"It began with one house and one family. It was a dream and a vision. It was Mary House."
Bill and Sharon Murphy started Mary House out of their own home in 1981 in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Rooted in Bill's 1973 service to the homeless during his senior year at The College of the Holy Cross and Sharon's upbringing in East Detroit, the Murphys aimed to teach their children firsthand about the importance of caring for those in need. Mary House, inspired by Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker House, operated with the vision of compassion-driven service.
Remarkably, Mary House has never relied on government funding for the services it provides. As the need for housing for homeless families in DC has continued to grow, so too has Mary House. With the private community's steadfast support, our organization has grown from its humble beginnings—starting with one family and one house—to becoming an organization that owns and operates five different apartment complexes, providing a home for up to 50 families at a time.
In 1995, Bill and Sharon extended Mary House's mission beyond borders. Both were part of war trauma teams sent to refugee camps in Bosnia, organized by The National Organization of Victim Assistance. Following their experiences, the Murphys expanded Mary House's mission to include the resettlement of war-displaced refugee families. Over the years, Mary House has successfully resettled hundreds of families from crises worldwide. While our reach spans from Bosnia to Iraq to Ethiopia, our primary population remains immigrant families from Central and South America seeking refuge from violence in their home countries.
Today, Mary House is dedicated to fortifying our housing program while extending our impact through diverse social, economic, and educational support programs. Explore how our Food and Clothing Program, After School Program, and Housing & Family Advocacy Program, spearheaded by our dedicated case workers, are making a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.