From “With shelters full, homeless families have nowhere to go” in the Washington Post:

In a region with seven of the 10 most affluent counties in the country, family homelessness is on the rise — straining services, filling shelters and forcing parents and their children to sleep in cars, parks, and bus and train stations. One mother recently bought $14 bus tickets to and from New York so she and her 2-year-old son would have a safe place to sleep — on the bus. [...]

The city has recently come under fire for turning away families seeking help as 118 overflow beds that were added last winter at DC General — the city’s main family homeless shelter — sit empty. A few places have recently opened up, but 500 families — some of whom are living with relatives or friends — are on a waiting list for housing.

Since the recession, homelessness among DC families has risen by 23 percent; in Maryland, “38 percent of homeless families are living on the streets.” Says Nassim Moshiree of Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless (a Catalogue nonprofit), “These families are the most desperate because they have young children and have nowhere to go.”

If you would like to support nonprofits that specifically provide housing to women and families most in need tonight, here are just a few places to start:

Calvary Women’s Services: a 25-bed transitional housing program for women that also offers meals, care, and life skills classes

Carpenter’s Shelter: an 80-bed, mortgage-free emergency shelter in Alexandria.

Doorways for Women and Families: 24-hour domestic violence hotline, an 11-bed safehouse, and court advocacy services.

The Dwelling Place: fully-furnished transitional housing and a wide range of support services.

Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services: apartments with supportive services, grants to prevent evictions, and counseling and financial education.

Shelter House: emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, and case management.