House of Ruth provides housing for 109 women on a daily basis at four programs located in Washington, DC.

     At Unity and New Beginnings we provide service-enriched housing to a total of 35 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.

     At New Pathways, 10 women receive service-enriched housing for an open-ended stay. We extended our two-year limit to provide space for women who need longer-term services and supports.

    At our Madison Program we provide emergency housing for 64 women each night providing an opportunity to engage the women in longer term housing that will increase their ability to achieve safety and stability. Case Managers work one-on-one with each woman to link her to critical services such as medical care or addiction recovery programs. Last year, a total of 60 women took significant steps to address their challenges and moved to other residential programs where they received more intensive services.

Danita

     Danita lives at one of House of Ruth’s service-enriched housing programs for women. When she arrived, she was suffering from depression so severe that she could barely function. Our first priority was to help Danita deal with her depression. With the staff’s encouragement, Danita began seeing the psychiatrist who comes to the program. Staff also made sure that she took her medication every day and got her involved in additional mental health and trauma recovery services.

     At first, Danita’s case manager met with her almost every day to provide counseling and support. Within a few weeks, the combination of the warm, nurturing environment provided by House of Ruth’s staff, medication and therapy began to provide Danita with some relief from the severity of her symptoms. Today, Danita continues to do her part. She is meeting regularly with her case manager and continues in psychotherapy. She also participates in two groups at her House of Ruth residence every week.

     Danita’s case manager and other staff helped her realize that while her situation was difficult, it was not hopeless. With her mental health stabilized, she now has the energy to re-enter the work force.

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 as well as her emotional stability.

Here are some key results:

     94% of the women at New Beginnings, New Pathways and Unity sustained sobriety for at least six months.

     93% of the women at New Beginnings, New Pathways and Unity learned and used effective life skills.

     82% of the women at New Beginnings, New Pathways and Unity maintained stability with their mental health for at least six months.

     67% of the women at Madison acknowledged a critical issue and had a plan to address it.