fled in the middle of the night with only a bag of clothes, fearing for their lives. The apartment represented more than a place to live. It marked the beginning of safety, stability, and a future free from abuse. As of this writing, both mother and daughter remain safe and are still living away from their abuser.
In January 2022, the experience stayed with Jennifer and Christina. Both women felt a growing conviction to do more for women and children leaving violent environments. Jennifer remained connected to Landa, whose life had changed dramatically after receiving help creating a sense of home. Christina continued hearing from the mother and daughter who had lived in what they now referred to as the “Christmas apartment.” A pattern was becoming clear. These families were not just in need of shelter. They needed a place that felt like home as they rebuilt their lives.
Jennifer and Christina began shaping a shared vision focused on helping survivors of domestic violence and their children take their first steps into safety and stability. As they shared the idea with others, Natalie joined the effort, bringing her heart and energy to the mission.
In March 2022, Homemakers was born.
Our mission is simple but deeply intentional. We help women and children leave violent domestic situations and begin again in safe, furnished homes. By providing essential household furnishings, we remove a major financial and emotional barrier during a time of profound transition. More than furniture, we offer dignity, stability, and the reassurance that with support, a new life is not only possible, it can be lived fully and well.
We exist to help parents and children leave violent domestic environments and begin again in safety. Our goal is not simply to help families escape harm, but to help them thrive beyond it. By furnishing their new apartments, we remove a major financial barrier during one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. With stability and support in place, families are better able to heal, rebuild, and move forward with confidence.
Homemakers serves domestic abuse survivors, many referred through mental health agencies and shelters, who are ready to leave a life shaped by fear. We are a small but dedicated charity, working collaboratively and intentionally, one family at a time. Each home we furnish represents a turning point. For survivors, it is a step toward dignity and self-respect. For children, it is a chance at a different future. We know that creating a safe and welcoming home can change the trajectory of a family’s life, and there is nothing more meaningful to us than walking alongside them as that healing begins.