A housing-first program in Buffalo, NY — stable rooms, wraparound support, and a path forward. We welcome residents regardless of how they became homeless. Specialized services are brought directly to them by licensed community partners.
Partner With UsBuffalo has one of the highest poverty rates among large cities in the United States. Women — particularly women of color — face disproportionate barriers to stable housing: domestic violence, lack of affordable options, insufficient transitional support, and systemic gaps in services for women rebuilding their lives.
Western New York shelters are routinely at or over capacity, and existing programs often provide short-term beds without the sustained, wraparound support needed to break the cycle. Women cycle between emergency shelters, temporary stays, and the street — never gaining the foothold they need for lasting independence.
Chosen Vessels operates a 30-bed supportive living program with rolling admission. Residents stay up to one year, receiving the structure, services, and time necessary to rebuild their lives on solid ground.
Rolling admission with individualized transition plans. Enough time to stabilize, build skills, save money, and transition to independent housing with confidence — not desperation.
Job readiness training, resume building, interview preparation, and connections to local employers. GED and continuing education support for residents who need it.
A structured, stable home environment built around trauma-informed principles. Staff are trained to understand the impact of trauma, creating a setting where women feel safe enough to focus on rebuilding.
Case management connecting each resident to the services she actually needs — healthcare, legal aid, financial counseling, benefits enrollment, and specialized services provided by licensed community partners.
The relationship does not end at exit. Post-program follow-up for 12 months ensures residents maintain housing stability and have a safety net during their critical first year of independence.
Chosen Vessels is a housing program — not a treatment facility. We do not provide domestic violence counseling or substance use treatment directly. Instead, we connect residents with licensed community specialists who visit the building weekly. Residents get expert care without leaving the stability and safety of their home.
Provided by licensed community DV agencies. Certified counselors visit the facility weekly to offer individual counseling, safety planning, and legal advocacy support. Women leaving abusive situations receive expert care from credentialed specialists — not general staff.
Provided by licensed substance use treatment providers. Certified counselors visit the facility weekly for assessment, peer support, and structured recovery services. Residents access professional substance use support on-site, with no need to travel.
Our model is designed around measurable impact. Every program element is built to move the needle on the two metrics that matter most: employment and sustained housing.
Celestine is a lifelong Buffalo native who brings more than 20 years of lived experience with homelessness to Chosen Vessels — and something rarer still: she is a survivor of domestic violence, in relationships and in marriage. She knows the shelters, the system, and the gaps — not from a textbook, but from surviving them.
A published author (Introducing Celestine Epps: Rehab Diary of a Crack Addict, 2013) and a 30-year career professional in customer service, Celestine has lived the full weight of what many Chosen Vessels residents carry: homelessness, addiction, and abuse. That triple lived experience isn't a credential — it's a compass. She founded Chosen Vessels to build the program she wished had existed: one that treats homeless women not as cases to manage, but as people in transition who deserve stability, dignity, and a real path forward.
When a resident walks through the door fleeing violence, struggling with addiction, or sleeping in a shelter for the first time — Celestine doesn't just understand their story. She has lived versions of it. That is what trauma-informed care looks like at its foundation.
Chosen Vessels is in its founding phase. Our current board consists of founding team members serving in interim roles while the organization becomes fully operational — with plans to transition to a fully independent board as CVI grows. We believe in being transparent about this structure with all funding partners.
Lifelong Buffalo native and survivor of homelessness, addiction, and domestic violence — in relationships and in marriage. Published author. 30-year career in customer service. Brings rare, firsthand understanding of the full spectrum of challenges facing the women Chosen Vessels serves.
Food industry background. Motivated by personal experience with mental illness — paying it forward through service. Serves as Manager of Dietary on CVI staff and in an interim board capacity during the startup phase.
Has personally utilized community programs that help women in times of need. Brings firsthand knowledge of the local resource landscape. Serves as Continuum of Care Representative on CVI staff and in an interim board capacity during the startup phase.
Chosen Vessels is a capital-intensive program by design — stable housing requires real infrastructure. Below is a full accounting of startup and operating costs, staffing, and our funding strategy.
ESSHI (Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative), HUD Continuum of Care, HHAP, and LIHTC tax credits form the primary revenue base.
Private foundation grants, in-kind donations, and community fundraising events supplement government funding and fill operational gaps.
Chosen Vessels is pursuing a fiscal sponsorship arrangement — operating under an established 501(c)(3) umbrella while our own tax-exempt status is secured.
IRS application in progress. Full nonprofit status enables direct grant eligibility across all major federal and state housing programs.
Chosen Vessels is seeking fiscal sponsors, CoC affiliates, and capital funding partners to bring a 30-bed supportive housing program for women in Buffalo, NY to reality. Our business plan is complete. Our documents are ready. We're looking for the right partner to move forward.
If your organization is positioned to provide fiscal sponsorship, CoC support, or capital funding — we'd welcome a direct conversation. We are prepared, organized, and ready to move.
vesselsos@polsia.appChosen Vessels is seeking fiscal sponsor partnerships and grant-eligible funding relationships. If your organization shares our commitment to ending women's homelessness in Western New York, we'd welcome the conversation.
vesselsos@polsia.app