For Kristin Mathis, president and CEO of Rochester’s Home Start Hope, the word home is rooted in lived experience and shaped by years of listening to the women the organization serves. Home represents more than shelter—it’s the foundation for stability, dignity, and the ability to move forward.
Mathis spent many years as a single mother following a divorce, navigating the emotional and financial strain of raising children. That personal history informs her perspective on the challenges faced by many women served by Home Start Hope, a volunteer-run organization that provides brand new essential household items to women and their children transitioning from emergency shelters to independence. “I know what it’s like to worry, to stretch every dollar, to try to keep your home feeling steady for your kids when life feels anything but steady,” she says. While Mathis had family support during that time, she emphasizes that many women Home Start Hope serves do not, which deepens her commitment to the organization’s mission.
Launched in 2010, Home Start Hope began as a response to a gap Mathis encountered while volunteering with the Junior League of Rochester, when she was part of a provisional class assigned to develop a group service project. Connecting with Bethany House, an emergency shelter, she learned how little women often had when they arrived and how little they left with when they moved on.
That reality prompted a question that stayed with Mathis: “How is anyone supposed to start over with basically nothing?” So, her group organized a “housewarming” party, collecting household items and sharing a meal with shelter residents. The response exceeded expectations. With more donations than the shelter could store, Mathis began keeping items at her home. For the next nine months, she coordinated directly with Bethany House, gathering specific items women needed as they prepared to move into permanent housing. The experience revealed both the scale of the need and the possibility of doing more.
As Home Start Hope formed, Mathis and her collaborators recognized that while household essentials are critical, the women also needed the experience of choosing those things themselves, feeling “respected and empowered while choosing her items.” She explains, “That simple act means so much. It’s choice, it’s dignity, it’s a bit of freedom at a time when life has felt anything but free.”
Mathis finds continued inspiration in the women and children Home Start Hope serves. Witnessing their relief, gratitude, and joy and hearing their stories reinforces the importance of the work. She says, “Many have been through incredibly difficult circumstances, yet they show so much strength and resilience. It’s impossible not to be moved by that.”
What Makes a Home
Mathis’s own understanding of home informs the organization’s philosophy. “Home, for me, is quiet and calm,” she explains. “A house becomes a home when you feel safe and settled inside its walls, surrounded by the people and things that bring you comfort.” That sense of safety and calm is what Home Start Hope helps women begin to build.
“Home is the foundation for everything,” Mathis says. “If you don’t feel safe or settled where you live, it affects every part of life—your ability to work, parent, make decisions, or even think clearly.” When women and children have a stable home, she notes, families are strengthened, and healthier communities follow.
For many participants, moving into a new home represents a fresh start. Mathis describes the initial feeling as relief, not having to worry about acquiring basic necessities and knowing the items are new and chosen intentionally. She observes that unpacking those items brings pride and excitement, emotions that extend to children eager to see their new space take shape.
At the same time, Mathis acknowledges that rebuilding a sense of home is rarely immediate. While having essential items helps women settle more quickly, feeling grounded and secure develops over time. Routines, stability, and safety emerge with time, making home an ongoing process rather than a single milestone.
Mathis views housing in a broader social context: Despite the dedication of service providers and caseworkers, Rochester continues to face a shortage of safe, affordable housing. Mathis hopes for greater focus on accessibility and long-term stability, noting that when housing is secure, “everything else becomes more possible.”
Home Start Hope reframes the meaning of home, not as something assumed or easily replaced, but as something built through care, choice, and respect. For the women and children it serves, home becomes a place where stability begins and confidence can grow.
“I know what it’s like to worry, to stretch every dollar, to try to keep your home feeling steady for your kids when life feels anything but steady."
Side Bar:
For more information about Home Start Hope, visit homestarthope.org. Don't miss the organization's upcoming Give A Damn Dinner Fundraiser on Friday, April 17 at Monroe Golf Club.