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Welcome To Woodley House, Inc.
Woodley House was established in 1958 as a residential facility to house eleven persons suffering from mental illness. The original occupants were recent discharges from a psychiatric hospital. These consumers would work with caring staff and
eventually be returned to the D.C. community to live independent lives.
Today, 50 years later, Woodley House is a series of nationally-recognized programs based on a unique residential care recovery approach. Woodley House provides varying mental health services to over 300 consumers each year. A
compassionate
continuum of care, Woodley House leads the way in returning people suffering
from mental illness to productive and independent lives.
As a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, Woodley House relies upon contributions from individual
donors to provide services to some of Washington's most needy citizens.
Founder
Our founder, Joan Doniger, became concerned about persons
suffering from mental illness repeatedly re-entering the hospital.
She recognized the need for a community-based residence that provided
care and support and reduced hospital re-entry. She opened her own home and began the first community-based residential program for the mentally ill in the
United States. As a pioneer in the field, she recognized that proper care and attention to the
individual psychological needs of consumers could break the cycle of re-institutionalization.
Currently, our programs are built on the principals of Ms. Doniger's original program: respect, dignity and individual care. Woodley House carries on
her tradition, helping
consumers cope with mental illness without returning to a hospital setting.
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