MSUM graduate, Jenessa Fillippi, is transforming houses into homes

National Mother of the Year® award-winner and MSUM graduate Jenessa Fillipi is helping break the cycle of homelessness one family at a time through her nonprofit organization, Down Home.

Jenessa graduated from MSUM in 2003, earning her undergraduate in secondary education. In 2007, she became a "double Dragon," earning a master's in counseling from MSUM. After graduate school, she became a counselor at local elementary schools.

In her time at MSUM, Jenessa learned that you get as much out of school as you put into it. She says her master's program at MSUM was her springboard, giving her the confidence she needed to jump into the world of education.

"That was when I really started to see the disparity in the community, there were children coming to school that were not well rested, struggling to learn academically, and struggling to manage their emotions."

She noticed that there were families coming out of homelessness who only had the bare necessities to get by. Down Home's mission is to fill that gap and empower lives and stabilize those emerging from homelessness by furnishing homes, strengthening connections, and transforming communities.

Down Home was officially created in 2017 by Jenessa, her husband, Jake, also an MSUM alumnus, and mother, Charlene Kuznia.

"I volunteered my time running Down Home until June 2021, and that's when I decided to leave the comfort of my job as a school counselor. It was scary at first, but you just know in those moments in life there is a time where you need to lead with faith even though we're not able to see the outcome."

Down Home is a completely donor-funded organization. It works with families coming out of homelessness to furnish their homes. After clients apply, the Down Home team visits their homes and gets a sense of what the family interests are and what they need. The team then goes back to its warehouse and coordinates around 300 donated items to transform empty spaces into personalized and dignified homes.

After finishing a family's home, Jenessa says they become part of the Down Home family. The Down Home team sends the families birthday baskets, hosts Christmas parties, and offers additional support.

"I want people to know the importance of Down Home and other nonprofits in our community, and that together, truly, we are better."

After leading the progressive growth of Down Home for seven years, Jenessa was honored with the title 2024 National Mother of the Year® by American Mothers Inc.® at their 89th National Convention which is held each April.

"This award is one of those moments that I was humbled yet really emboldened to keep pushing the envelope for Down Home and rally for the gift of family, for the gift of freedoms in our nation, and the gift of community, which aligns with the mission of American Mothers Inc.®"

When asked what motivates her the most Jenessa said, "My family is my priority, so I want my family to learn from me how to balance work and life. I personally don't need an award to feel awarded for the work I do, and I want my children to see that."

Reflecting on her journey, she added, "The National Mother of the Year® award is a reminder that my experience at MSUM and the choices that I made beyond have utilized my unique gifts and abilities, incorporated people and things that I care about, and allowed me to believe and enter more fully into my one-of-kind story."

Her time at MSUM instilled in Jenessa a deep appreciation for community connections. While Down Home thrives, she recognizes its impact can be even greater with community support, nonprofit partnerships, and sustainable growth.