Housing and Services for Families House of Ruth provides service-enriched housing to 63 families throughout the Washington, DC at six residential programs. The housing, structure, and connections to other programs and services in the community that House of Ruth provides are all valuable. But most important is the relationship that the staff forges with each individual. By building a positive, nurturing relationship with each woman and child, the staff is able to encourage and persuade them to abandon destructive behaviors and learn and adopt safe and healthy behaviors instead. It is challenging, painstaking and deeply rewarding work. Most recently, we intensified our efforts to ensure that the critical needs of each child were met. In addition, we responded to rising apartment rental prices (which have raised the bar for economic self-sufficiency) by pursuing education, training and employment for the mothers earlier in the families’ stay. We also strengthened our outreach to other agencies to identify families who could benefit from our programs and services. Tanya’s Family Tanya and her two boys joined one of House of Ruth’s programs providing long-term services and supports to families. Tanya overcame her addiction and has now been drug-free for more than three years. In fact, she has risen to a leadership position within her addiction recovery program in the community. Tanya studied for and completed her G.E.D. and found work as a cashier at a grocery store. The salary and health benefits are adequate, but Tanya aspires to more. She wants a job that will provide better opportunities for advancement and a more flexible working schedule, so she can spend more time with her sons. Her case manager is helping her explore career and training opportunities. A major focus of her time with the staff is on continuing to strengthen Tanya’s relationship with her sons and increase her knowledge and use of positive, effective parenting methods. The boys are 10 and 15 now. The normal challenges of growing up are even tougher for these children, given mom’s addiction and their learning disabilities. Tanya and her boys have made tremendous progress in the last three years. She is determined to provide a safe and stable life for her children. Results House of Ruth sets outcomes for each program to measure the progress the women and children are making toward safety, stability and self-sufficiency. Data is collected and compiled into reports every six months for review by management to ensure that programs are having the intended effects and to identify opportunities to improve. In addition, the progress that each woman makes toward the many milestones that lead to stability and independence is carefully monitored. For example, a woman’s sobriety is verified by clean toxicology screens; her emotional stability is monitored according to reports from therapists and psychiatrists; positive parent-child interactions are reported according to written staff observations; and abuse-free relationships are verified through written notes from counseling sessions. The children’s progress toward their individualized goals is also monitored. Key results for the families include: At FamilySpace, 97% of the children achieved at least 75% of their individualized goals (assessments, summer camps, day care, community involvement, academic stability). At Hope Rising, 91% of the children learned and demonstrated healthy coping skills and maintained mental stability. At Reunified Families, 90% of the women served nine months or longer were involved in employment, educational and/or training programs that will enable them to be self-sufficient. At Three Sisters, 80% of the women acknowledged one trauma-related issue and began to work through the resulting effects in case management sessions. At Freedom Place, 100% of the women served at least three months acquired and used comprehensive life skills. At Herspace, 80% of the families served for two months moved into safe, appropriate housing.
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