A year end message from our Executive Director, Amber Hornsby [amber@estherhomesmn.org]

“ESTHER Homes to me is a family, a genuine community of people who want to help people grow individually and with one another!”

- Mama R

This year has been full to the brim filled with new, joys and unknowns. We completed long-awaited renovations (there is nothing quite like the smell of fresh paint and possibility). We continued cheering on our alumni mamas - women who keep setting goals, pivoting when life shifts and surprising even themselves with what they’re capable of. And we remained the steady community our alumni families rely on, filling in the gaps when government programs fall short and ensuring no woman has to navigate motherhood or hardship alone.

This year, ESTHER Homes celebrates 10 years of showing up - that’s what we’re celebrating this year at ESTHER Homes! Ten years of opening doors, pulling up chairs at kitchen tables and holding space for women navigating some of the hardest chapters of their lives.

And the stories? They’ve been beautiful.

We welcomed three new families into the home.

Mama K walked through the home full of courage and fear and said, “This is not what I imagined.” She  thought it would feel like a shelter or that she’d be sharing a bunk with another family. By the end, her words changed: “I don’t want to leave!” She stayed long enough to find her footing, purchase a vehicle and transitioned into her own apartment!

We celebrated two new babies, who arrived earlier than expected - reminding all of us that life rarely follows our timelines but both strong reminders that new life always arrives with both joy and surprise!

We also added three new staff, expanding our ability to walk closely with every family and deepen our community partnerships.

And we celebrated with alumni families…steady jobs, completed certificate programs and steps forward toward long-held dreams. We celebrated alumni kiddos growing another year older, playing sports, learning to read or finally mastering how to snap!

It is a privilege - truly - to witness these transformations, to stand in these moments big and small. To see  courage in real time. To watch a woman realize she’s not alone, that she has community and that she can build a future full of hope. That is the heartbeat of ESTHER Homes!

Every one of these moments came with real costs and real impact. This past year, our operating budget grew by $100,000 so we could provide maternity housing to pregnant women in crisis and offer deeper, more consistent support to more families. As we close out the year, to finish strong and meet the needs in front of us, we need to raise $20,000.

Leading into 2026 we need to

raise $20,000! 

Behind every number is a woman, a child, a story in motion. A mama daring to imagine a different future. A baby whose safe arrival depends on stability. A family who simply needs someone to believe in them long enough for them to believe in themselves.

And we need YOU- truly. Referrals are rising faster than ever and we cannot meet this growing need alone.  This community showed up powerfully in November. You fed families. You filled the gap. And it made us dream: What if this wasn’t just a moment? What if it became the rhythm - day by day, month by month - each person simply saying, “Yes. I’ll show up with what I have. You can count on me!”

As we enter a season shaped by gratitude and generosity, we invite you to stand with us. Your investment keeps not only the home  running, it provides consistent support that reminds every woman who walks through the doors: “You are seen. You are valued. Your story matters. Your kids matter. And you’re not alone here.”

If ESTHER Homes has inspired you this year… if one story has stayed with you… if you’ve ever wondered how you might make a tangible difference - this is the moment.

“You guys were the first thing in my life that had ever felt like direction in a way that made me think I mattered!” -Mama M

You are part of these stories. Part of the hope. Your investment isn’t just a donation - it’s a door opening, a light turning on, a future shifting.

Ten years in and we’re just getting started.

Thank you for showing up with us, believing with us and building this home alongside us.

With a Grateful Heart,

Amber Hornsby - Executive Director

amber@estherhomesmn.org

There are many ways to give:

Mail a Check to ESTHER Homes, P.O. Box 40296, St. Paul, MN 55104