N Street Village

N Street Village has served homeless women since 1973.  Programs include day center, transitional and permanent housing, mental and physical health care and an education and employment center.

Why do we exist?

N Street Village exists to live out its mission statement: To empower homeless and low-income women to claim their highest quality of life by offering a broad spectrum of services and advocacy in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.  We are unique because we are a self-contained village of services for homeless women, offering under one roof all the tools a woman needs to reclaim her life from poverty.  Our services include a drop-in day center, night shelter, education and employment center, case management, wellness center, individual and group therapy, and recovery, transitional, and permanent supportive housing. We typically serve a population that is the most difficult to reach: individuals with mental illness, addiction, physical disabilities, and a history of homelessness.

You should care about the work that N Street Village is doing because we are needed more than ever right now.  As the economy continues to struggle and people continue to lose jobs and homes, more and more women are seeking help at N Street.  We have been able to operate at full capacity throughout the economic downturn, but we need your help to ensure that we can continue to do so. 

What have you accomplished?

Each year, we serve nearly 800 women in the Washington area, which is equivalent to one-third of the population of homeless women. We provide everything these women need to get back on their feet, from the basic necessities of food, shelter, clothing, and medical attention, to services that empower women to change their lives, including educational classes, employment training and support, transitional and permanent supportive housing, and individual and group therapy.

The women who seek assistance at N Street Village come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Mary Virginia was the victim of identity theft (at the hands of her roommate) and came to N Street after losing her home due to the debt incurred. She is a resident of our permanent supportive housing program and is an exemplary member of the N Street community, serving as a Senior Peer Corps mentor to incoming NSV clients and volunteering as a receptionist at our facility.  Another of our women is Renee, a DC native who fell victim to alcoholism after losing her father and several other family members in quick succession.  Renee was a resident of our night shelter for several months and recently moved into her own apartment.  She is currently completing training through our Education and Employment Center to be an in-home caregiver for the elderly and also serves as a mentor through our Senior Peer Corps program. 

We consider the success of clients such as Mary Virginia and Renee to be our greatest accomplishments, but N Street Village has also been recognized by the DC community for the effectiveness of our programs.  Our awards in recent years include the Washington Post Award for Non-Profit Management (2006), the Gelman Excel Award from the Center for Non-Profit Advancement (2007), and the Heroes in the Fight Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness-DC Chapter (2008).     

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