ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Stuffed animals and small toys filled a pair of baskets that Rachael Conrad's children delivered to a new Rochester shelter Thursday.

Conrad's children, Aiden and Maddie, shared the gifts with the next children who will be joining their families at 1 and 3 Whalin Street in the city's South Wedge neighborhood to recover from the same tragedy that struck their family last winter.

"It's been a very difficult time for my whole family trying to get back on track. Just being normal parents and trying to move forward with our lives," said Conrad, who teared up as she watched her children bring the baskets forward at the formal ribbon cutting of what the Rochester Housing Authority calls its first emergency home for those recovering from a house fire.

It was Conrad's experience, as a single mother who lost everything when her home burned in January, that inspired RHA and the American Red Cross to rehab a dilapidated duplex into the city's first home to support families traumatized by fire at their home.​

Both agencies will work together to place future victims.

"They (Red Cross) will be notified when we have an opening. And we'll be notified when they have a family to fill it," said the RHA's Shawn Burr. "And we'll be putting people through an eligibility criteria and get them housed as quickly as possible."

Each of the shelter units, refurbished with new furniture and fresh landscaping, is named for Conrad's children, Aiden and Maddie.  Each child received a wrapped toy from RHA before Thursday's ribbon cutting at the shelter.

"Being displaced has been difficult to do all that. I just hope that people can have a better sense of comfort knowing they have a place to go after something so tragic and traumatizing,” Conrad said. 

RHA intends to open similar emergency homes in each quadrant of Rochester in the months ahead.