Last week, amid the drop in temperatures to freezing conditions in Sacramento, one of the resilient women who recently graduated from our initial job readiness and empowerment program came to our facility in crisis. Over the past few months, we have witnessed her unwavering commitment to achieving her goals, transforming her future, and overcoming the obstacles she faces as an unhoused woman of color. Her diligence and hard work paid off because, with support from our housing specialist, she was just a few days away from moving into the stable home she had secured.
However, instead of being able to celebrate this remarkable accomplishment, she was in crisis due to the looming sweeps being conducted by the city.
With the use of law enforcement, plows, and dumpsters, these sweeps are forcing out unhoused individuals, including women and children, who have sought shelter in encampments and are destroying/discarding all of their unmoved belongings.
While several temporary respite centers were opened due to the dangerously cold conditions, there is simply not close to enough safe/warm shelter to provide a reasonable alternative to all the people who are being displaced.
With no other place to go and three days to go before stable housing, this graduate was facing the heartbreaking possibility of having all her hard-earned belongings discarded the next day if she couldn’t find a safe location to keep them. As a woman who relies on a walker for mobility, she mustered all her strength and determination and loaded up her walker. Over the course of three challenging trips back and forth on foot from her camp, she managed to bring her most important possessions to Women’s Empowerment, seeking support and assistance.
Because of her perseverance, WE staff were able to spring into action and help figure out and arrange for transportation and temporary storage of the rest of her belongings until she could move into her new home.
However, with over 9,000 people unsheltered on any given night in Sacramento, this story is the exception, not the rule. It is a small victory amidst a much larger struggle faced by so many others working hard every day to survive.
This story serves as a reminder of the resilience and determination of women and children experiencing homelessness and the vital role WE play in amplifying their voices, advocating for change, and providing the necessary education, support, and empowerment for them to move from surviving to thriving.
What is happening is inhumane, unjust, and illegal. We will continue to fight for the rights and well-being of the community we serve until, together, we can end homelessness in Sacramento.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Help women and children overcome the barriers of homelessness in our community this holiday season!
By making a tax-deductible end-of-year contribution, you create a long-term solution to ending family homelessness in Sacramento this holiday season. Please make a gift today to support women building pathways out of poverty and rebuilding their lives.
Holiday Craft Party Donations!
With your help, we can make sure that the women and children in our program each receive a special holiday gift this year with a few fun items and some winter essentials. We have a goal to collect 320 holiday gift packages by Thursday, December 14th!
Here are a few ways you can help ensure each of our graduates and their children get a special gift this year!
- Host a drive with friends and family or at your workplace –If you’re interested in hosting a drive, please email samantha@womens-
empowerment.org to get started! - Shop for and collect gift package items on our HOLIDAY WISH LIST!
- Shop our AMAZON WISH LIST or have us shop for you! (Each woman and child receives a gift package valued at around $40-$50)
- Spread the word!
- Make a donation online and let us do the shopping for you! Please add “holiday drive” in the dedication section.
- Prefer to write a check? That’s great too! Checks can be made to Women’s Empowerment and dropped off or mailed to 1590 North A Street, Sacramento, CA 95811. Please include “holiday drive” in the memo line.
Volunteer at WE!
Volunteers are the backbone of Women’s Empowerment and are essential to our work. By giving with time, energy, and heart, volunteers truly make an impact
on the women and children we serve. There are a wide variety of volunteer opportunities at Women’s Empowerment, visit our Volunteer Page to find out more.
If you’re interested in volunteering to help with our holiday efforts, please email samantha@womens-empowerment.org!
