Marian House achieves 40 years of ‘breaking the cycle of homelessness’ for women in Baltimore

When depression took a toll on her life, Terona Hopkins became broke and experienced homelessness with her two children. Her desperation led her to substance abuse, then drug dealing and eventually incarceration.

Hope came back to her life while in prison, when she heard about Marian House and the outreach it offers with housing and support services for unhoused and formerly incarcerated women and their children. As soon as she got out of jail in 2002, she tried to get into this sanctuary for women.

Although there was no vacancy at Marian House, Hopkins was persistent. The “drug-infested” atmosphere of North Avenue could have taken her back to her old days of turmoil, she said.

Katie Allston serves as president and CEO of the Marian House since 2007. (Courtesy Marian House)

“I walked up to Marian House in the pouring down rain,” she recalled. “When I arrived, I was soaking wet and said, ‘I just really need y’all to help me; I ain’t going to survive.’”

Hopkins not only found help to treat depression and other problems, but she also was able to receive classes and graduate with a GED diploma with help from Marian House.

“One thing that I can say is that God knew what he was doing when he put these walls together,” she said. “There’s nothing like Marian House.”

Marian House has been transforming the lives of women such as Hopkins for 40 years.

“The care and attention given to these ladies from our really dedicated staff members, who truly care about them, makes our ministry different,” said Katie Allston, president and CEO of Marian House since 2007 and a parishioner of the Catholic Community of Ascension and St. Augustine in Halethorpe and Elkridge.

The interest for starting such a ministry began more than four decades ago, when School Sisters of Notre Dame and Religious Sisters of Mercy visited women inmates.

They learned that although the women were determined to accomplish goals for a better life after being released, they sometimes returned to jail because of the lack of a loving and supporting environment in their communities.

Established in 1982, a joint effort of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and Religious Sisters of Mercy opened Marian House in the former convent at St. Bernard parish in Waverly. They wanted to help women recently released from incarceration find a safe, stable and supportive environment to live, obtain employment and build a solid foundation for successful life.

According to Marian House, 90 percent of the women admitted have addiction; 75 percent are diagnosed with a mental illness; 73 percent are victims of domestic violence; 45 percent experienced childhood abuse; 35 percent experienced abuse as adults; 60 percent have a history of incarceration and 50 percent do not have a high school diploma.

The center serves an average of 300 women a year, of whom 77 percent exit Marian House successfully. Over the years, Marian House has served more than 3,700 women and their children.

“Our ladies are homeless, but a lot of times that is not their primary identified problem,” Allston noted. “Homelessness is the symptom of something else.”

She said most of the women fail to address significant problems in their lives at an early stage and as those problems worsen, they end up on the streets.

“We stop that cycle (of homelessness) and then do all the necessary intensive work to address all barriers to success,” Allston said, “so that when they walk out of the doors they can truly be healthy members of our community and taxpaying citizens.”

Marian House celebrated its anniversary with an April 15 event. Denise Koch of WJZ-TV was the honorary chairwoman of the celebration.

Email Priscila González de Doran at pdoran@CatholicReview.org

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