For many single mothers, walking into The Single Mom KC’s Clothed with Dignity Boutique is unlike anything they’ve experienced before.

Soft music plays. Candles flicker. Thoughtfully arranged displays fill the room. Snacks and coffee are available, and a personal shopper is ready to help. The boutique offers a kid-free moment of calm and care – along with rows of new or gently used clothes, jewelry, and toiletries, all at no cost.

When Alma Rivera first visited The Single Mom KC 12 years ago on Mother’s Day, she arrived with her two young children and little idea of what to expect.

“They were completely pampering the moms,” Rivera said. “They had different areas providing services – doing vision boards, haircuts, and offering different care, and then their children were also being cared for. For me, I was in shock to see safe places like that even existed.”

At the time, Rivera was newly single and rebuilding her life from an unhealthy relationship. She needed support, healing, faith, and a sense of community – all resources she found through The Single Mom KC, a nonprofit working across the Kansas City Metro to help single mothers build stable, thriving families.

One of the organization’s most visible programs is the Clothed with Dignity Boutique, where roughly 200 moms shop each month. For many, the boutique becomes an entry point to deeper support, including workshops and dinners focused on healing and growth, or connections to community resources such as rent and utility assistance, food programs, medical care, mental health care, and affordable childcare.

“There’s so much in the saying that ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ but it really takes a village to raise a mother,” said Rivera, who, since joining, has earned her bachelor’s degree in social work and is a Single Mom KC program facilitator and Spanish interpreter. “I really have felt lifted by The Single Mom KC. I’m really grateful that I found this organization.”

Addressing Community Needs and Language Access

n recent years, The Single Mom KC has seen a dramatic shift in who it serves. Between 2023 and 2025, the organization experienced a 90 percent increase in Hispanic mothers registering for programs, many of whom speak little or no English, said Executive Director Rachel Segobia.

Hispanic mothers made up about 19 percent of participants at that time. Today, they represent 54 percent of nearly all 1,700 moms served. And, she added, those numbers are growing.

The organization has also seen an increase in the number of mothers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

While the team quickly began providing American Sign Language interpreters at monthly workshops and dinners, expanding Spanish interpretation and translation required additional support, which came in part through a Kansas Health Foundation grant.

“We realized that language will always be a barrier and that we needed to respond to it quickly,” Segobia said. “By removing access barriers, The Single Mom KC ensures single mothers residing in Kansas can engage in life-changing community, healing, and growth, and generational change.”

To address this need, the organization launched its first initiative focused specifically on expanding language access.

The effort, which aims for long-term sustainability, includes identifying where translation and interpretation are most critical – like initial points of contact at the boutique; expanding a bilingual volunteer base to support personal interaction; and strengthening partnerships with community organizations serving Hispanic families.

Building Trust Through Language and Connection

Nancy Rios, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Allies in Health, was brought on as a contractor to support this work. She also volunteers at the boutique, serving as an interpreter and as part of its leadership team.

“To me, language is not just a tool for communication. It is a bridge to access – to information, resources, and services that can truly support a mother and her family,” Rios said.

Rios has seen firsthand how language access can open doors. She recalls interpreting for a single mother at the boutique who initially came in for clothing, but gradually felt safe enough to share her grief and emotional struggles. Through those conversations in Spanish, the organization helped connect her with local mental health services at low or no cost.

“For me, moments like that reinforce just how important language access really is,” Rios said. “It is not only about communication. It is about trust, safety, and making it possible for a mom to share what she is truly facing and get connected to the care she needs.”

The organization is also expanding tools such as a translated bulletin board of local services and recruiting additional volunteer interpreters.

Once a strong bilingual volunteer base is established, the next step, Executive Director Segobia said, will be to offer programs and workshops entirely in Spanish.

Rios believes these initiatives will give Hispanic mothers the chance to grow as leaders in these spaces.

As language access grows, so does trust and belonging, Rios said.

“Even in a time when many immigrant and Latino families may feel uncertainty, fear, or hesitation about seeking services, moms continue to come to The Single Mom KC,” she said. “They return, and they bring others with them. That tells me they feel safe here. They feel welcomed here. They trust us, and that trust is sacred.”

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