Washington, D.C.: Nonprofits' Merger "Feels Like a Marriage"

N Street Village, one of the District's largest providers of services for homeless women, is merging with Miriam's House, a transitional housing shelter for homeless women with HIV/AIDS.

"This feels like a marriage," Schroeder Stribling, executive director of the N Street Village, recalled thinking when she first walked into Miriam's House. Nonprofits are under pressure to do more with less money, and consolidating is a natural way to achieve this, Stribling said.

In the coming year, N Street Village plans to launch Miriam's Hope Program, which will offer HIV testing, education and support to homeless women who live in shelters or receive services from them. N Street assists some 900 women a year, most of whom have a history of homelessness and mental health issues.

Miriam's House will continue housing up to 25 women per year in a 17-bedroom apartment building in Northwest Washington, but operations will be run by N Street Village, which is also in Northwest. The merger dissolved the board of directors of Miriam's House.

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