Gwen Clifton recalls the shame she felt when the reality of not having enough to eat startled her. She fell to the floor after rummaging through an empty refrigerator and bare cupboards.
She couldn’t feed her hungry toddler.
“I just sat on the floor holding my baby, crying, embarrassed, ashamed,” Clifton said. “I felt defeated. I felt like I failed my daughter.”
But moments later Clifton heard a knock at the front door. She wasn’t expecting company. Clifton opened the door to find bags of groceries on her front steps and a family member who just had the hunch that these would be useful.
It’s that moment, almost 30 years ago, that drove Clifton to start her organization, Safe Way Homes of Greater Rochester. The nonprofit provides transitional housing and programs for individuals who may be facing homelessness or who have fallen on hard times.
“Homelessness can happen to anybody at any given minute.” Clifton said. “I’m treating somebody like how I wanted to be treated.”
Clifton launched the housing initiative just three years ago and it has quickly grown to four properties with more than 15 units. Each property is designed to feel like a home and to “uphold one’s dignity,” she said.
“I want to provide a home that is inviting. That is inspiring,” Clifton said. “You're going to be amazed. You're going to feel the love the minute you step in.”
Esabella Smith was one of Clifton’s first tenants.
After spending time away at college, Smith decided that "it wasn’t the right fit for her." The decision to leave school angered her parents and she wasn’t allowed to move back home. Person Centered Housing Options referred Smith to Safe Way Homes, where she gained more than a bed.
“It was a lot more homely,” Smith said about the shelter’s ambience. “Gwen (Clifton) was more of a mom role than a care counselor or anything.”
Residents are allowed to stay up to a year or two at Safe Way Homes. Smith was there for three months until she saved enough money to move into her own apartment. But, she said, her relationship with Clifton hasn't changed.
“If I still needed help to this day, I know that I could call Gwen and she would do whatever she can to kind of help me out,” Smith said. “It's just always good to know that I still got somebody.”
Clifton’s most recent property, a 10-bedroom house on West Avenue, recently filled its last unit. She said she's in awe at how much she has been able to accomplish by simply being obedient to her calling.
Within its three years, Safe Way Homes of Greater Rochester has successfully helped twenty-five individuals transition into independent living.
“We give, we share, we model ourselves off of making a way,” Clifton said. “And that's our motto. Let me help you make a way.”
