New Endeavors by Women

Our History:  For over 25 years, NEW has provided housing and support for homeless women living in Washington, DC.  Founded in July 1988 as a single program for homeless women, NEW has grown to include five housing programs, and has become a major housing provider for Washington’s homeless women and children.  Our five housing programs and suite of support services now help nearly 200 homeless women and children each year. We provide 42 permanent housing units; 40 transitional housing units; support services and case management for every resident; innovative education and employment support that helps residents find and maintain jobs; and, specialized assistance for children and families living in our housing programs.

One Woman's Story:

When Iris Willis came to New Endeavors in August 2008, she admits, “I really didn’t know which way I was going, how I was going to turn out, or what I was doing.” But she was sure of a few things: she was tired of being homeless; she was ready to be sober; and, she wanted to pursue some of her lifelong dreams.

After working hard on her sobriety, 55 year old Iris began pursuing dreams of getting a driver’s license for the first time, and finding a job working with computers. She got a boost toward achieving her employment dreams from an unlikely opportunity: volunteering at a nursing center’s Information Technology (IT) department.

Iris says of volunteering, “This is one thing that I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would do: work for free. But the support and guidance of [NEW’s] employment specialist...made me decide I should do such a thing.” And it was working for free, giving back as a volunteer, that opened doors to employment and independence for Iris.

With her new experience, Iris was able to secure a good-paying part-time job in IT, earn her certification as a computer repair technician, and be hired as full-time staff in the IT department where she started as a volunteer. Last year she moved from NEW into her own one bedroom apartment.

Iris credits her success to a willingness to change her way of thinking about volunteering. She continues to receive support from NEW and other community-based providers to maintain her success. And she returns to NEW to share her story to offer hope and motivation to women living in our transitional shelter. We are proud to be a partner in Iris’ success.

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