While most emergency homeless shelters are focused on providing a safe place to stay at night, Rachael’s Women’s Center helps fill a need for services during the day.
And this year marks the center’s 25th anniversary for providing care, support and safety for homeless women in the District of Columbia.
Since it opened, the center’s mission has been to “provide homeless and formerly homeless women with opportunities to develop their independence of self and hope.”
“We try to meet their basic needs: food, showers, laundry. We always have toiletries to give them,” says Alexandra George, program director for the center. Although the center’s day programs are strictly for women, Rachael’s provides showers, laundry and toiletries to homeless men as well.
Mornings are fairly structured at Rachael’s. Breakfast is served from 7:30-8:00, and women must sign up by 7:30 to get a seat at the table. Just 12 women are served at a time, and the staff calls everyone to the table by name to lend a personal, home-like touch to the event. “It’s not a big assembly line,” says George.
Narcotics Anonymous meetings are held every day at the center, and women with past substance abuse problems are required to attend them. However, the only group meeting are mandatory for all women that stay there is a house meeting at 9:15 a.m. and a psycho-educational group at 11:15 a.m. during which the women learn life skills such as self-esteem building and relaxation techniques.
Two case managers are also available to help the women work on issues like staying sober or trying to find housing. And additional outreach workers go out on the street to reach out to homeless people – both men and women – who are not currently seeking services. George says they take water to the homeless in summer and make sure they have hats and gloves in the winter.
For those that seek employment, Rachael’s offers job skills training through a local law firm where women can go to get exposure to an office environment and learn to use a computer. The Center also employs two homeless women for short-term assignments in housekeeping and kitchen duties. It gives the women practice in getting to work on time, working with a supervisor and receiving a paycheck, says George.
Each summer, Rachael’s puts together an “Around the World” educational program, in which the women learn about a different part of the world each week. France, the Caribbean, Russia and Africa are among the regions recently studied.
“We try to expose them to something different,” says George. “That there are other ways of living. Just because they’re homeless doesn’t mean they can’t learn about other things. They thirst for knowledge like everyone else.”
But one of the more popular programs at Rachael’s is Tuesday bingo. Women hunch quietly over their bingo cards anticipating prizes such as nail polish, bath potions and shampoo. Other fun programs at Rachael’s include an art group every Monday and music therapy sessions where they can sing karaoke songs and shake tambourines. Rachael’s serves about 40 women per day and 700 per year. The center also runs a permanent housing program with 17 single-occupancy units in the District. Women must pass through a rigorous screening before becoming eligible for the housing program. They must have a disability (either mental or physical) and a solid amount of “clean time” if they’ve ever had substance abuse problems. Rent is one-third of their income. The center operates on a budget of about $500,000 a year. Sources of support include foundations, government grants and individuals. Donations of cash o products (new toiletries, underwear, socks) are welcome. Volunteers are needed for just about anything: to help serve meals, to speak at educational meetings, to paint the walls, to pull weeds in the garden, to participate in art, projects to give manicures.
