The Residential Shelter includes 80 beds and is the cornerstone of Carpenter’s Shelter. In a bright modern facility, we provide a safe and structured environment for our clients. In addition to providing comprehensive, goal-oriented case management, we teach clients the life skills necessary for successful community living.

Residents are required to have or be seeking full-time employment and all save 70% of their income. Due to current economic conditions, most residents, including families, are living more than six months at the shelter. Our residential shelter serves more than 100 children annually and more than 400 people in total each year.

Our core values of respect, responsibility, and results continue to be the philosophy by which we assist residents to permanently break their cyclical behavior of repeated episodes of homelessness. We alleviate the crisis atmosphere and provide a supportive environment where healing and stabilization can occur.

Program highlights:

• In this shelter, we provide assistance with substance abuse and mental health disorders, life-skills and job readiness training, access and referrals to social services agencies and other partners and assistance with the housing search.

• Each family is engaged in our Child and Family Services program for children and parents, which insures that all developmental, educational, medical and social needs of the children are met.

Our beds are filled with “working poor” families, often two parent households who have experienced a personal crisis.

“My experience at Carpenter’s reminds me of what it takes to learn how to ride a bike. You learn how to pedal, but you do so with someone helping you. Unless you get the push, you never really go far. Carpenter’s gives you the push and prepares you for when you take off so that you can live successfully on your own.”
— Mr. R

For more information, please contact the Residential Shelter Program Director, Deputy Director Mary Martin, at (703) 548-7500, ext. 206, or by e-mail at marymartin@carpentersshelter.org.