Others did not know or at least they did not want to see the violence in my childhood home. Like so many children, it was the secret we kept. And like so many children, domestic violence was part of an ongoing journey I had learned to hide and that later in life was too embarrassing to voice. I was in my forties, an educator, an author, a feminist who thought she had left domestic violence behind and there I was, again, in an experience I fought to escape. It wasn’t until I was in a women’s shelter and showing wounds on my body that I could no longer hide, when deeply caring strangers supported me in realizing the truth about what I was surviving. I reached out and voiced my experience with a close friend, a friend who saved me in so many ways, gifting me shelter, warmth, kindness, care, a chance to restart my life.
Imagine your worst day. Imagine the time when you thought you couldn’t take another step. Remember the moment you felt most alone in the world. Was there someone who offered a kind word, a small gesture that kept you going? Did you wish someone had? Why not be that person for another? By preparing just a little, such as donation items easily distributable one at a time as resources and opportunities allow, small efforts can mean life change for another, if only for a moment. And sometimes, that can mean everything.
About the Warm Words Project
The Warm Words Project is a community-based outreach initiative of neighbors helping neighbors experiencing homelessness and/or domestic violence. Neighbors gift hats, blankets, food, water, shelter/food bank information and writing journals, encouraging the sharing of stories without judgement.
A response to 2025 unemployment, hunger and domestic violence in local communities, the Warm Words Project is a local outreach run by and sourced by local community members working for community members. If you would like to begin your own Warm Words Project community outreach, please contact us. We are happy to help.
“One of America’s most visible yet least understood challenges….”
The National Alliance to End Homelessness identifies homelessness as affecting “…people from all walks of life who struggle due to economic hardship, lack of affordable housing, or other systemic barriers. The reality is that most people are forced into homelessness by circumstances beyond their control. The solutions lie in systemic changes, not quick fixes.”
Adults, veterans, elderly, unaccompanied youth….
The Warm Words Project seeks to support individuals experiencing homelessness and domestic violence across the spectrum, including adults, veterans, elderly and youth of diverse backgrounds and faiths.
Financial stressors are a common trigger for abuse. With the rise in living costs, the National Coalition for the Homeless reports “…the cost of rental housing greatly exceeds wages earned by low-income renter households. For example, a full-time worker needs to earn on average $25.82 per hour to afford a modest two-bedroom rental and $21.21 hourly to afford a one-bedroom (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2022). However, the national minimum wage is only $7.25….” Homelessness is an epidemic in the United States, one that can unexpectedly affect any one of us in a confluence of circumstances.
24 people per minute….
The National Domestic Violence Hotline estimates an “…average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States — more than 12 million women and men over the course of a single year….”
Local scale, local communities….
Through a secular initiative, the Warm Words Project neither judges nor seeks to convert. Rather, it focuses on active humanitarian solutions at local, individual scale. Resources flow directly from person to person within communities.
Where several organizations focus on national and statewide outreach, the Warm Words Project focuses on local efforts. Neighbors helping neighbors finding momentary acts of kindness through preparation and engagement. There is no central donation center, but rather, an initiative built on an idea: people still care about people if they choose to care.
By preparing just a little, donation items are easily distributable one at a time as resources and opportunities allow. Our small efforts can mean life change for another, if only for a moment. Imagine your worst day. Imagine the time when you thought you couldn’t take another step. Remember the moment you felt most alone in the world. Was there someone who offered a kind word, a small gesture that kept you going? Did you wish someone had? Why not be that person for another?
Keep a few Warm Words Project hats in your car. Carry one with you as you walk your dog. Throw one in your shopping bag as you walk to the market. When you see a neighbor experiencing homelessness, offer a Warm Words Project hat. Encourage them to share their story.
If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness and/or domestic violence, contact:
National Unhoused Hotline
PHONE 211
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1.800.799.SAFE