Our Mission
At A Diamond in the Ruff, our mission is to empower homeless single women and single mothers and their children, to help break the cycle of poverty and housing instability. We provide safe, affordable housing paired with compassionate, wraparound support services. Through healing, stability, and opportunity, we help women and families build strong foundations for independence and lasting change.
Every woman deserves a safe place to call home—and every child deserves the chance to grow up with stability, dignity, and hope. At A Diamond in the Ruff, we walk alongside single women and single mothers experiencing homelessness, offering not just housing, but healing and support. Your gift today helps build brighter futures—one woman, one family, one home at a time.
What Sets Us Apart
Blending Housing with Healing
What sets A Diamond in the Ruff apart is the unique way we blend housing with healing-not just providing shelter, but restoring dignity and uncovering the strength within each woman and family.
Holistic Care- Paired housing with wraparound services (trauma-informed care, childcare, job support, life-skills coaching).
Serving Women and Mothers with Children-Many programs focus only on families or only on individuals, but we serve both groups-meeting a broader, often overlooked need.
Healing at Core- Our philosophy emphasizes uncovering resilience and worth, "polishing" the inner strength of each woman, not just treating homelessness as a housing problem.
Community Living Model - Creating safe, shared spaces where women can support each other, reduce isolation, and build lasting connections.
Generational Impact - By us supporting mothers, we are also changing thee trajectory for their children-breaking cycles of poverty and homelessness.
Empowerment For Independence- We walk alongside women toward independence, building confidence and long-term stability, rather than offering temporary solutions.
Tracey Nails-Bell
The Founder of A Diamond in the Ruff, Inc.
Mrs. Tracey Nails Bell is the Founder and Executive Director of A Diamond in the Ruff, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting single mothers, children, and women experiencing homelessness. With compassion at the heart of her leadership, Tracey has built a safe and nurturing community where families can find stability, healing, and renewed hope.
Her vision for A Diamond in the Ruff grew from a deep belief that every woman and child deserves the dignity of a home and the opportunity to thrive. Through her tireless dedication, the organization has become a place of transformation, where resilience is rebuilt, potential is uncovered, and futures are reimagined. Tracey’s work is more than a mission—it is a calling to uplift, empower, and remind women and families that their circumstances do not define their worth.
Our History
In 2009 A Diamond in the Ruff originally started with "A Heart To Heart" workshops, which became our program curriculum, for single women. Inspiring them to change and help find their Core Essence! Women experiencing domestic violence, or recovering from substance abuse, and/or those who were either incarcerated or formerly incarcerated.
A Diamond in the Ruff Independent Sober Living Program created in 2011, Our 18 to 24-month housing program that served 6-8 single women at a time. A culturally and linguistically appropriate curriculum that promoted social and emotional wellness.
In 2019, the evolution of Harvest Community House for mothers with children, with an 18 - 24-month stay. In addition providing interactive workshops, educational seminars, and one-on-one coaching for both housing program; with the goal to help women identify and develop insight into their past traumas and offer practical applications to recognize and remove barriers toward self-sufficiency created by this trauma.
Let's move forward in 2022, A Diamond in the Ruff in partnership with the City of Oakland Family Front Door, Coordinated Entry System. A program helping assist and provide temporary housing to families who are literally homeless and sleeping in their cars or inhabitable areas, and referred to us though city's Coordinated Entry System Program.
Harvest Community House for single mothers with children program has changed to "Interim "Transitional Housing, our Single Mom's Pathway's Program, with a "housing first" model, with a temporary 6-9 month stay to help families become self-sufficient faster, while transitioning into permanent housing. We believe that every woman or child deserves a chance to have a safe and secure place to call home.
Harvest House Community Garden Project established in June 2024 to benefit families that reside at Harvest Community Home .This garden not only enhances the property's appearance but also provides families with a chance to partake in outdoor activities. Participants have shown great enthusiasm for gardening, engaging in it regularly. Spending time outdoors is vital for both children and adults, as it reduces stress and improves mental well-being. The garden is to scheduled for completion by the end of 2025. (Which will include an outdoor meditation /study area, vegetable garden beds, flowers bushes, a tool shed, a playground structure, and gazebo.
Our program expansion in 2024, with Arlene Ann House in partnership with A Diamond in the Ruff and Urban University. Inviting single women and mothers with children to become part of the Arlene Ann House community. The facility has not only enabled us to assist a greater number of women and families in need but it has created a transitional space for single mother who need additional time and below -market housing beyond our typical 6-9 month program. Participants can stay at Arlene Ann House Program, "Mom's On A Mission" with a stay up to 24 months. This extended duration has led to improve success rates in achieving positive outcomes and long-term housing stability by placing single mothers and single women in a program tailored to their needs and circumstances.
We are thrilled about our 2-year housing program, designed to offer supportive services for unhoused single women and mothers. officially opened on September 1, 2024.