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.

How do you help people in my community?

At House of Ruth, our sense of community includes people who are very poor, homeless and abused. These are the members of your community who we serve every day. There is no simple, one-size-fits all solution to homelessness. It takes a cascade of inter-related, serious problems to put a mother and her children on the street. Likewise, it takes an array of services and supports to help her re-build her life and prepare to care for her family.

At House of Ruth, we offer all the services a woman and family may need, either on-site at our locations or through other nearby service providers. For example, a family at one of our five small apartment buildings will have access onsite to: a professional case manager who works with them throughout their stay to assess the needs of each individual and the family as a whole and develop and pursue with the mother a detailed recovery plan for herself and each of her children; addiction recovery; psychotherapy to recover from years of traumatic abuse; skills training in many topics (how to manage a finances and a household, effective parenting, child development and nutrition, job coaching and retention) and child development services and activities for the children.

When a mother or family is ready to leave House of Ruth for a home of their own, we help them plan their transition and keep in close touch with them for at least a year to help them retain the gains they made while in our care.

Why do you need my support?

Individual donations are the life-blood of House of Ruth. More than half (53%) of our annual funding comes from more than 23,000 gifts and grants from individuals, foundations, companies, churches, civic groups and associations, including gifts through the Combined Federal Campaign and United Way. The vast majority of these gifts are of modest size (($25 to $100) and are from individuals. We secure the remaining 47% of our funding by competing successfully for grants and contracts from the city and federal government. Our ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of our work – at each site and with each person served – helps us win competitive awards.

Our vision is to continue to work with women, children and families, one person, one family at a time, helping them through the long and difficult process of transforming their lives. We recognize that each individual is unique, with their own strengths, capabilities, challenges and problems

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

At House of Ruth we will invest your gift in providing the comprehensive resources and supports that are necessary to help an individual or family move from homelessness to stability. A bed and a meal are not enough. Families and women recovering from homelessness and abuse need a safe, nurturing place to live, and the coordinated care of many skilled people in order to re-build lives shattered by poverty and abuse. If you want to participate with more than 23,000 other caring donors in helping women, children and families build the skills to avoid future homelessness, then giving to House of Ruth is a good choice. Currently, 90% of our revenues are devoted to housing and services.

Can I Volunteer? How?

Volunteers are needed, especially to interact with the children at our residences for families. Consistency in relationships is vital to the recovery process for the women and children, therefore, volunteers much commit to at least six months of service. Potential volunteers need to fill out an application, have an interview and submit to a criminal background check. If you are interested in volunteering, call 202-667-7001, Ext. 301 to request a volunteer information packet.