Interfaith Works Service Programs

 

Emergency Shelter Programs

IW seeks to provide a welcoming and safe environment where all people are respected in all IW shelters. For this reason, we do not discriminate nor can we tolerate discriminatory behavior toward anyone on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, age, or physical appearance.

  • The IW Shelter at Progress Place, the IW Women's Center at Taft, the IW Women's Center at Crabbs Branch, and New Leaf Shelter all provide short-term, emergency shelter services to IW clients. In addition to temporary shelter, these programs also provide holistic case management services to each client. These services connect clients to other community resources, such as primary medical care, legal services, psychiatric services, permanent housing services, and vocational services.

    The IW Shelter at Progress Place shelters all people. Additionally, IW operates Montgomery County’s only year-round, emergency shelters exclusively for women, the Interfaith Works Women’s Centers at Taft and the Interfaith Works Women’s Center at Crabbs Branch.

    IW Drop-In Center at Progress Place a day program that is open for anyone to use and hosts free and daily laundry, showers, case management, computer lab, therapeutic and recreational groups.

    New Leaf Shelter is a low-barrier, 30-bed emergency shelter serving adults of all genders.

 Supportive Housing Programs

Interfaith Works operates a variety of supportive housing programs throughout the county.

  • Interfaith Works Shared Supportive Housing Program includes IW Becky's House, IW Priscilla's House and IW Lon’s House. These are homes that provide permanent housing, 24-hour oversight, and intensive case management services to adults and older adults with disabilities and vulnerabilities.

    Interfaith Works Residences, located at Progress Place, is a permanent supportive housing program that houses ~20 individuals with disabilities and/or histories of chronic homelessness. Clients of this program also receive 24/7 support and case management services from IW staff.

    The IW Community Supportive Housing Program, which serves about 100 households, assists individuals and families with disabilities living throughout the county. Most of the Community Supportive Housing clients have histories of experiencing chronic homelessness. ​With the support of our dedicated staff, they are rebuilding their lives in their community, working on personal goals like managing chronic health conditions, stabilizing their behavioral health, and seeking employment.

    The IW Rapid Rehousing Program provides supportive services to men and women receiving temporary housing vouchers from Montgomery County Health and Human Services. The program helps individuals maintain apartments throughout the county and helps to increase their income, achieve self-sufficiency, and attain greater housing independence.

Essential Needs Programs

Interfaith Works runs a variety of essential needs programs related to clothing, emergency resources, and food.

  • Clothing:

    The Interfaith Works Essential Needs Center holds the IW Clothing Center which provides families with limited income access to clothing and home goods at no charge. This enables them to focus their resources on food, rent, utilities, medicine, and other basic needs. The IW Clothing Center is the only free, large-scale clothing center in Montgomery County.

    Food:

    Also located in the IW Essential Needs Center with the IW Clothing Center, the Interfaith Works Food Pantry provides families in the Twinbrook area (specific zip codes) food at no cost to them.

    Emergency Resources:

    The Resource Coordinators of the Interfaith Works Connections Program located in the IW Essential Needs Center educate and refer Montgomery County residents to many types of services, including:

    • Emergency rental & utility assistance

    • Food

    • Services

    • English/Literacy Classes

    • Furniture

    • Behavioral Health

    Emergency Assistance Coalition:

    Interfaith Works manages the Emergency Assistance Coalition (EAC), a county-wide network of providers that educates, advocates, and delivers a coordinated system of safety net services. The EAC includes nonprofit, public and human service agencies, faith-based organizations, grassroots local assistance groups, educators, and community organizers. IW provides a platform for EAC agencies to convene and share information, best practices, and resources to strengthen their capacity to meet critical needs.

Vocational Services Program

The Interfaith Works Vocational Services Program supports and empowers those who are underemployed or unemployed to develop life and career skills for long-term self-sufficiency.

  • The IW Vocational Services Program provides comprehensive, individualized support for people who have limited income and who may have experienced homelessness. Such support can include resume preparation, job searches, employment applications, and interview preparation. Through this comprehensive employment support program, VSP Counselors strengthen the financial stability of individuals and their families.