Clare House has been helping women break the cycle of homelessness in Anchorage for 25 years. Along the way they've helped many families get back on their feet.

Clare House is, first and foremost, an emergency shelter that serves women and their children. But the truth is, they can do so much more to help women break the cycle of homelessness. Clare House is a place where women can feel safe and work on getting their lives back together.

"In addition to providing them a place to sleep and providing food, we provide case management services to help women identify what's going on in their lives and what they may need help with. We help them find a place to stay, get employment and to continue on and recover from the cycle of homelessness," said Susan Bomalaski of Catholic Social Services.

A big goal at Clare House is to make sure that women have the support and skills they need to get out of the shelter and not return. Judging from the last 25 years, they must be doing something right, because less than 10 percent of their clients come back.

Suwanne Carroll is one of them, but she was only back at the facility to share her success story.

"I came here with my son and they provided everything, from counseling to medical help. And made sure my son was not only enrolled in the best schools, but before and after school care--all the things that would empower me to be a better person on the job, a better parent and a lot of learning skills," said former Clare House resident, Carroll.

Carroll credits Clare House for success, but workers at the shelter say the community plays an enormous role as well

"One of the neatest things that happens here is that we serve 671 people a year and we have no food budget. Every evening, a different organization in town adopts Clare House and provides a meal for the 45 woman who live here. And it's pretty amazing. And people will say, 'I'm going to Costco. What do you need?' Diapers, cleaning supplies,

whatever it is and they'll bring it by here. So we are very fortunate to have that support from the community," said Bomalaski.

Clare House is always looking for volunteers. And, of course, they want women in need to know that they are open to them 24/7.

To contact Lauren, call 907-273-3186.