Becoming the Village: How Hot Mess Express Vancouver Is Supporting Local Women 

“It takes a village.” We’ve heard this countless times, haven’t we? It’s the notion that we were never supposed to raise children or weather the challenges of life alone but instead create a community that supports and leans on one another. 

Unfortunately, the village isn’t an option for everyone. Many of us are having to handle the hard stages of life without a close network nearby. Natasha McMullen is one such person. After moving here from the East Coast, McMullen found herself bed-ridden due to an unplanned high-risk pregnancy of twins, a 17-month-old daughter and no family within 1,000 miles. “I was searching help for moms, and I came across Hot Mess Express,” she says. 

If, like me, you’re instantly hooked once you hear the name, you will love the mission even more. A nonprofit for women and by women, this group is made up of volunteers who provide free cleaning and organization services to women who are in challenging stages of life. The group is designed to fill a gap and become the village for women who need one.  

Stepping Up for Our Local Community – Hot Mess Express Vancouver

Casey Fenner stepped up to be the affiliate chapter coordinator of Vancouver’s Hot Mess Express chapter in February of 2025. “I’ve always been drawn to mission driven work,” says Fenner. After trying for children and finding it wasn’t in the cards, Fenner wanted a way to be in community with and support moms. “I think women are incredible,” she says, “I love being a part of an organization that brings women together beyond commerce or a GoFundMe.”  

Fenner first learned of Hot Mess Express on social media where it was created by nurse and influencer, Jen Hamilton. In 2021, Hamilton saw a Facebook post of a new mom struggling with postpartum depression seeking resources for cleaning services. Instead of just providing a list of names, Hamilton gathered women to spend the day doing her laundry, washing her dishes, decluttering her home and cooking her dinner. “We gave her a house reset so she could get back on her feet,” Hamilton explains on her social media page.  

Since that first mission, Hot Mess Express has become a registered nonprofit that now has 111 chapters in 41 states and has even expanded into Canada. “There’s such a gap and such a need in every community,” says Fenner. “Our intention is to fill that gap and be that village.”  

One of the first things I said to Casey during our interview was, “I wish something like this existed when my kids were babies.”  

“I hear that from so many women,” she replied. While the largest demographic of women served is new mothers, it can also be for women going through a hard stage such as grief, illness, surviving domestic violence or intense caregiving. 

About the Intake Process – Hot Mess Express

The website, https://www.hotmessexpress.co, accepts nominations for women, and women are allowed to nominate themselves. Fenner and two other coordinators then review the request to assess whether it falls under the scope of what the group can do. “We don’t have the resources or training to support crisis, hoarding or moving,” says Fenner. “Our mission is to restore household balance.” If a nominee is declined, the group has a few resources they provide to point them in the right direction for their situation.  

After a phone intake and a walk through to determine the supplies needed and number of volunteers, a mission date is scheduled.  The word is then spread to volunteers on a private Facebook page, and anyone who is available can partake. For McMullen during her pregnancy, that mission included playing with and occupying her young daughter, deep cleaning the house, assembling furniture for the nursery and providing her with baby clothes and diapers.  

“I wasn’t able to nest on my own with my boys,” says McMullen. “This was my nesting.” Her twins were born a few weeks after Hot Mess Express came, and she says their visit provided so much stress relief. “I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” she says. “After they came, I finally felt ready for my boys to come.”  

“There’s such an immediate, tangible benefit,” says Fenner of the missions they provide. “There is a direct correlation between the cleanliness of your home and mental health, and there is so much peace that comes when the mental load is lighter.”  

According to the Institute for Family Studies, a cluttered home is significantly more stressful for women than men. The study linked a clean home to better mental and physical health benefits with greater productivity, mood and enjoyment in life.  

But the benefits extend beyond the women receiving help. “Women need the warm hand of community,” says Fenner. “This is so much more than cleaning and organizing – it’s filling the cup of the women who are receiving support, but also for the women who are volunteering.”  

More Volunteers Come On Board – Hot Mess Express Vancouver

For Caitlin Borjesson, a Hot Mess Express volunteer, the experience has been exactly what she needed.  “I’m obsessed!” she says. “Not only are you supporting your community, but you’re building your own community in the process.”  

