NEWS

26 April 2008 — Our New Website Launches

25 March 2008 — Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking

As many as 50% of the families coming to Homestretch cite domestic violence as a significant contributing factor in their homelessness. The number of women in our region who are deciding that they are fed up with the abuse at the hands of their abusers is growing, and many of them, once they flee, have no other place to go than a family shelter. From these shelters, many of the women, with their children in tow, come to Homestretch. Most of these families have left with little more than a few bags of clothes.

In addition, Homestretch is seeing an increase in the number of homeless women and children who have been human trafficked. Many of these women are from countries where English is not their first language, and acclimation to American culture, along with recovery from their trauma, requires a lot of special care.

Once in Homestretch, the following services are offered to these victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking:

• Subsidized and furnished housing in a location that is unknown to the abuser, and in a community where he is likely not to find her;
• Enrollment of the children in a new school or child care provider unknown to the abuser, and ongoing support for the children in their new school;
• Legal services, including protective orders and representation;
• Safety planning;
• Immediate relocation in safer locations if the abuser discovers her whereabouts;
• Psychotherapy for mother and children;
• Peer support groups;
• Domestic violence education classes;
• Health and wellness groups;
• Financial literacy education (individual and group);
• Employment assistance;
• Micro-loans;
• ESL classes;
• Transportation assistance;
• Child care assistance.

Women entering Homestretch due to domestic violence are welcome to partake of the myriad of other services offered, including GED tutoring, credit counseling, academic tutoring, access to medical care, and help with applications and scholarships for continuing education or vocational training programs.

Homestretch partners with a wide variety of agencies and organizations to provide as complete a series of services as possible to domestic violence survivors. These include the Center for Multi-Cultural Services, Tahirah Justice Center, the Women’s Center, the Women’s Shelter, FAITH, Falls Church and Fairfax County Police, and more.

 

31 December 2007 — Accomplishments of 2007

• Awards-Selected as the Non-Profit of the Year by the Vienna-Tysons Chamber of Commerce. Selected by INC5000 as one of the fastest growing non-profits in the region
• Capital Project-Purchased three properties bringing to 31the total of Homestretch owned properties.
• Housing-transitional housing services to 110 families
• Job Training-provided 900 hours of job counseling
• Credit Counseling-provided 173 hours of individual credit counseling and 14 hours of workshops
• Debt Repayment and savings $123,085 deposited into debt repayment accounts, $105,281 deposited into savings accounts
• Tax Preparation -$122,416 obtained in tax refunds, including an Earned Income Tax Credit of $80,432
• Legal Counseling-40 hours of legal counseling plus follow-up services
• Domestic Violence Support-Domestic Violence Support provided by the Women’s Center along with ongoing weekly therapy for twenty survivors of domestic violence
• English as a Second Language-390 classes; 1,555 hours of instruction; 40 students enrolled
• Partnership for Permanent Housing-six families enrolled in the county funded program that will guide them towards home ownership in five years.
• Volunteer Hours-4,000 hours with a value of $75,080
• Children Served-243,Children Provided with Back to School Supplies and Backpacks-135, children participating in Holiday Shopping Spree-76,teen Activities-32 and Elementary Life Skills activites-57