House of Ruth Maryland leads the fight to end violence against women and their children by confronting the attitudes, behaviors and systems that perpetuate it, and by providing victims with the services necessary to rebuild their lives safely and free of fear.

Founded in May of 1977 by a coalition of women’s organizations, religious groups, service providers, and elected officials to provide a safe haven for victims of domestic violence and their children, House of Ruth Maryland was opened Baltimore’s first crisis shelter for these victims in a row house on North Calvert Street. The shelter was staffed by one paid staffed person and a voluntary Board of Directors.

In November 1998 a new 84-bed shelter and six apartment transitional housing units, featuring expanded services and programs, opened. The new shelter has a holistic health and wellness program, including an on-site health clinic staffed by the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.  

Today, House of Ruth Maryland is recognized as one of the nation’s most comprehensive domestic violence centers and has a staff of more than ninety.