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House of Ruth

Brianna’s Story

Brianna’s Story

Brianna* lives in House of Ruth’s Madison Program, a program that provides transitional housing for women overcoming homelessness.

Brianna is steadfastly pursuing her goals to reunify with her children and transition to permanent housing. House of Ruth is here to fully support her through this process with case management, counseling, and life skills support.

Brianna is putting all the pieces of her life together, and we are grateful to you, for generously empowering her with your support. Brianna is committed to maintaining her sobriety and attends Narcotics Anonymous groups twice a week. She is certified to be a home health aide, and since arriving at Madison four months ago, she was able to obtain a position in her field.

Brianna recognizes her hard work is paying off — she recently gained unsupervised visitation rights with her children. She is eagerly looking for permanent housing where she and her children will be able to enjoy time together in their own home.

Our staff has witnessed Brianna become more happy and hopeful as she has progressed on her journey.

*Name has been changed.

Making Breakfast at Madison

This past August, members of United Assembly No. 2 Order of the Golden Circle and United Consistory No. 1 United Supreme Council (Prince Hall Affiliation, Jurisdiction of the District of Columbia) prepared and cooked a delicious breakfast for the ladies at House of Ruth’s Madison shelter as part of their community service efforts for the year. The members who could not participate that morning donated money for the purchase of the breakfast items. We are so thankful to United Assembly No. 2 and United Consistory No. 1—we truly appreciate your generosity.

Be sure to check out some of the photos from the breakfast below!

Music’s Power to Move

Capital Harmonia, an all-woman’s chorus in D.C., has been coming to one of House of Ruth’s housing programs for five years. This very special choir performs mostly music written or arranged by contemporary female artists, which sets it apart from many other choirs. The music ranges from pop to gospel to modern, and stops at many places in between.

The clients at Madison are different each time they come, and the reception varies, too. This year, the start was a bit rough, with a few clients openly doubting the relevance of the choir. The first song drew many people in … and by the mash up of Aretha Franklin’s songs as the finale, the entire room was clapping, stomping and singing along.

It was a beautiful reminder of the power of music to heal and join people together. Then, the leader of Capital Harmonia said, “we’re always looking for new singers—you all sounded great!” And, unexpectedly, a client who had just moved in the day before introduced herself as a performer and asked if she could close the concert with a song. She did, and she brought down the house.

We so appreciate the woman of Capital Harmonia, the indomitable spirit of our clients, and the generosity of all of our volunteers.