MARIAN HOUSE

In the late 1970s, Sr. Margaret Beatty, a Sister of the Sisters of Mercy, was serving as chaplain at the former Women’s Detention Center in Baltimore City. As women received release dates, Sr. Beatty noticed how difficult it was for them to find housing, employment, and support as they reentered a society that had become increasingly unfamiliar and, often, ostracizing.

Sr. Beatty, along with Jane Harrison, a long-time advocate for the unhoused, and Sr. Josanna Abromaitis, from the School Sisters of Notre Dame, began to seek funding to build a program to fulfill these dire needs.

In 1982, what was once St. Bernard’s convent became Marian House. Located in the Better Waverly neighborhood, Marian House provides safe housing, counseling, training, and sustained encouragement to women reentering society. Maintaining the vision of its three bold women founders, Marian House proudly celebrates almost 43 consecutive years as a transformative home for women who are facing unstable life situations. All women enter unhoused and unemployed, often due to behavioral health conditions, substance use disorder, intimate partner violence, physical and sexual abuse, and/or justice involvement.

For the past 17 years, Katie Allston, LCSW-C, has served as the president and CEO of Marian House, working tirelessly with her team of 40 professionals to help women lead healthy, stable lives. “It takes a village—full of experience, compassion, and dedication—for a woman to turn her life around when it has gotten as difficult as our ladies have experienced,” says Allston.

Marian House has carefully cultivated programming that meets the needs of each woman. Standing beside her as she works toward her new life, Marian House creates an individualized plan with achievable steps, building confidence, teaching valuable life skills, and fostering the will to change.

Marian House is known as a leading organization within the field of human services and behavioral health for women and families. However, increasing their visibility to a broader audience will help them grow even stronger. Says Allston: “We hope that women in need of our services will find us, and those who don’t need our services will support us.”

For professionals looking to contribute to the empowerment of women and families, further information on volunteer opportunities and involvement can be found at marianhouse.org.