Kids Empowered On the Move

Kids Empowered On The Move

Meeting Families Where the System Falls Short

Did you know there are hundreds of families living in hotels throughout Oakland County? Did you know our county has only one family shelter with space for just 18 families?

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kids Empowered On The Move (KEOTM) has become an emergency response organization, stepping in to fill critical gaps in our community's homelessness response system. When families have nowhere else to turn, we provide immediate support that helps keep children safe while working toward permanent housing.

Our Impact

Emergency Shelter

• Provided emergency hotel shelter for families experiencing homelessness.
• Invested approximately $570,000 in emergency hotel stays over the past 2½ years.
• Provided more than 11,000 nights of safe shelter for parents and children.

Basic Needs

Since the start of the pandemic, KEOTM has provided:

• More than 27,500 food deliveries
• Approximately 400 beds for children
• Hundreds of deliveries of furniture and household essentials, including microwaves, couches, kitchen supplies, and everything needed to help a family turn an empty apartment into a home.

Helping Families Move Into Housing

• Helped more than 100 families secure permanent housing.
• Prevented more than 100 families from being evicted.
• Purchased five mobile homes to create long-term affordable housing opportunities.
• Assisted families with security deposits, first month's rent, furniture, and household necessities so they could successfully transition into stable housing.

Programs That Strengthen Families

Each year, KEOTM supports approximately 500 families through programs including:

• Adopt-a-Family for Christmas
• Adopt-a-Family for Easter, providing Easter baskets and a family meal from a local restaurant
• Spring and Fall Book Delivery Programs and children's author events
• Trunk or Treat community celebration
• Community Resource Fair

Responding to Community Emergencies

When Oakland County's first-ever winter church shelter for mothers and children opened, KEOTM stepped in to coordinate four months of evening meals, provide essential supplies, recruit volunteers, and help families transition into permanent housing. The shelter served approximately 60 mothers and children during the winter season.

Powered by Volunteers

More than 1,000 volunteers have joined KEOTM in delivering food, furnishing homes, mentoring families, and adopting families during the holidays. Their dedication allows a small organization to create an extraordinary community impact.

Our Story

For more than 20 years, Kids Empowered On The Move focused on social-emotional learning programs for children living in poverty and educational conferences for parents, educators, and community members.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, everything changed.

We mobilized more than 50 volunteers to deliver food to 250 struggling families and joined My COVID Response, a regional collaborative coordinating food banks, food drives, and volunteer deliveries throughout Southeast Michigan.

As volunteers developed relationships with families, they quickly realized food was only one small piece of the challenge. Families also needed beds, clothing, transportation, household items, and safe places to live.

One moment forever changed our organization. A volunteer was asked to help find a bed for a baby who had been sleeping in a dresser drawer.

That experience transformed our mission.

Today, Kids Empowered On The Move provides emergency housing assistance, food, furniture, household essentials, and the support families need to move from crisis to stability. Just as importantly, we connect volunteers with their neighbors, building relationships that deepen understanding and strengthen our community.

Looking Ahead

KEOTM is truly a boots-on-the-ground organization. With only two full-time staff members and one part-time employee, we deliver the impact of a much larger nonprofit because of the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, donors, and community partners.

Funding will allow us to:

• Provide emergency hotel shelter for families with nowhere else to go.
• Help more families secure permanent housing through rental assistance and housing stabilization.
• Expand our volunteer network to reach additional families in need.
• Continue providing food, furniture, beds, and household essentials that help families rebuild their lives.

Every child deserves a safe place to sleep. Every family deserves the opportunity to move from crisis to stability. With community support, Kids Empowered On The Move will continue filling the gaps until every family has a place to call home.