Who We Serve:

     House of Ruth helps women, children and families in greatest need and with very limited resources to build safe, stable lives and achieve their highest potential.  We serve women, children and families who are striving to overcome complex trauma and its consequences, such as domestic violence, homelessness, mental health disorders and substance abuse.

Traumatic experiences come in many forms, and can leave survivors with

overwhelming feelings of loss, danger and helplessness.  Complex Trauma involves prolonged or multiple traumatic events, typically occuring within a care-giving relationship.

                                                         -Judith Herman, Understanding Traumatic Stress in Children

     The women at House of Ruth are survivors of complex trauma.  Their lives have been devastated by physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect throughout their childhoods, followed by a lack of positive, supportive relationships in adulthood, as well as a high incidence of domestic violence.

     At our 12 locations in Washington, DC, House of Ruth works with nearly 300 women and 300 children every day.

How We Help:

     Recognizing that complex trauma is at the heart of the many serious challenges facing the women and children who we serve, House of Ruth uses proven interventions to facilitate their healing and growth.  House of Ruth is not, therefore, a collection of "shelters" for "homeless or battered women and families."  Rather, we provide an array of trauma recovery programs, providing nurturing, structured, safe housing and caring, consistent and individualized services.

     The women and children at House of Ruth are remarkably courageous and resilient.  We capitalize on these strengths, while addressing the full array of their needs.  We also continually evaluate the progress the women and children are making, in order to be sure that the interventions we are using are effective.

Principles:

     House of Ruth's programs and services are focused on creating and sustaining positive change for the women, children and families we serve.  Our guiding principles are to:

• Establish an ongoing therapeutic relationship with each woman and child in order to make positive change possible.  Interactions are caring, consistent, respectful and responsive.
• Support every participant and capitalize on their strengths to achieve their individualized outcomes: stable housing, trauma recovery, mental health, addiction recovery, employment and abuse-free relationships.
• Develop the most effective interventions and carry them out with the highest ethical standards.
• Provide an environment that is nurturing, consistent, structured and safe.
• Seek continuous improvement by identifying and incorporating proven interventions and employing staff and clinicians with specialized skills.
• Sustain an unwavering focus on our mission, principles and vision and the women, children and families who we serve.

How You Can Help:

     More than 25,000 investors are partners in House of Ruth's programs and services.  Their financial contributions enable us to go beyond meeting basic needs to provide trauma-specific, comprehensive services that allow women and children to heal, change and grow in lasting ways.  You see, government grants and contracts -- which we must compete for every year -- provide only about half of our $7.5 million annual budget.  All the rest comes from individuals and organizations in the community that recognize that giving to House of Ruth is the best way to help women and children who are homeless and abused.

     If you are already one of our generous friends, thank you!  If you are not yet a donor, please read on to learn more about us.  We firmly believe that if you want to help women and children who are homeless and abused, there is no better place to invest than House of Ruth.  Please become a partner in our work with your gift!

House of Ruth is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. 

Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. 

Our Federal Tax ID number is 52-1054102.