Our Programs and Services
New to My Sisters Place?
Our Impact
As DC’s oldest domestic violence shelter, My Sister’s Place has supported survivors for over 46 years with shelter, housing, and services that promote safety, healing, and long-term stability.
Survivors served in FY25
1:1 Case Management Sessions
in Cash Assistance to survivors in FY25
A Cornerstone of D.C’s response to domestic violence.
For over 46 years, My Sister’s Place has led innovative, survivor-centered solutions, launching DC’s first domestic violence hotline, shelter, and, more recently, the first guaranteed income program for survivors. Our deep roots and expertise continue shaping the city’s evolving response to domestic violence.
Stay Updated
In Their Own Words
“My children and I are truly thankful to have been connected with your agency! Because of your services, we’ve been able to focus on growing emotionally, mentally, physically, and most importantly healing! We no long have to manage ourselves on “survival mode” and that is truly peaceful! From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!”
Upcoming Events
No events found
Connect With Us on Instagram
When a survivor reaches out, someone answers. Your gift makes sure that never changes. 💜
This spring, our Board of Directors is matching every donation up to $25,000 — doubling your impact for survivors and their children.
Since 1979, MSP has been there when it matters most. Your support helps us keep that promise going.
The match runs through June 15 — give today and make your gift count twice.
Link in bio ✨
Nearly 86,000 heroes. That`s what we saw last year.
In 2025, an incredible 85,929 community members voted in support of My Sister`s Place through the Target Circle Campaign, unlocking $7,270.65 in grant funds for survivors and their children.
Every single vote was a powerful affirmation that:
💜 Survivors deserve to be heard.
💜 Safety is a right, not a privilege.
💜 Community can be a catalyst for change.
And that kind of impact doesn`t have to stop here. Did you know many employers offer giving programs or matching gifts that can support organizations like MSP? If yours does, we`d love to connect — drop a comment or send us a DM!
Thank you to our caring community for turning your votes into impact. 💐
When the District says domestic violence is a public safety priority but cuts the services survivors depend on, that’s not alignment. That’s a contradiction.
This week, our Executive Director Lisa Winjum delivered that message before the DC Council Committee of the Whole on the FY27 budget. Earlier this month, Lisa testified before the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety on the OVSJG budget, and our Director of Program Operations and Reporting, Amatullah Shabazz, testified before the Committee on Human Services on the DHS budget.
Three hearings. One message: Survivors need services. Services need funding.
Right now, 48 survivors are on MSP’s waitlist for emergency shelter. Behind every number is a person making one of the hardest decisions of their life. The budget the Council passes will determine what is possible for them.
We are deeply grateful to our coalition partners at the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Victim Assistance Network for their leadership, and to every member of our team and community standing alongside survivors in this moment.
The record on the FY27 budget closes May 27. There is still time to submit written testimony at lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/hearings/2301
We’re excited to share that our Changemaker partner, @the_IMF has renewed its support for My Sister’s Place through a 2026 grant award — increasing their investment from $10,000 to $15,000. 💜
This funding will help support survivors of domestic violence through workforce development, financial education, housing support, and cash assistance programs that help families move toward safety and stability.
Continued partnerships like this are deeply meaningful. They reflect not only an investment in our programs, but a belief in survivors and their ability to rebuild, heal, and thrive.
Thank you, IMF, for continuing to stand alongside survivors and the organizations that support them.
#CorporateChangemaker #EndDomesticViolence #EconomicEmpowerment
This past Mother`s Day, our partners at @Accenture reminded us what it truly means to show up for moms. 💛
Their team came together to assemble beautiful baskets filled with diapers, baby wipes, lotion, and newborn socks for moms with little ones and expecting mothers in our community.
For survivors starting over — often with very little — essentials like these ease real everyday burdens and allow moms to focus on what matters most: healing and caring for their families. But just as importantly, a thoughtfully put-together basket tells a mom she is seen, celebrated, and not walking this journey alone.
Because honoring mothers shouldn`t be limited to just one day. Thank you, Accenture, for helping us celebrate and care for the incredible moms in our community — this Mother`s Day and beyond. 💐
Dr. Shannon Harden reached out with a simple desire: to donate diapers and baby essentials for the families we serve at My Sister`s Place. In just one day, that email resulted in us filling our inventory to meet an urgent and ongoing need for families.
Shannon, her husband Dr. Maurice Harden, Pastor of Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church, and their family showed up together. And, together, we unloaded over 2,000 diapers, more than 5,000 wipes, and 55 ounces of diaper rash cream.
And before they left, they asked one more thing: "How else can we help?"
The women who come through our doors are mothers, many caring for newborns and young children after fleeing some of the most unsafe and uncertain moments of their lives. In those early days, a diaper is a necessity, and it is one less thing to carry when you are already carrying so much.
