Abused and Homeless Children's Refuge -- Alternative House

Abused and homeless children deserve brighter futures. Providing shelter, counseling and community outreach to children, youth, teenage mothers and their children to end this tragedy.

How do you help people in my community?

While most of the youth and families we serve are from the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., our doors are open to youth from anywhere. If they show up at our door, we will do everything we can to try and help that young person get out of danger and on the path to a safer, more constructive life path.

Why do you need my support?

We got started over 35 years ago by a group of concerned volunteers, who helped establish our program through small donations of cash and equipment. We have grown since then, but still rely on the same small contributions for our existence. Your gift will help us purchase food and supplies, pay for our building's utilities and maintenance, and generally help us assure safe and effective crisis services to troubled youth.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

We have more 35 years of successful operation, are licensed by the State of Virginia as a children's mental health facility, and undergo numerous annual service reviews, financial audits, and performance monitoring visits. Our services and management practices are consistently praised for their effectiveness and efficiency. Our staff undergoes extensive and expensive background checks (including local, state, and federal criminal databases and registries. We also have very low administrative costs, which helps assure the highest possible percentage of our resources are focused on providing direct services to youth and their families.

Can I Volunteer? How?

Yes! We need volunteers at every level of our program, from youth counselors to leadership on our Board of Directors. Please call our office at (703) 506-9191 for more information.