10 Years, 1000 Homes, Limitless Futures

Hello!


Correction: We have provided over $1.8 million in furnishings. Our previous email said $1.8 billion. Some day we hope that will be the case. Apologies for this typo!


Hearts to Homes has just begun its 10th year of providing support to young adults aging out of foster care. To date, we have helped turn more than 940 living spaces into comfortable homes with over $1.8 million in furnishings. Thanks to your generosity and support, we are approaching a milestone of supporting 1,000 young adults and furnishing 1,000 homes. We are so grateful to our community of donors who help us bring stability and certainty to a challenging transition.


We are also proud to announce that we have permanently lifted all referral criteria for individuals seeking assistance! 


Since our founding, we have dreamed of the day when we would be able to support every young adult transitioning out of foster care in our area without any restrictions. 

Previously, we required all applicants to meet certain educational, professional, family, or coaching criteria. By lifting these prior rules, all young adults aging out of foster care in our area may now receive critical furnishing assistance.


After a recent trial period this summer where we tested our capacity, we were able to successfully and sustainably help every young adult referred to us furnish their first homes. We are grateful for your support as we continue to grow and create positive impact in the lives of even more young adults.


The Hearts to Homes Difference

The transition out of foster care comes with a great deal of uncertainty. We pride ourselves on providing the best experience we can to everyone we work with. Here are some key pillars of the Hearts to Homes difference:


Speed: We fulfill all orders quickly and efficiently, usually within 24 hours of receiving them, and items are usually in hand 14 days later.


Choice: We allow each individual to select what they need. Up to 90 items are available, including furniture. Their apartment can look exactly as they would like, and the choice is completely theirs.


Personalization: We allow each individual to tell us their favorite color or choice of pattern. Colors, finishes, and styles are all matched to the preference of the person choosing them.


Quality: We provide only new items. Gently used is great in many situations, but we believe that these young adults should be treated as if we were throwing a housewarming for a friend. For such a big life transition, new items add an extra feeling of ownership and dignity.


Communication: We listen and respond. Asking each young person for feedback on our process has led us to add many items to our Wish List. Over the years, 20+ items have been added. In addition, our Building Bright Beginnings program was a direct response to requests that we received from the young parents whose homes we were furnishing.


Collaboration: Items are delivered by someone they know and trust. This is a very emotional time and might not be the right time for a well-meaning volunteer to tell someone where they should put their cutlery and dishes when - for the first time - they have complete control over where their items will go in their new home. At the request of our agency partners, Hearts to Homes volunteers stay behind the scenes, not in front.

So Much Fun at Oktoberfest

Just weeks ago, our Westchester County fundraiser was held at Leewood Golf Club. Our prior event, known as Wings & Things, was updated to acknowledge the season with a pivot to Oktoberfest!


Sixty people came out to celebrate and share some delicious German-inspired food while raising a glass and critical funds for young adults aging out of foster care. Thank you to our incredible sponsors, attendees, raffle donors, raffle winners, and volunteers—your generosity helped us raise an amazing $13,000! This will allow us to furnish more homes for individuals in need!


A special thank you to our event co-chairs, Marissa Y. Mack and Kevin Kennedy!

Monthly Donors Combine to Create Powerful Impact


Did you know that Hearts to Homes has 38 incredible monthly donors? When we looked at their combined impact, we were so impressed! Together these donors have contributed over $17,000 in the past year, allowing us to furnish the first homes of nine young adults aging out of foster care.


Gifts from this generous group range from $5/month to $200/month, reflecting a commitment to generosity, a dedication to making the world a better place for those in need and, at the same time, setting their level of giving at a point that each donor is comfortable with.


We are so grateful that each of these donors has made the decision to have philanthropy be part of their everyday life!


If you would like to simplify your philanthropy and become a monthly donor, use the link below to create an ongoing donation at a level that gives you comfort in knowing that you are helping someone in need every day!

Summer Showed No

Slow-down in Referrals


The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is typically vacation time, but for our referring partners, volunteers and employees, there is no such thing as a summer slow-down.


Aging out never goes on vacation. Every day, someone in foster care in our area turns 21. While this can be a happy milestone for most young adults, for those in foster care it may mean a day of anxiety and a MAJOR change in their lives. From Foster Care to First Home isn't just our tagline, it's also a reminder that when young adults leave foster care, they immediately begin their independent lives.


This past summer, we helped fifty-two young adults make a smoother, less anxious transition into independence. We helped young adults settle into their homes in four boroughs of New York City, Westchester and Rockland counties, and on Long Island. We even helped two young adults settle into apartments out-of-state: in Maryland and Pennsylvania. (Hearts to Homes' support follows young adults who were in foster care in our area even when they decide to relocate away from here.)


We could not have had this kind of impact without the generosity of our donors, the commitment of our referring partners, and the hard work and dedication of our two Wish List fulfillment volunteers, Grace and Florence. Thank you to everyone who digs deep to make this all possible.

Donate today to change someone's life tomorrow!

Follow us on social media!

Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  Linkedin  

At Hearts to Homes, our core mission is to empower individuals aging out of foster care by transforming empty living spaces into a place they can call home. We provide essential furnishings and a sense of comfort to those in need, ensuring that young adults who are transitioning out of the foster care system have the support they deserve as they embark on their journey of independence.

From Foster Care to First Home

51 Lindbergh Place
Yonkers, NY 10707
(914) 400-7193