HouseLine
House of Ruth Maryland Help Begins Here
PAGE 2
Cover Story
10 Years Later! Special Thanks
PAGE 3
Letter from the Executive Director Legislative Updates In Memory Of
PAGE 4
Spring Luncheon
Spring 2021
Never Give Up
24-Hour Hotline: (410) 889-RUTH
Administrative Office: (443) 569-0440
Legal Services: (410) 554-8463 (888) 880-7884
Maryland Relay: 711
Website: www.hruth.org
Facebook: facebook.com/ houseofruthmaryland
Twitter: @houseofruthmd
Instagram: @houseofruthmd
It took 7 years of physical, emotional and mental anguish for Anna to reach out. Her abusive partner was her child’s father so she felt pressured to make it work. “Then one day, he tried to kill me, the police took him away and he went to jail for 3 months. My son witnessed it all and I knew I had to get out,” Anna recounts, “I was so scared, and then I reached out to House of Ruth Maryland [HRM] and things began to look up.” After reaching out and working with her Service Coordinator, Salam Berhane, who works out of HRM’s Prince George’s County office, Anna and her son were put up in a hotel through HRM’s hotel placement program for a few days. They also worked through safety planning for the future for Anna and her son.
This safety plan touched many facets of Anna and her son Carmen’s life; Anna’s abusive partner knew where she worked, she feared he might attempt to run her out of the job. According to the National Network Against Domestic Violence, nearly 99% of victims experience economic abuse, [which] involves maintaining control over financial resources, withholding access to money, or attempting to prevent a victim or survivor from working in an effort to create financial dependence as a means of control. At the suggestion of Anna’s Service Coordinator, Anna put in a request for a location transfer from the hotel she worked at and she began to excel. Anna rapidly advanced from room attendant to room attendant supervisor due to her experience and recommendations. “I needed a job, a safe place to work, where he couldn’t find me. Even though I wasn’t sure what all of these changes would be like, I knew I had to do it to keep my son and I safe” Anna affirms. Cont. on page 2
In addition to this job transfer, Anna and her son were able to enroll in our Safe Homes program; where a survivor is placed in a housing agreement with a landlord, both pre-evaluated, and House of Ruth Maryland provides step-down rental assistance. “Providing small amounts of financial assistance for survivors to be in safe, stable housing, that is not known by the abusive partner, is a big step in starting over after experiencing significant trauma and continuing to work through it,” said Janice Miller, Janice Miller, Director of Survivor Engagement and Stability Services at House of Ruth Maryland.
In addition to stabilizing their housing situation, Anna completed a financial literacy course sponsored by AllState Foundation’s Purple Purse Campaign and hosted by House of Ruth Maryland partner, the YWCA National Capital Area. The courses’ teacher, Michele Noel-Peake, an experienced and passionate facilitator, explains “Allstate developed the curriculum years ago, and we really cover a lot, from recognizing the signs of financial and economic abuse, home and auto loans, understanding and building your credit, budgeting basics, and even investing your money. Acquiring control of your own finances and being able to manage it, it’s a big part to rebuilding” Noel-Peake acknowledges. Several HRM clients were able to be a part of the first Maryland cohort to take the class. “It’s one of the best classes I’ve ever taken, it’s really helped me a lot in outlining my finances for the future” Anna reviews.
When asked what she would tell other victims, Anna said “receiving help from House of Ruth Maryland and the community gave me the courage to get up and leave, because people think it’s easy, and it’s never easy. I was so scared, and House of Ruth Maryland was my guide, always pointing me in the right direction. Where I’ve gotten to is amazing.”
Epilogue:
On the morning of going to print, Anna’s story took a turn that is all too familiar for victims. An update from Salam: “Anna could not afford childcare, and her abusive partner is paying a small amount in child support, so the childcare was being provided by a relative of the abusive partner, and during drop off this morning he attacked her and broke her phone. Further, her new job at the hotel told her if she took any sick time to handle the new developments that she would be fired and they cut her hours. So she’s gone back to her original job at the original hotel since it’s a full 40 hours.
