Doorways For Women and Families Unveil New Freddie Mac Foundation Family Home
November 07 2007 - 11:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Foundation $500K Grant and Important Contributions from Arlington
County, HomeAid and NVHomes Provide Safe Haven, Hope for More
Families at New Arlington Home ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/
-- Doorways for Women and Families (formerly The Arlington
Community Temporary Shelter, TACTS) along with Congressman Jim
Moran and the Freddie Mac Foundation today unveiled the newly built
Freddie Mac Foundation Family Home that will provide safe,
temporary housing and intensive support services to many homeless
women and families within Arlington County and the DC region. The
new 7,200-square-foot Arlington shelter was made possible with
major investments from the Freddie Mac Foundation and Arlington
County, substantial in-kind donations from HomeAid Northern
Virginia and NVHomes, and support from many organizations,
individuals and foundations including the Philip L. Graham Fund,
the Vicky Collins Charitable Foundation, the Virginia Department of
Housing, Community Development and the Virginia General Assembly
and a national Kresge Foundation Challenge Grant. "In 2005,
Doorways turned away more than 1,300 individuals seeking shelter,
half of whom were children with their parents," said Linda Dunphy,
executive director, Doorways. "With family homelessness on the
rise, this facility will do more than just provide the basics of
food and shelter, it will bring respect, dignity and inspiration to
women and families allowing them to focus on the developmental
steps needed to rebuild their lives and avoid future homelessness."
"With this new Arlington shelter, Doorways will be opening the door
to help more homeless families and individuals gain the support
they need to succeed. I'm pleased to see so many local corporate
leaders -- such as the Freddie Mac Foundation, HomeAid Northern
Virginia, and NVHomes -- join together to make this possible,"
explained Congressman Jim Moran. "Helping our region's children and
families succeed is at the heart of our Foundation's work. That is
why we are happy to play a role in helping provide not just a new
temporary home but a new beginning for families in Arlington County
and throughout the region," said Ralph F. Boyd, chairman and CEO,
Freddie Mac Foundation. "We are proud to be a part of Doorways' new
Freddie Mac Foundation Family Home that will help enrich the lives
of homeless families in Arlington County," said Arlington County
Board Chairman Paul Ferguson. With the new facility, Doorways will
be able to provide a lifesaving continuum of care, hope and safety
for up to 21 individuals or four to seven families at any given
time. The new three-level, energy-efficient home has 10 bedrooms
with 21 beds, which is six more bedrooms and five more beds than
Doorways' previous shelter. Additionally, the Arlington home has a
new and improved layout to serve families including a full-size
double kitchen, laundry facilities, a family room, children's play
room, and back porch. Many "green" features have also been
incorporated into the Home including Marmoleum flooring, Energy
Star rated appliances, low VOC paints and landscaping with
low-maintenance native species. "This is our largest project to
date providing in-kind support and materials to take this building
from blueprint to reality," said Barry H. Schwartz, board
president, HomeAid Northern Virginia. "HomeAid wants to eradicate
homelessness for families and especially children, so after three
years of meetings, planning and construction, we are excited to see
this come to fruition." "Giving back to the community is the right
thing to do," said Ron Orie, vice president, NVHomes. "It is a
great source of pride for us and for our subcontractors that we
have been able to be a part of providing an emergency home for
women and families in crisis." Family homelessness continues to be
a serious and growing issue throughout the DC region. Nearly half
of the area's homeless are families and a quarter of the homeless
population are children. Also, a majority of the Washington, DC
region's homeless families live in the suburbs. Doorways serves an
even greater proportion of children as approximately 52% of their
clients are children. Although many families do not remain homeless
for long, the experience can be devastating, increasing the
likelihood that families will dissolve. Homeless children are also
more likely to be placed in foster care, are less healthy,
experience disruptions in schooling, and are more likely to have
developmental delays than poor, housed children. Doorways provides
a broad range of services for women and families experiencing
homelessness and domestic violence. In addition to the new home,
Doorways operates a domestic violence safehouse, a two-year
supportive housing program, children's services, financial literacy
training, court companionship and advocacy, and community outreach.
Prior to Doorways' founding almost 30 years ago, the only shelter
for battered or homeless women and their children in Arlington was
a night in a motel. Funding supportive housing programs and
services that create stable, healthy environments for homeless
children and families is an important way that the Freddie Mac
Foundation is helping these families and their children be more
self-sufficient and independent. Everyday, the Freddie Mac
Foundation works to increase family stability and strengthen
communities by providing funds for a variety of nonprofit
organizations serving children and their families. Doorways will
begin accepting families on December 1 in order to provide
emergency shelter during the holidays. To view photos or for more
information, visit the Doorways' web site at
http://www.doorwaysva.org/. Doorways for Women & Families,
formerly the Arlington Community Temporary Shelter (TACTS),
empowers women and families who are abused, homeless or at- risk to
live safe, secure and self-sufficient lives. We provide shelter and
services, advocate, educate the community, build and work in
coalitions, and influence policy. Created by Freddie Mac in 1991,
the Freddie Mac Foundation is dedicated to creating hope and
opportunity for children, youth, and their families. As the largest
corporate funder in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Freddie
Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have invested more than $321
million in organizations serving the community. DATASOURCE: Freddie
Mac Foundation CONTACT: Jennifer Meyer of Freddie Mac Foundation,
+1-703-903-3877, Lauren Lawson of Doorways for Women and Families,
+1-202-360-2406, or Maggie Johnston of HomeAid, +1-703-362-6255 Web
site: http://www.doorwaysva.org/ http://www.freddiemac.com/
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