For new mothers especially, the path forward can feel isolating. That is why case management at My Sister`s Place goes beyond basic needs. Our case managers walk alongside mothers, connecting them to pediatric care, parenting support, community resources, and the network of people and services they need to feel grounded, supported, and less alone.
Because rebuilding a life is not something anyone should have to do without guidance or community.
To the Harden family and Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church, thank you for seeing our mothers and children. For showing up with open hands and an open door. Your generosity tells a family that they are not forgotten. We are profoundly thankful for your partnership and your heart. Thank you for partnering with My Sister’s Place to support survivors of domestic violence.
Families arriving at My Sister’s Place are often starting over, many for the first time. For mothers balancing independence with caring for their children, daily essentials can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Everyday items such as soap, toothbrushes, body wash, and flip-flops might be forgotten, yet they help ease daily burdens and allow attention to shift toward what truly matters: safety, stability, and moving ahead.
At My Sister`s Place, that journey begins with a safe place to land. Our emergency housing program provides survivors and their families with their own private units across two housing sites, a roof, meals, and a community around them during the most urgent moments of their lives.
From there, our transitional housing programs, RISE and RISE Plus, walk alongside families for up to two years, covering rent, providing case management, and building the foundation survivors need to reach lasting independence.
Every step of that journey requires support. Thanks to Pennrose Management, everyday essentials are now readily accessible to the families we serve. In a time of rising costs, that generosity carries real weight, reminding survivors that they are not navigating this alone, and that a community is behind them as they rebuild.
We are grateful for Pennrose Management’s contribution and the impact it brings to our neighbors across DC. Thank you!
"How many generations are going to inherit this membership card to the survivor`s club?"
Those are the words of Sharon Wise — a survivor, an artist, and an advocate who found My Sister`s Place after surviving years of abuse. Today, she speaks openly about her experience so others don`t have to suffer in silence.
My Sister`s Place was recently featured in The Washington Post in a story about the rise in domestic violence across the DC region. As our Executive Director, Lisa Winjum, shared: "The headlines we’ve seen bring attention to domestic violence, but they fade, and the impact on a victim’s family doesn’t.”
Domestic violence is not a private issue — it is a public health crisis. Survivors need more than attention. They need housing, trauma-informed care, and long-term support to truly rebuild their lives.
That is the work we show up for every day, long after the headlines fade. 💜 Link in bio.
April is Fair Housing Month. But for too many survivors of domestic violence in DC, safe housing is still just out of reach. 💜
Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness in our city — and right now, the proposed FY27 budget includes cuts to the very services that help survivors find safety and stability. At a time when DV is driving increases in serious assaults across DC, cutting these services isn`t just shortsighted. It`s dangerous.
We`re calling for the full restoration of funding for domestic violence services. Survivors deserve housing. They deserve safety. They deserve a city that shows up for them.
📢Submit written testimony by May 7. Link in bio.
#FairHousingMonth #EndDomesticViolence #DCBudget #FundSurvivorServices #SafeHousingNow
She came to us with a goal and a lot standing in her way. 💜
Housing instability. No childcare. Uncertainty about what came next.
Through MSP`s Workforce Development Program, she completed dental assistant training and landed a full-time job in healthcare. Today, she`s employed, more financially stable, and building the future she always knew was possible.
Stories like hers don`t happen without the right support — and the right partners.
Thank you to the International Monetary Fund @the_imf for investing $10,000 in our Workforce Development and Financial Education programs in 2025. That investment makes stories like hers possible, and the stories of so many others.
We`re grateful for partners who support this life-changing work. 🙏🏾💜
We were in the room. 💜
Our Director of Institutional Giving, Renae, attended the MGM Community Champions Brunch at @MGMnationalharbor — emceed by the amazing Molette Green @therealmolette of @NBC4Washington and @Telemundo44 — honoring the 2025 Community Grant recipients of the MGM Resorts Foundation, including My Sister`s Place.
Last year, MGM`s $10,000 investment helped ensure survivors of domestic violence and their children had access to safe housing and the wraparound services they need to rebuild their lives.
We were proud to be celebrated alongside organizations like @smithcenterdc, @SalvationArmydc, @thearcmontgomerycounty, and many others, all committed to strengthening communities across the greater Washington region.
Grateful to the entire MGM Resorts Foundation team for your continued commitment to this work. 💜
A huge thank you to our Changemaker partner @axoamerican for another incredible Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event! 🩷
Teams of four laced up their heels and walked the AU Quad in solidarity with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. This coed event brings the entire AU community together to walk, raise funds, and stand up for survivors in a powerful way.
This year alone, AXO raised over $700 for MSP through their Healthy Relationships Week fundraiser. Over the years, their continued support has raised thousands to help survivors and their children here in DC.
We`re so grateful for the energy, heart, and commitment AXO brings year after year. We`re so lucky to have you in our corner. 💜
