Housing

Housing Assistance

• 2-1-1 Information and Referral Search 2-1-1 provides free and confidential information and referral. Call 2-1-1 for help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more. Learn more about your local 2-1-1 by looking it up here.
• US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HUD helps apartment owners offer reduced rents to low-income tenants. From this site, one can search for a subsidized apartment or find a list of locations of local Public Housing Agency (PHA) offices. One can apply for Public Housing and Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) at PHA offices. Some PHAs have long waiting lists, so it may be optimal to apply at more than one PHA. The PHA can also provide a list of locations at which vouchers can be used.
• Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development These homeownership and rental housing programs help families in Maryland find, maintain and keep affordable and livable housing in communities throughout the state. Homebuyer assistance programs offer mortgage loans as well as down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible homebuyers with low-to-moderate incomes. DHCD has programs to improve and rehabilitate single family housing to improve basic livability including lead paint reduction and weatherization assistance. DHCD offers housing financing programs for persons with special needs.
• National Coalition for the Homeless List of resources for those who are not yet homeless, such as information about local prevention or emergency assistance programs. Often these programs can help in paying rent, utilities, or bills. For those who are homeless now, emergency assistance programs listed here may help with health care, food, and temporary, transitional, or permanent housing.
• InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington The Greater Washington, D.C. Emergency Services Directory is an online database of approximately 400 service providers of resources such as emergency shelters, home furnishing and repair services, transitional housing, and day shelters/day programs. To begin your search, go to this link and select the service(s) and region(s) of interest.
• HomeFree USA HomeFree-USA is leading HUD-approved homeownership development, foreclosure intervention and financial coaching organization designed to help families purchase homes and help homeowners to prevent foreclosure.
• Section 8 Housing Program This online housing locator service allows people to locate available housing that best fits their individual and family needs. Any type of rental housing that meets program requirements for housing quality standards is eligible. Eligible applicants are families or individuals who have annual incomes of 50 percent or less of the area median income or state non-metro median income, whichever is higher. Those who are eligible for residency are also eligible applicants.
• The Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC) is a quasi-governmental organization formed in 1974. HOC’s mission is to provide people with low and moderate incomes the opportunity to live in high-quality, safe, and affordable housing in Montgomery County.
• Montgomery Counties Coalition for the Homeless MCCH programs provide permanent supportive housing, emergency shelter and housing, and supportive service to over 1,400 individuals and children.
• Montgomery County Senior Housing Learn about how to find affordable housing for seniors, Senior tax credit programs, and other housing-related help/programs provided by Montgomery County.
• The Dwelling Place Programs are designed for families with children who have resided in Montgomery County, Maryland, for at least 12 months. Families must be referred by Montgomery County’s Office of Special Needs Housing. Direct referrals from individuals or other agencies are not honored. Clients needing homeless services should call or visit the Rockville, Silver Spring, or Germantown offices of Montgomery County Health and Human Services.
• Stepping Stones Shelter Stepping Stones provides shelter and services for up to 6 families at any one time, generally housing around 30 families/100 individuals each year. To help families to achieve their goals and to become stably housed, Stepping Stones provides career counseling, job search training, resume building, GED tutoring through a partnership with Career Catchers; offers financial literacy workshops; referrals to other agencies that provide housing or subsidy support, as well as credit counseling, mental health services, and child development assessments; assisting with housing searches and applications, including paying apartment application fees; and tutoring for children.

• Virginia Williams Family Resource Center (Family Central Intake) is the central intake office for all families in the District seeking assistance with their housing needs. VWFRC is located at 64 New York Avenue, NE, and is open Monday-Thursday from 8:30 am – 4 pm and Friday, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm. The telephone number is 202-526-0017. After business hours, families can call the Homeless Services Hotline for information about services and resources at 202-399-7093 or 311.  

• Homeless Providers with Information for DMV Non-driver Identification Card In DC in order to acquire a voucher, an applicant must be currently experiencing homelessness and prove their identity with a birth certificate and social security card. If there are any difficulties that arise in acquiring a copy of their birth certificate, one may contact DHS or any Certified Providers for assistance.

Emergency Shelters

• N Street Village N Street Village is a community of empowerment and recovery for homeless and low-income women in Washington, D.C. offering five shelter and housing programs that incorporate intensive case management focused on helping women achieve personal stability and make gains in their income, employment, mental health, physical health, and addiction recovery. Drop-in day care services provided through Bethany Women’s Center.
• Homeless Shelter Directory A list of Maryland Shelters is found at this link. Many are emergency shelters along with general homeless shelters and some transitional housing opportunities. As a note, many of these shelters now have waiting lists. Please call before going to them. Many waiting lists are very long.
• Wilkins Avenue Women’s Assessment Center Wilkins Avenue Women’s Assessment Center is a 65-bed emergency shelter serving approximately 300 women per year. Case managers work with women to facilitate recovery and stability, as well as connect them with housing, medical, mental health, and social services.
• Carroll House Men’s Shelter Carroll House Men’s Shelter is a 32-bed facility providing housing for about 70 homeless men each year. The program offers residents intensive case management, vocational programming, and a range of services. Last year, more than 70 percent of the men moved to permanent housing and more than 65 percent increased their income.
• Interfaith Housing Coalition Interfaith Housing Coalition is a subsidiary of Interfaith Works that provides permanent housing and supportive services to families in 26 units across the county.
• Becky’s House Becky’s House provides a safe environment for up to eight senior, disabled women, many of whom have lived on the streets for decades with no place to go. The program provides case management and 24-hour staff for the women who call this home.
• Watkins Mill Watkins Mill is a transitional housing program for eight homeless women (more than 12 per year) with a mental health disability. The program provides case management, meals, transportation and referrals to permanent housing.
• John Young Center 12 hour emergency shelter for single adult females who are homeless: 7am – 7pm
• Luther Place Memorial Church Luther Place Night Shelter is located on the fourth floor of the Parish Hall and offers temporary shelter for homeless women.
• District Alliance for Safe Housing DASH provides safe housing and services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence and their families.

Hypothermia Services

• DC.gov Hypothermia/Hyperthermia Alerts Call the Shelter Hotline if you see a person who is homeless who may be impacted by extreme temperatures. (202) 399-7093
• Virginia Williams Family Resource Center Families seeking emergency shelter should go to the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center (VWFRC) at 920 Rhode Island Avenue, NE. VWFRC operates between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday through Thursdays (except for holidays and days on which the District government is closed). After 4:00 pm and on Fridays and weekends, families should call the Shelter Hotline [(202) 399-7093] for transportation to the DC General family shelter or other available family shelter.
• Emergency Shelters Emergency or low-barrier shelters are designed to keep people safe from extreme weather conditions. The Emergency Shelter program provides beds on a first come, first served basis, to any homeless person.

Domestic Violence Shelters/Housing

• District Alliance for Safe Housing DASH provides safe housing and services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence and their families.
• My Sister’s Place My Sister’s Place provides safe and confidential emergency shelter and transitional-to-permanent housing to battered women and their children. MSP also provides supportive programs, counseling, education and advocacy to all survivors of domestic violence. This is a great program, but expect time to be accepted into the shelter/program.
• House of Ruth Housing for women, children and families with very limited resources. They also help them build safe, stable lives, and heal from lifetimes of traumatic abuse. Provisions for 63 families and 109 single women; supportive services to 11 families housed in apartments throughout the city; developmental day care to 76 children and supportive services for their parents; and free counseling for more than 400 women a year who are dealing with or recovering from domestic violence.