Secret Women's Shelter Expanded

On Friday, somewhere in the District, demolition began at an undisclosed location for the expansion of My Sister’s Place, the District's only confidential shelter for battered women. Councilmember Kwame Brown, who secured $1 million in financing from the District for the shelter, was on hand, furtively, to help with the initial demolition. The expansion will more than double the number of emergency shelter beds from 22 to 45, allowing families to stay off the streets and out of abusive situations.

Though the expansion project had a ceremonial groundbreaking in October 2008, it later stalled, lacking sufficient construction funds. A recent grant from the District allowed construction to begin again; the expanded facility should complete in the fall of 2010.

The 9,000 s.f. facility will have suite-like living quarters, private counseling and therapy rooms and a computer resource room for women who are victims of domestic violence to seek work. It will also have a full time chef on site in a fully equipped commercial kitchen. The facility will also feature the District’s only 24-hour domestic violence emergency hotline. For matters of safety, the location of the shelter is not publicly available.

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