When the pandemic began in early 2020, House of Ruth Maryland did not release a Spring newsletter as we focused on keeping our constituents informed with our adapting programs and services. We were unable to share this story at that time but received a more recent update below from Anna.
A violent incident occurred later in the year where Anna’s abusive partner held a gun to her head. Her Coordinator, Salam, was able to place her in a hotel and Anna is now in a new apartment with a new job. In Anna’s words, “I was not safe, and now I am. Salam gave me the guidance to get me where I am now.”
This is the problem for survivors - always in the back of their minds - what if he comes back. They are sometimes too afraid to be happy because it can be taken from them anytime. I still believe Anna has accomplished a lot - she is fighting and not giving up.”
To learn more about financial abuse and direct service programs for victims of intimate partner violence at House of Ruth Maryland, please contact Janice Miller, Director of Survivor Engagement and Stability Services, at janice@hruthmd.org
10 Years Later!
Ruth’s Closet celebrated it’s 10th Anniversary in January! Although we weren’t able to have a grand anniversary party with all of our friends, there were lots of special sales and many old friends stopped in to join the celebration! We also unveiled our new logo – thanks to the help of a class at Stevenson University, who created numerous designs for us to choose from – designed by Dave Caple.
Spring is now underway at the store, so please stop by and get your summer wardrobe ready!
For more information about upcoming sales at Ruth’s Closet, follow us @facebook.com/ruths.closet.md or @instagram/ruthsclosetmd.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
• Lilly Pulitzer Towson Store for hosting a “Shop & Share” event in our honor for International Women’s Day and donating 10% of the proceeds.
• Well Crafted Kitchen and UNION Craft Brewing for making us the beneficiary of your March 10th Dockside Pick-Up Community Night! Well Crafted Kitchen created a special menu for the day and a portion of each special will be donated as well as $1 from every 6 pack purchased from UNION.
• Charm City Trivia for featuring us regularly as the beneficiary for their trivia nights! The next game will be held on Sunday, March 21st, contact register@playvirtualtrivia.com to play.
• United Way of Central Maryland who is collecting items on our behalf to be donated during the last two weeks of March consisting of undergarments, socks, sanitary products, toiletries and cleaning supplies.
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
March is Women’s History Month – a time of reflection, celebration, and of looking ahead to what’s left to achieve. The progress that has been made around women’s rights within my generation is impressive – the right to equal pay (1963), the right to run marathons (1972), the right to reproductive freedom (1973), the right to serve on a jury (1973), the right to credit (1974). Yet, women’s ability to live safely, free of violence from an intimate partner, has yet to be realized.
The insidious nature of intimate partner violence is on full display in this edition’s cover story. Anna’s story is not unlike so many women who are desperate to break free, but their abusive partner continues to make it his life’s work to torment her, making sure that she lives in constant fear. COVID has further complicated this by cutting off regular opportunities to reach out for help, and creating prisons of homes.
Your support of victims, like Anna, is critical and comes in many forms. If you know someone like her, be available to her and know how to refer her to places, like House of Ruth Maryland, that can provide help. You can add your voice to the conversation and let your social group know that you support House of Ruth Maryland, and how important our services are. You can share our content on social media platforms. You can shop at Ruth’s Closet, buy a B-More Bag or support one of our signature events - Spring Luncheon or Crabaret. You can make a financial donation. You can also volunteer – virtually – to do things like help us thank donors for their support.
We need your assistance – your time, treasures and talents – to make sure that victims who choose to leave, like Anna, can do so safely and begin to rebuild their lives. And, for those who aren’t yet able to leave, to help them be safer where they are.
Thank you for joining with us to be sure House of Ruth Maryland is ready to serve the people who need us.
In Memory Of
Each year, House of Ruth Maryland is fortunate to receive gifts made in memory of individuals who are no longer with us. These gifts are a tribute to the person who has passed and they honor the memory of those we love and the things that were most important to them. We would like to recognize the following individuals who have been honored with a memorial tribute between August 1, 2020 and January 31, 2021. We thank the generous donors who make it possible for us to recognize their loved ones.
Edward Anderson
Gwendolyn Artis
Clara Balon-Piedrafte
Beth Baughman
Zelleke Bellete
Mauricio Bogomolny
Rosemary Bungay
Kelly Ann Caples
Michael Coogan
Marion Decker
Josephine Di Crispino
Michael Emig
TJ Evans
Marion Feeney
Gloria Flores
Bessie Gates
Doris Giordano
Lucille Glassman
Lenore Gnatt
Thomas Hagelund
Raymond Haysbert
Samuel Himmelrich
Jessica Jacobsen
Harvey Jerome
Jean Klotzbach
Carol Koch
Dorothy & Emil Liscik
Carmelo LoPresti
Jo McComas
Cheryl Moncrieffe
Naomi Morris
Gitlya Nachum
Pirijo Reamer
Regina Reed
Theresa Roanhouse
Rose Rochkind
Gloria Savadow
Kathleen Seay
Katherine Smith
Rebecca Snyder
Michele Lynn Streigtiff
Sarah Tomlin
Suzanne Trice
Annette Wiggins
Katherine Williams
Dawn Williams
Leslie Wollett
Rose & Jerry Wurmser
Legislative Updates
The Maryland General Assembly is well underway in Annapolis, and while each year has its own challenges, this one is truly like no other. The public (including lobbyists and advocates) are prohibited from legislative buildings except under certain circumstances and by appointment only. Committee testimony may only be submitted online via electronic portals and on Youtube. Floor sessions are limited to two-hour time frames and voting sessions are live-streamed.
Despite the challenges, House of Ruth Maryland continues to work towards the passage of bills that support victims of intimate partner violence in Maryland. This year, two bills that are particularly important to victims, and that we are supporting, are:
HB 478/SB 232 - Civil Cases –Surcharges – This bill would raise the cost of filing fees in the Circuit and District Courts with the money going to support and the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC). MLSC provides funding to low income legal service providers in Maryland and is one of House of Ruth Maryland’s Legal Clinic’s largest funders. MLSC is funded by three main sources. First, the interest on lawyers’ trust accounts (IOLTA); second, by a filing fee surcharge; and third, from the State’s abandon property fund. During the pandemic, MLSC took a major hit to two of their three funding sources. This bill would replace some of that funding and is critical to the continued operation of the Legal Clinic.
HB 514/SB 413 - Maryland Legal Services Corporation – Abandon Property – This bill would increase the amount that MLSC gets from the state’s abandon property fund from $2,000,000 to $8,000,000. It is MLSC’s only stable source of funding.
To be added to our Action Alert email and to get weekly updates on legislative progress, please email Dorothy Lennig at dlennig@hruthmd.org to be added to the list. To learn more about other legislation House of Ruth Maryland is advocating for or opposing, visit our website at www.hruth.org/legislative-priorities.
Sandi Timmins, Executive Director
Sandi Timmins
2201 Argonne Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218
HouseLine
Executive Director
Sandi Timmins
Chief Development Officer
Cheri Parlaman
Writers
Cassie Kelly, Cheri Parlaman
Design and Production
Debbie Saag
If you receive multiple mailings or need to update your address, please call our Development Office at 443-569-0517.
Event Co-Chairs: Whitney Lull and Vicki Deyesu
Gold Sponsors: • Merritt Properties, LLC.
• Transamerica • Victoria Deyesu
Silver Sponsors: • M&T Bank • The DiPietro Family
Bronze Sponsors: • Comcast • Confidio • Corporate Office
Properties Trust • Murthy Law Firm • Verdence Capital Advisors
Lead Table Sponsors:
• Mary D. Miller • Dorothy L. and Henry A. Rosenberg, Jr. Foundation
• Johns Hopkins School of Nursing