My name is Maria, and I met Kaitlin when she was around 13 years old through my daughter, Jackie. Since then, Kaitlin and Jackie have become the best of friends. Over the years, I’ve watched Kaitlin face many challenges, fall, and always pick herself back up. She was with the father of her children from the time she was 19 until she was 35. In May 2024, on her son Hunter’s eighth birthday, Kaitlin made the difficult decision to leave her children’s father, taking only the kids and the clothes on their backs. They left Pennsylvania and relocated to New Jersey.

Once in New Jersey, Kaitlin faced the challenge of finding shelter for her family of four. She and her youngest son, Colton, stayed with my daughter while Hunter and Quinn, her older children, stayed with their grandmother, which meant the family was separated for about a month. Eventually, they were placed in a hotel by Alternatives to Domestic Violence for a month, until a shelter opening became available.

When Kaitlin first arrived in New Jersey, she had no photo ID or documentation for herself or her children, which caused a delay in receiving assistance for four months. After finally obtaining the required paperwork, she was able to enroll Colton in school and secure full-time employment.

During their time at the shelter, Kaitlin saw many families receive help with housing, whether through Section 8 or transitional housing, yet she and her children remained stuck. There was an incident where an assessment was missed due to confusion about where to go, which caused Kaitlin’s cash and temporary rental assistance to be sanctioned and terminated. She worked diligently to get everything reinstated.

Kaitlin was never quiet about the mistreatment she saw at the shelter. She shared her concerns with friends and family, but she had to keep moving forward to secure a place for her family, all while keeping those experiences in mind.

On the night of February 13, around 10 PM, the shelter informed Kaitlin and another mother of two that they were being discharged due to physical violence—an accusation that was completely false. Kaitlin demanded that the police be called, but because the shelter is a nonprofit and not a government facility, the police had no choice but to make the two mothers and their five children leave. Meanwhile, the client who had caused the issue was allowed to stay.

The police were supportive of the two mothers, but could only document the situation with their body cameras. The shelter management insisted they no longer wanted the families there. The other mother and her children were sent back to their abuser with an Uber paid for by the shelter staff, and they offered to do the same for Kaitlin, sending her back to the father of her children, which she refused. Despite the shelter’s responsibility to help families leaving their facility, neither family received assistance.

Kaitlin also reached out to DCPP (Division of Child Protection and Permanency) for help with temporary housing while she and her baby stayed in the hotel, but they did not provide support either.

In the meantime, friends and family have been helping with the cost of the hotel, food, and other necessities.

If you’re unable to donate, sharing this post would mean the world. Kaitlin, her children, and their family and friends are deeply grateful for all the support, kind words, and assistance they’ve received so far. The funds will be going towards family food, shelter, and necessities. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity.