When a family in Philadelphia finds themselves facing an eviction notice — not because of poor choices, but because of a child’s unexpected surgery, a layoff, a utility bill that arrived at the wrong moment — most systems aren’t built to catch them in time. MissionROOT™ is. Founded by Dr. Maryam Muhammad as a 501(c)(3), this Philadelphia-based nonprofit operates on a single powerful premise: prevention must come before crisis. And for the families it serves across the city, that difference is everything.

Each year, the Philadelphia Family team asks readers who they love and why — through a ballot that opens in December and runs through Valentine’s Day. Families don’t just vote; they share heartfelt, specific endorsements in their own words. Their stories make the annual LOVE List a sincerely trustworthy collection of referrals because every nomination reflects a real family’s real experience. MissionROOT™ has earned this recognition — a testament to how deeply Philadelphia families have come to trust this organization.

Congratulations Mission ROOT, Philadelphia Family 2026 LOVE Award Winner – Best Family Crisis & Stability Support

A Mission Born from Loss

Dr. Muhammad’s path to founding MissionROOT™ began with one of the most defining moments of her life. At 15 years old, she lost her Ummi — her mother — to a brain aneurysm, a death the family later learned may have been preventable with routine medical care.

“Why” became the question she never stopped asking.

What followed was not a straight line. Without her mother, Dr. Muhammad navigated teenage homelessness and what she describes as the “labeling theory” — systems that responded to her behavior without ever looking at its root cause. She was given band-aids, not answers. “I slept on a bench at seventeen years old,” she says. “To this day, I have a soft spot that brings tears to my eyes whenever I see someone experiencing homelessness. Most people judge. My first instinct is always: how can I help?”

Then she encountered adults who chose to see more than risk. A counselor named Mrs. Doss and a judge looked beyond the surface and reminded her she was not a lost cause.

“They reminded me that I wasn’t at risk,” Dr. Muhammad says. “I was at rise. I was potential.”

That reframe changed the trajectory of her life. She graduated second in her high school class, earned top marks at university, and went on to build a career that took her from paramedic to nurse to epidemiologist to crisis center architect. She helped build the crisis response center at CHOP, developed stabilization units, and sat on committees redesigning policies to address the implicit bias embedded in care for underserved communities.

Everything she did pointed to the same gap: systems respond to crisis. No one was preventing it.

“My pain and resilience conceived MissionROOT™,” she says. “It’s rebuilding our own tomorrow.”

The Only Pre-Crisis Model in Philadelphia

MissionROOT™ launched just eight months ago, and it is already the only organization of its kind in the city — a pre-crisis prevention and early intervention model built specifically to interrupt cycles of harm before they become emergencies.

The organization’s ROOT SYSTEMS™ framework brings together multiple interlocking programs, each designed to meet people before the breaking point. Legacy Line Mentorship™ offers intergenerational mentorship that builds confidence, life skills, and leadership pathways for youth. ROOTED IN TRUTH™ Youth Circles create structured peer spaces where young people can process grief, identity, and pressure honestly — before it becomes behavior that systems punish. ReRoot™ Family Pods bring therapeutic family support directly into homes and community spaces, helping families strengthen communication and repair connection. Mirrorwork Sessions™ offer one-on-one support for adults navigating trauma and transition. ROOTED Teach-Ins™ extend prevention into education, offering practical, culturally responsive sessions for families, caregivers, and community members on topics from family repair to grief to youth systems. ROOTED Relief™ addresses immediate practical needs. And the Stable Family Fund™ steps in when a sudden financial disruption threatens to push a stable family into crisis.

“Trauma develops quietly,” Dr. Muhammad explains. “It happens in environments that shape stress. When families are dealing with food insecurity or transportation challenges, they’re not thinking about a medical appointment — they’re in survival mode. We recognize those unmet needs as root cause issues.”

Since its inception, MissionROOT™ reports having supported more than 5,000 youth and families — a figure that reflects both the depth of need and the speed at which the organization has grown.

What the Stable Family Fund™ Actually Does

One of MissionROOT™’s most distinctive programs is the Stable Family Fund™ — and it works differently than most people might expect.

When a family contacts MissionROOT™ facing a potential utility shutoff or a rent gap, the organization doesn’t simply write a check. Instead, a “verify and transfer” process begins: the family signs consent for MissionROOT™ to communicate directly with their landlord or utility company. Documentation is gathered — a lease, confirmation of employment disruption, verification of upcoming hardship. The fund only steps in for families who are stable but have been destabilized by an unforeseen event, and only when there’s evidence they can sustain after the support.

