As we head into Mother's Day weekend, NY1's Michael Scotto takes a look at what some homeless moms are going through.

28-year-old Nichola and her 16-month old son Ro'i have been living in a Manhattan shelter for just a few weeks.

This is the first time Nichola has been homeless, and with Mother's Day approaching the reality of her situation is settling in.

"I try not to think of it too much," she said. "I don't want to remind my son of this struggle."

Nichola doesn't want to give her full name. She says she ended up homeless after escaping an abusive boyfriend and then losing housing with a relative.

Nichola and her son are part of a city shelter system bursting at the seams.

58,000 people now live in shelters. About 70 percent of them are families, and the majority of them are headed by women.

Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn runs WIN, an organization with 10 homeless shelters throughout the city.

"Nine out of 10 of our families are headed by women. That's a fact," Quinn said. "43 percent of our moms are working, though they have jobs that didn't allow them enough money to pay the rent. They were working and they ended up in shelter."

Luz Igartua doesn't have a high school diploma. She became homeless after spending two years at Rikers Island.

She and her nine-year-old son have been living in a shelter for a year.

"The hardest part has been me having to stay here so long, you know?" Igartua said. "Because I thought it was gonna be like a quick thing, like six months."

It has been hard for Nichola as well, but she says she hopes to emerge from it stronger.

"It's definitely a humbling experience, but I also take this as a learning lesson," Nichola said. "I believe that it is tied to my greater purpose."

A purpose that is made much clearer on Mother's Day.