When Borjesson first heard of Hot Mess Express while living in San Diego, she was instantly intrigued, but no local chapter was available. With a new baby of her own, she was not in a place to start her own chapter. When she first moved back to Vancouver, her goal was to find a place to volunteer and to make at least one friend, and she was thrilled to find a local chapter of Hot Mess Express had just been created. “I’ve worked with so many amazing women and have made great friendships,” she says.  

Fenner adds that one of the most powerful elements of the group is the “offshoot of friendships” that emerge from volunteering together.  

Borjesson becomes emotional when she discusses the lack of village that exists for so many of us. “All of us at some point or another have been in situations where we have to call on our inner circle, and some people don’t have that,” she says. “I love being there for anyone that needs it.”  

Since joining last year, Borjesson has been a part of seven missions and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. “When the world feels so heavy, it feels like a gift to be able to help someone and do for one person what you wish you could do for everyone.”  

Kyla Carlston loved the idea of Hot Mess Express after hearing Jen Hamilton speak about it, and she saw a Vancouver posting for a local chapter, she joined on the very first mission. “This is what our communities used to be, and Hot Mess is a construct for that.”  

Both Carlston and Borjesson speak to the individuality of each mission because it will look different for every person. Nominees express their highest needs, what their boundaries are and are often working alongside the women in the home, depending on their ability. The group is also committed to protecting the privacy of participants and only posting pictures of their spaces with permission. “We do post photos on Facebook and Instagram with consent because we want to normalize asking for help,” says Fenner.  

Carlston, who often participates in the walk-throughs, acknowledges that it can be incredibly difficult for some women to ask for and accept help. “It requires women to step into a space of vulnerability, but our group does a great job at not being judgmental and showing up ready to accomplish something.”  

McMullen says, “Initially I was nervous to ask for help, but especially now after having twins, I’ve learned that sometimes you have to step aside and let people help because you can’t do it all.”  

Missions can take anywhere in the neighborhood of four hours with volunteers dividing and conquering to deep clean, organize and assemble furniture if needed. The group also sometimes locates local supplies or loves to bring small gifts or needed supplies.  “Often times when we show up, women are overwhelmed, emotional or embarrassed they had to ask for help,” says Kyla. “But by the time we leave, there’s elation, gratitude and joy.”  

Borjesson adds, “Maybe you have a circle, but you’re not able to ask your friends to come clean your baseboards! This group allows people to be more vulnerable about what they need.”  

As I think back to my most challenging time with a toddler and a newborn, a partner who traveled for work and a to-do list that never ended, I wonder how much more I would have thrived with a supportive network close by. A group like this would have lifted incredible an incredible burden and given me some hope.  

A Special Community – Hot Mess Express Vancouver

Fenner, the founder of Vancouver chapter, says there is something truly special about the Vancouver community. “Other areas have struggled to get chapters off the ground, and we have never struggled to find volunteers.” The group has over 50 active volunteers and are able to come when time allows.  

“This is a great group to volunteer with because it’s flexible and doesn’t require a consistent time commitment,” says Carlston. The group as of now completes an average of four missions per month and they are hoping to acquire more coordinators and continue expanding.  

One of the most inspiring parts, says Fenner, is the reciprocity that comes from being a part of this group. “Many of our nominees go on to volunteer,” she says, noting that women benefit so greatly and want to go on to be that village for others.  

McMullen hopes to be one of those women. “I’m so grateful I found this group and when my kids are a little older and I’m back on my feet, I want to help.”  

Both nominees and potential volunteers can visit the website to get started. Carlston wants to remind everyone, “You can trust this group. Everyone needs help sometimes – please reach out!”  

In a time where the world feels disjointed, many jobs are online and we are feeling the effects of isolation, creating that intentional village is one of the most powerful things we can do. “It’s a good reminder that our neighbors care about one another,” says Borjesson. “This group makes everyone feel healed, held and supported.”  

Something as simple as a clean house can ease the stress and mental chaos, but it is feeling held up by community that will have the lasting impact. Sometimes we need the village and sometimes we are the village, but we were never meant to do this alone. We need each other.   

Read the April 2026 Issue