“We want to make sure families can maintain what we’re helping them preserve,” Dr. Muhammad explains. “Otherwise we’re only solving today’s problem while leaving tomorrow’s challenge untouched.”

One family the organization supported faced a heart-wrenching situation: a mother had employment and coverage, but when her child needed a major surgery, she moved money from savings to cover costs insurance wouldn’t. She fell behind on utilities — not rent, not because of poor decisions, but because she chose her child. MissionROOT™ covered her utility gap.

“It’s day-to-day things that happen to regular people,” Dr. Muhammad says. “That’s essentially what it is.”

Currently, the Stable Family Fund™ can help between one and four families per month, depending on available resources. For the June through August cycle, MissionROOT™ is working to raise $18,000 — enough to keep 20 families safely housed through one of the most financially precarious seasons of the year.

When Dignity Becomes the Intervention

The nominations that brought MissionROOT™ to Philadelphia Family’s attention came from families who experienced the organization’s work firsthand.

“MissionROOT helped my son transition off the streets and into a safer, more stable environment,” one family wrote, “offering guidance, mentorship, and care that went beyond surface-level intervention.” The Stable Family Fund™ also stepped in during a period of financial vulnerability, helping the family maintain housing stability. What struck them most wasn’t just what MissionROOT™ did — it was how they did it. “This support was delivered with dignity, respect, and an understanding of the real barriers families face.”

Another family shared what happened when Dr. Muhammad came to their home to facilitate a ReRoot™ Family Pods session. “We were nervous. We were skeptical about how someone who looked so young could help us,” they wrote. “What she did was unlike anything we had experienced. She listened. Not lectured. She helped us hear one another. She created a space where we could finally have conversations we had been avoiding for years. By the end, it felt like someone had helped us find our way back to each other.”

A Whole-Family, Whole-Community Approach

MissionROOT™’s prevention model is deliberately interdisciplinary. Dr. Muhammad currently leads much of the direct work, joined by a licensed professional counselor who oversees curriculum development, clinical modifications, and quality assurance. Family coaches, peer specialists, youth coordinators, and lived-experience leaders round out the team — each serving a different point of connection within the family system.

The model is explicitly inclusive. MissionROOT™ serves families regardless of race, background, sexual orientation, or immigration status. “Equity over equality. Trauma-informed, accessible, holistic care — that all holds hands with community-centered design,” Dr. Muhammad says. “Our programs are shaped with input from the people we serve and the people who need us most.”

What’s Coming: PulsePoint™ and the Summer Experience

Even at eight months old, MissionROOT™ is already building toward its next phase. This summer, the organization is launching PulsePoint™ — a community-based violence interruption initiative that places trained staff directly into Philadelphia neighborhoods to build trust, identify risk early, and strengthen connection before escalation occurs.

“We’re going to be boots on the floor,” Dr. Muhammad says. “We’ll have vehicles canvassing neighborhoods, identifying issues where we can potentially mitigate risk before a call is ever made — before mobile crisis is ever involved.”

Legacy Line Mentorship™ is also expanding into the ROOTED IN POSSIBILITY™ Summer Experience — a 16-week intensive cohort model pairing youth with peer and adult mentors, focused on leadership, life skills, identity development, and community engagement. The vision: youth who graduate become mentors themselves.

Dr. Muhammad is also in the early stages of developing a clinical assessment tool designed to improve how adverse childhood experiences, survival-based responses, and trauma-related behaviors are interpreted in practice — with particular emphasis on the realities of underserved communities, where existing tools often fall short.

“Many intervention tools are not adapted to the realities of the communities they serve,” she says. “They’re often one-size-fits-all, which limits their effectiveness.”

MissionROOT™ is also pursuing city-level contracts and partnerships with 211 and other Philadelphia behavioral health and community organizations.

“I’m just so blessed and thankful that the response has been: this is long overdue,” Dr. Muhammad says.

How Philadelphia Families Can Help

MissionROOT™ accepts volunteers, mentors, and community partners. Philadelphia families and organizations interested in contributing mentorship hours, community service, or resources can visit MissionROOT.org to learn more or submit an inquiry. Dr. Muhammad also hosts regular live educational and awareness sessions on Instagram at @mission_root_philly, where volunteer and partnership opportunities are frequently shared.

For families who want to support the Stable Family Fund™ directly, donations can be made through the organization’s website. Every contribution during the June through August cycle helps a Philadelphia family stay housed through a moment of unexpected hardship.

“When families are stabilized, youth are empowered, and neighborhoods are resourced,” Dr. Muhammad says, “the entire community rises.”