Serve with Grace
Join us in our mission to serve individuals experiencing homelessness by offering essential personal items and connecting them with trusted community resources. Our mission is to walk alongside each person with dignity and care, supporting their journey from survival to self-sufficiency through practical aid and meaningful relationships.
Our Values
We are guided by the belief that every person deserves dignity, compassion, and opportunity. Our work is rooted in:
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Respect for each individual’s story and potential
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Responsiveness to urgent needs with practical care.
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Connection to community resources that foster growth.
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Empowerment through relationships that uplift and restore.
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Integrity in every action, partnership, and promise.
Our Purpose
Building Bridges - Meeting Needs
Ila's Girlz is a non-profit organization with a two-prong mission that believes every person deserves dignity, hope, and the opportunity to achieve their life's dreams.
We are committed to addressing homelessness through a dual approach: immediate relief and long-term empowerment. We distribute essential personal items to individuals in need and connect them with community-based resources—including housing support, employment services, and health care access—that promote sustainable self-sufficiency. We operate with a trauma-informed, dignity-centered model that prioritizes trust, inclusion, and measurable impact.
Guidance. Growth. Greatness
Ila's Girlz envisions a world where every young woman—regardless of background—has the confidence, tools, and support to pursue her dreams. Through mentorship rooted in care and professionalism, we help unlock potential and build pathways to purpose.
We empower young women ages 12 to 21 in underserved communities by providing professional mentorship rooted in practical guidance, personal growth, and career development. Through intentional relationships and real-world support, we help each young woman discover her strengths, pursue her goals, and build a future defined by confidence, purpose, and possibility.
Our Motivation
Ila’s Girlz was founded in honor of Ila M. Blackston Howard Benjamin—a woman whose life was a living testimony of faith, generosity, and unwavering service to others. As a pillar of her family and community, Ila gave freely of her time, talents, and resources, lifting others with quiet strength and grace. Her every interaction reflected the heart of God, offering compassion without condition and service without seeking recognition. Her legacy lives on in our mission: to serve the homeless population and to empower young women through mentorship, education, and service. We honor Ila not only by remembering her, but by continuing her work—uplifting others with the same faith-filled commitment to serving others that defined her life.
Legacy is not leaving something FOR people. It is leaving something IN people.
Upcoming Events
November 2, 2025
2:00 pm
Ila's Girlz will provide hot meals and personal items to Oak City Cares Clients.
oakcitycares.org
Oak City Cares
1430 S Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC 27603-2526 · 16 mi
(984) 344-9599
Oak City Cares is a public-private partnership that exists to support the self-determination of our neighbors experiencing homelessness through trusting relationships and connections to coordinated services that increase their ability to be safely and stably housed.
