Betty’s House I and II: Helping Women Escape Abusive Relationships
Escaping an abusive relationship is hard for any woman, but immigrant women without legal status face particular obstacles. They have fled their country or abuser without anything to start from. But if they live in Montgomery County, they can find hope and help at the NCCF’s Betty House I and II. Each house provides up […]
Our Redemption
The homeless mothers sit before me, dressed in their best clothes, well groomed, cautiously, hesitantly returning a smile to me. Ranging widely in complexion, height, and shape, their commonality is very striking. They are young (under 25), single, and have children. They are poor and live in a transitional housing program. They are the objects […]
Opposing Forces
It seems that her face, an angelic, wistful, and questioning portrait, is circulating everywhere, calling out for someone to help us find Relisha. Vigils, newspapers, police press conferences, television interviews, City Council hearings, all question what happened to this quiet little eight-year-old girl who resided in a massive emergency homeless family shelter with nearly 600 […]
There Are No Flowers There
Today was the height of the ever so brief National Cherry Blossom season. I normally take a sort of suburban, somewhat distant notice of the cherry trees along the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC when this magic day arrives…..when the thousands of trees bloom all along the Potomac River. After all, they were donated to […]
How Did We Get Here on Valentine’s Day?
This week, as we celebrated Saint Valentine’s Day, approximately half of 190 million valentines were given to family members other than a husband or wife, usually to children. When valentine-exchange cards made in school activities are included, the number approaches 1 billion, and teachers receive the most valentines (US Greeting Card Association, 2010). So I […]
Homeless Children: The Other One Percent
Drinking a cup of coffee this afternoon, fighting off unprecedented, increasing allergy assaults this spring (I live in a wonderfully flowering parkland with a yard in full bloom), I leisurely read this Sunday’s headlines: Joining Washington’s one percenters takes more than the U.S. average . According to writers Gowen, Morello, and Mellnik, a household income […]
