Hannah House DC
Details
WebSite
Location
Washington, Washington D.C.
Points
6
Level
2
About Me
Hannah House is the only dual program located in Washington DC for homeless women – concentrated not only on providing transitional housing services, but also addressing each woman’s needs as a whole. Hannah House serves has two populations – individual women in recovery, and recovering women with children. These programs utilize the same resources and staff and operate next door to one another – allowing Hannah House to serve as a safe, stable environment to adapt and strengthen to meet these needs.
When first established in 1979, Hannah House was a simple night shelter for women, helping them escape the cold, unfriendly, oft dangerous unknown of the streets. By 1989 it became apparently simple that this was not serving the needs of the homeless female population enough. In 1989, with increased funding and an influx of clients grappling with substance abuse, we were able to provide a true shelter from the storm of addiction and street violence – becoming a 24-hour transitional facility for single women hoping to shed the shackles of addiction, find a safe and supportive place to live, and begin to find a better way to live.
Many of the obstacles a homeless woman faces can seem insurmountable – substance abuse, mental illness, loss of child custody, illiteracy, a lack of job skills – and a lack of confidence that these odds can ever be faced. Hannah House understands the devastation many women without homes arrive with, thus when we opened our first transitional facility, we opened with a three-step program to address these issues, entitled “HERS”- Housing, Employment, Recovery, and Self-Awareness – designed to strengthen recovery and help our clients find employment while developing vital living skills, and the strength so many of our clients desperately need to find within.
Prior to 1996, 90% of the women on the HERS program had an average of 3 children in foster care, which is often an overlooked and devastating effect of mental illness, drug addiction, and homelessness. In 1996, Hannah House took a strong step in addressing this issue by providing a second program; the THIERS program, focused on family reunification. This program, based on the original program model, is able to serve five families at a time and includes the areas of “Togetherness” and “Independence”. The HERS programs and THEIRS program are next door to one another, enabling them to share staff, resources, and support among peers.
When first established in 1979, Hannah House was a simple night shelter for women, helping them escape the cold, unfriendly, oft dangerous unknown of the streets. By 1989 it became apparently simple that this was not serving the needs of the homeless female population enough. In 1989, with increased funding and an influx of clients grappling with substance abuse, we were able to provide a true shelter from the storm of addiction and street violence – becoming a 24-hour transitional facility for single women hoping to shed the shackles of addiction, find a safe and supportive place to live, and begin to find a better way to live.
Many of the obstacles a homeless woman faces can seem insurmountable – substance abuse, mental illness, loss of child custody, illiteracy, a lack of job skills – and a lack of confidence that these odds can ever be faced. Hannah House understands the devastation many women without homes arrive with, thus when we opened our first transitional facility, we opened with a three-step program to address these issues, entitled “HERS”- Housing, Employment, Recovery, and Self-Awareness – designed to strengthen recovery and help our clients find employment while developing vital living skills, and the strength so many of our clients desperately need to find within.
Prior to 1996, 90% of the women on the HERS program had an average of 3 children in foster care, which is often an overlooked and devastating effect of mental illness, drug addiction, and homelessness. In 1996, Hannah House took a strong step in addressing this issue by providing a second program; the THIERS program, focused on family reunification. This program, based on the original program model, is able to serve five families at a time and includes the areas of “Togetherness” and “Independence”. The HERS programs and THEIRS program are next door to one another, enabling them to share staff, resources, and support among peers.
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