A Message from Lisa Winjum, Executive Director | |
This Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), we carried one message across the District: we cannot end domestic violence without confronting economic injustice.
Domestic violence in the District is an economic crisis. Nearly every survivor experiences economic abuse—a partner who controls the money, builds debt in her name, or sabotages her job. In a city where a one-bedroom averages $2,300 a month, financial resources can make the difference between staying with—or returning to—an abuser and starting a new, independent life for yourself (and your children).
MSP’s Shelter provides the first step for many survivors. A safe place to begin the healing journey. A secure home, steady work, and financial footing are what make safety last.
This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we witnessed an outpouring of support for survivors in the district and raised awareness about the impact of financial abuse. On October 24, neighbors filled Alethia Tanner Park, hung shirts on a line, and wrapped survivors in messages of hope and support. In collaboration with the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCCADV), we made the case for direct cash assistance for survivors. We are grateful to Street Sense Media for helping us shine a light on this critical issue by publishing this piece.
I testified before the DC Council’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee’s hearing on Domestic and Sexual Violence, highlighting the need to address the impact of financial abuse and dedicate local government funding to meaningfully address survivors' needs. You'll find it all below, along with ways to walk with a family this winter.
Thank you for standing with survivors this month.
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Lisa Winjum
Executive Director, My Sister's Place
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| Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the District | | The Clothesline Project DC: A Community That Refuses to Look Away | | |
By late afternoon, the clothesline stretched across the park. Some shirts carried messages of strength and encouragement for survivors, and some carried something the person had been waiting a long time to say. All of them said the same thing to any survivor walking past: you are not alone, and this community sees you.
We were grateful to be joined by our partners at Calvary Women's Services, Safe Shores, The Healing Hue, DC Forensic Nurse Examiners, Bread for the City, and other community partners who tabled with us and shared the work they do for survivors across the District. Local media came out to help tell the story. Thank you to the volunteers who set up, stayed late, and made the afternoon possible.
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Purple Across the City
We opened DVAM at the Columbia Heights Metro, joining DCCADV for Paint the Town Purple on October 1. MSP staff handed out resources and walked the mall to talk with supporters, survivors, and neighbors who had known the MSP name for years and wanted to learn more about our services. Those conversations are why we show up in person.
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On Purple Thursday, October 15, our team wore purple alongside communities across the country in honor of survivors.
| | Financial Security Is Survivor Safety | | |
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This month we made the economic case for survivors twice—in print and before the DC Council.
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With our partners at DCCADV, we published a piece in Street Sense Media about direct cash assistance for survivors and what we learned from MSP’s RISE Trust. For two years, 45 families received $500 a month, and the Urban Institute found they spent it on food, utilities, transportation, childcare, and school. Participants reported improvements in anxiety and depression during the first year, but some gains diminished by the program’s end, when payments stopped. Two years was long enough to stabilize families, but not long enough to make that stability durable. The payments ended while families were still building the economic security they were meant to achieve.
RISE Trust is ending because the fund behind it was built to spend down over five years. It will end not because it failed, but because no one is choosing to invest in continuing it—yet. We know that direct cash assistance works, and we continue to explore new avenues for funding once the current funding sunsets.
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On October 27, Lisa Winjum testified before the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety. She asked for a 24-hour deadline for surrendering firearms when a protection order is issued. Without one, she told the Committee, relinquishment is a principle rather than a protection. She also asked the Committee to pursue comprehensive coerced debt legislation and increase local funding for survivor services. |
| | | Accenture has been a valued partner to My Sister’s Place, opening its space for career fairs for the families we serve and supporting our work through donations. This month, the team included MSP in its annual Day of Service once again, creating signs of support for survivors. We're grateful for their continued commitment. | | Help a Family Like Maya's Find Safety and Room to Breathe | | |
After fleeing abuse with her three children, Maya* found support at My Sister's Place. Here, our residential counselors asked a question that changed everything: "What does your family need?"
As the mother of two autistic daughters, she was used to fighting for her children to be understood. At MSP, she found understanding, compassionate support, and help returning to school and finding a job.
"That meant so much to me—that, as an abused woman, I could have a job and provide for my family," she said. "My Sister's Place has the capacity to support autistic children and their mothers. I pray survivors will come here and feel at peace."
Maya finally had room to breathe. Your gift can help another family find that same relief—and a path forward.
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There are also ways of giving that benefit you—through stock, donor-advised funds, IRA distributions, or a gift in your will. → Learn more
*Name changed to protect privacy.
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Help Mothers Choose Their Children's Gifts
Domestic violence survivors often feel their autonomy has been taken from them. Each December, our Holiday Gift Shop gives our mothers a chance to browse aisles of donated toys and gift cards and choose presents for their own children—restoring a small but powerful piece of independence.
This year we hope to raise $25,000 to serve more than 100 families. Sponsorships fund the toys, gift cards, wrapping supplies, and a warm, dignified shopping experience. We also welcome new, unwrapped toys for infants through age 17, and gift cards to grocery, big-box, and clothing retailers. To sponsor or give in-kind, contact Kyah Campbell at kcampbell@mysistersplacedc.org by December 15.
| | Join MSP for a Free Virtual Book Talk in November | | |
Millions of Americans experience domestic violence every year. To understand and stop this violence that disrupts and traumatizes families, we must talk about it. Be a part of the discussion.
Join us on Thursday, November 12, at 7 p.m. ET for a free virtual book talk with Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us, in conversation with MSP’s Melanie Hatter.
| P.S. More about the book: Goodreads. More about Rachel: faculty profile, Wikipedia. |
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