Last-Modified: 2023-06-30 07:04:14

Every day, House of Ruth provides housing and supportive services to 109 women at five residential programs located in Washington, DC. All were homeless and nearly all are survivors of domestic violence. Staff is on-site around the clock to assist the women and ensure their safety, while creating a warm, nurturing environment. Each woman they work with was once a little girl who was neglected and horribly abused. All the terrible things that might happen to a child did happen to these women, and more. The neglect and abuse never stopped - until the women came here. At Madison, New Beginnings and Unity, they provide service-enriched housing to a total of 85 women daily who are working toward safety, stability and self-sufficiency. The Case Managers work to establish strong, positive relationships with each woman. Based on these relationships, the women participate in a wide variety of services and supports to stabilize the issues that led to homelessness and abuse and acquire the skills for safer, more self-sufficient lives. In response, House of Ruth created New Pathways and Three Sisters to provide permanent supported housing to a total of 24 women who have serious mental illnesses. Three Sisters, their newest program for women, opened in November, 2009. It is located in an apartment building that was formerly occupied by five families whom they have moved to a larger site. Fourteen women now live there and get the continuing supportive services they need. All of the women have a very serious mental illness that impairs their capacity to sustain safety and stability on their own.  At Three Sisters, they have the greatest possible independence, while continuing to get the ongoing support and services they need to help them sustain their safety and stability. There is no limit on the length of stay. They also refurbished the Madison building, to provide more privacy and better spaces to work with the 50 women who are living there at any given time. Early in 2010 they began sorely needed renovations of the kitchens and bathrooms at New Beginnings and New Pathways. Unity, House of Ruth's first home, located on Massachusetts Avenue, NW, got its facelift in 2009.