Volunteers of America provides emergency housing to entire families. We take families of any composition, whether it is couples with children, single moms or single dads with children, same sex couples with children, or families with extended members, all are welcome at Volunteers of America.
Being homeless is traumatic enough, so we work hard to keep families together by providing them with their own room and a safe, stable environment so they can pause to work on solutions to their housing crisis.
How the VOA helps families:
- VOA provides support services to help families find and access permanent housing and address the challenges in their lives.
- Families remain together which minimizes the trauma of homelessness.
- VOA ensures the families’ basic needs are met by providing them with safe shelter, meals, transportation, and toiletries.
- Case managers connect families to other community resources to help them get back on their feet.
Moving Forward Family Shelter
The Moving Forward Family Shelter, run by Volunteers of America and leased by the Monroe County Department of Human Services (DHS), opened in July 2024. The shelter can accommodate up to 58 families at any given time when at full capacity, making it the largest family shelter in Monroe County. Room sizes can accommodate families from two to eight people. The Moving Forward Family Shelter offers on-site case management, children and family activities, meals, and interim transportation to school and medical services.
The Guest House
Volunteers of America provides immediate emergency shelter and support services for homeless families with children at The Guest House. This 14-unit emergency family shelter, which opened in 2008, allows families in crisis to stay together. The goal is to provide immediate shelter and help families find appropriate, permanent affordable housing. VOA provides the basic daily living needs such as food, clothing, and hygiene supplies along with case management services to connect them with a wide range of community resources to help them get back on track. The Guest House serves more than 300 families annually in Rochester.
Featured Guest Room
The “Bank of America Guest Room” is a private family room that was dedicated in honor of the company’s support for VOA’s Guest House over the years. Many thanks to the Bank of America!
