Mary House

Mary House has been opening its doors to immigrant and refugee families in Washington DC since 1981 — not as a program or an institution, but as a home. It began when Bill and Sharon Murphy, guided by the vision of Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker House, opened their own front door in Brookland to families with nowhere else to go. Forty-five years later, that founding spirit — neighbors taking care of neighbors — still shapes everything we do.

The gap we work in is real.

A family navigating the immigration process — pursuing a work visa, asylum, or permanent residency — has almost nowhere to turn for housing. The private market requires credit scores, income qualifications, and documentation most families don't yet have. Subsidized programs carry years-long waitlists and eligibility requirements that exclude them entirely. Mary House works in that gap. We set rent around what each family can realistically afford — sometimes as low as nothing — and we never require a credit check or income qualification. Just the will to build a better future.

What we actually do.

From the moment a family arrives, they are paired with a dedicated Family Advocate who walks alongside them for their entire stay — sometimes four years. Together they build credit, navigate legal processes, access healthcare and education, and work steadily toward independent housing. Our after-school program meets children at the school door every afternoon. Our food program reaches 60+ families and 119 children each week through nine community partner sites. Our Kids' Closet means no mother has to send her child to school in clothes that don't fit.

The measure we care about is not how long a family stays with us — it is how ready they are when they leave. Two out of every three families transition to independent housing within four years. An average of two families a year achieve homeownership.

Where we are today.

In 2026 we opened Regina Maria — our thirteenth building, named in honor of Pope Francis's mother. It is the first building in our 45-year history designed specifically to house grandparents alongside younger generations, because for the families we serve, that is not a preference — it is how families work. Like every Mary House property, it was built without a dollar of government funding. Every family inside its walls is there because people like you said yes.

In 45 years, more than 700 families have walked through our doors and built a better future. The doors are still open.