We have some new pictures from Ruth Ellis Center (REC) to share! You can check out the updated photo slideshow here.

Here's a little background info for those who aren't familiar with REC. Be sure to check out the complete article about our loan to RCE from last July's Community Quarterly Newsletter (PDF):

Since opening in 1999, REC has established over 10,000 street contacts, served more than 12,000 meals, and handled over 5,000 phone calls for help and referrals.

With a loan from the Michigan Interfaith Trust Fund in 2002, Ruth Ellis Center was able to acquire and rehabilitate a side-by-side duplex at 612/616 East Philadelphia in Detroit. Ruth’s House, named in honor of Ruth Ellis, a woman who opened her home to Detroit’s GLBTQ youth, hosts nine GLBTQ teens and young adults with a complement of four full-time staff. The intention is to offer teens and young adults the necessary skills to live independently. These young adults typically have a multitude of developmental issues, but with the guidance of REC’s developmental and progressively designed program, are able to successfully transition into self-sufficiency.

You can learn more about Ruth Ellis Center by visiting the organization's website, and reading this article from last week's edition of Between the Lines. Also, for a little background on Ruth Ellis, the woman, take a look at this Wikipedia page.