Fifty years ago, House of Ruth opened its doors to help eight unhoused women seeking safety. The organization has since grown into a space for women across Washington, D.C., to rebuild and heal.
As the nonprofit serving unhoused women, including survivors of domestic violence, marked its 50th anniversary on Oct. 3, the organization is reflecting on decades of work and calling on the community to help sustain its mission.
But its story started with one woman, Veronica Maz, a Georgetown University sociology professor, who noticed a gendered gap in resources.
“There were plenty of services for men that were unhoused, but not for women, and so she took it upon herself to actually start a shelter,” CEO Sandra Jackson said.
The organization has since expanded into a broader network of services, including personal and professional counseling for women who’ve experienced domestic violence.
Despite overall violent crime rates in D.C. dropping in the last year, assault with a dangerous weapon cases are the only category of crime that has increased — 25 percent of those being domestic-related.
Jackson, who has been with House of Ruth for nearly two decades, said the organization hasn’t noticed a significant spike in women on its doorstep, but it hasn’t seen a decline either. While housing remains a critical part of House of Ruth’s work, she said it is just “one piece” of a broader process.
House of Ruth provides career counseling and educational programs to help women “rebuild their lives” with services focused on employment, household management, financial literacy and more.
Five years ago, House of Ruth launched its Child Development Center in Ward 7 after more mothers began seeking its services, Jackson said. The center provides occupational speech, language and art therapy, helping children develop the skills they need to “go to school, be vocal and be healthy,” she said.
While providing housing for these women is a “foundational piece” of the work the organization does, Jackson said it also prioritizes fostering a safe environment for them to heal.
“When they are fleeing or when they are coming off the street, they know that they and their families are going to be safe in the premier housing that we offer,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the organization works with women and children to confront the emotional and physical effects of their trauma. The housing, counseling and support the organization provides work together to create a safe foundation for women and their families as they rebuild their lives, she said.
“[It helps] them to understand this is something that happened to you,” Jackson said. “This is not who you are. It takes those three pillars holistically and completely to help women to move forward and rebuild their lives.”
For its 50th anniversary, House of Ruth hosted its Homecoming Celebration of Hope and Healing at the National Housing Center in D.C. The fundraising event brought together survivors, staff and community members to celebrate five decades of the organization’s work.
Jackson said the event was a celebration and an educational opportunity to encourage the community to get more involved.
“It’s important for people to understand how important it is for the community to support organizations like House of Ruth, because this is the only way we can do this,” Jackson said.
Under President Donald Trump’s administration, federal policymakers have pursued changes to several social welfare programs, including housing assistance. Most recently, the administration proposed cutting $3.8 billion from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) affordable housing, homelessness and community development programs.
In 2024, government grants made up 57 percent of the organization’s revenue, with about $8.3 million coming from federal and local government grants.
For organizations like House of Ruth that rely on government funding alongside private donations, Jackson said that House of Ruth has become even more of a “safety net” for women in the D.C., Virginia and Maryland area.
“Even if there were no challenges with funding at this particular time, still it’s very expensive to do this work,” she said. “We never want anyone to come to us and we’re not able to help, or we’re not able to help in the way they need to be helped.”
With the organization’s focus on individualized support, Jackson said funding is vital to ensuring each family receives the specific resources it needs.
“The way we work with families, we’re very individualized,” she said. ”Everybody’s needs are not the same.“So we want to be able to craft that individual support in the way that is needed, and so it takes funding to do that.”
Whether it’s volunteering your time or donating essential items listed on the organization’s website, Jackson said she hopes Washingtonians will find a way to support women and families in need.
“There are multiple ways people can help,” Jackson said. “It really is a community effort.”
This article is part of our 2026 contribution to the D.C. Homeless Crisis Reporting Project in collaboration with other local newsrooms. The collective works will be published throughout the week at bit.ly/DCHCRP.
This article was edited by Sophie Milner-Gorvine, Cara Halford and Gabrielle McNamee. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Arin Burrell, Mattie Lupo and Jaden Maitland Anderson.
