House of Ruth

Provides housing and/or individualized services to help 550 women and children daily recover from homelessness, domestic violence, childhood abuse, mental illness and addiction in order to achieve their highest potential.

Why do we exist?

House of Ruth exists to help women, children and families who are homeless and abused to achieve stability, safety and the greatest possible self-sufficiency. We focus on serving individuals who have the fewest available resources.

The women are extremely poor, typically have little education or job skills, and often have untreated mental illness and/or addictions. They live in extreme poverty, with no supportive network of family and friends. They have a lifelong history of traumatic abuse, beginning in childhood and continuing into their adult years. The children have been raised in chaotic surroundings and usually have developmental disabilities and behavioral and emotional difficulties. Despite their traumatic pasts, the women and children possess resiliency, courage and a commitment to change their lives.

Your financial help, combined with our experience, provides the resources these women, children and families need to achieve safety, stability and self-sufficiency. Their victories over poverty and abuse enrich us all.

What have you accomplished?

Every day we work individually with 500 women and children who are recovering from homelessness and abuse, helping them plan their path stability and independence and then assisting them in implementing their plan. Over the course of year, we will help at least 1,000 people achieve safety and stability.

We measure the progress of each individual toward the goals in his or her recovery plan. In addition, we monitor the results of our efforts with each group of people served at each House of Ruth location. These outcome measurements allow us to continually refine our approach and measure the impact of our work. Approximately 75% of the people served at House of Ruth are able to make significant progress toward achieving safety, stability and avoiding future homelessness.

At House of Ruth these women and children find housing and an array of support services that enable them, over 18 to 24 months, to rebuild lives shattered by poverty and violence. We deliver housing and an array of supportive services to families and individual women at nine sites in the District of Columbia. We also operate a therapeutic day care center for children ages six weeks through six years from families that are recovering from homelessness, a Domestic Violence Support Center providing vital assistance to women who are seeking court protection from abusive partners, a day-time activities center for homeless women that help encourage them to take steps to get off the streets, and a 24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline (202-347-2777 ) provides immediate answers and referrals to people experiencing domestic violence and those who care about them.

Most recently, we increased the number of families served through the purchase and renovation of two buildings. In addition, we intensified our counseling services, enhanced services for women, and provided training to other organizations dealing with victims of abuse.

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