Kids Lending a Hand

While many adults have grown complacent, kids continue to do the hard work necessary to end homelessness

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser presents her fiscal year 2018 budget to the D.C. Council.

Deconstructing ‘Inclusive Prosperity’

Mayor Muriel Bowser presented her fiscal year 2018 budget to the District’s Council April 4. Focusing on public education, affordable housing and relief for District taxpayers, government officials and advocacy groups alike have questioned all D.C. residents’ ability to share in the city’s “inclusive prosperity” under the proposal.

Group photo of teens at THEARC in Southeast D.C. during a day of service to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

Teens Give Back on MLK Weekend

During Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend, teens from Southeast D.C. participated in service projects to honor MLK and celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Our Lives Matter campaign, which empowers Black youth in D.C.

"Dream" written on glass

2017

A vendor’s goals for the new year.

Dunbar High School graduates Daniel Gibson and Quanya Reese speak to classmates about being hired by DCRA after completing a pre-apprenticeship program

D.C. Government Hires on the Homefront

The DCRA honored Daniel Gibson and Quanya Reese, two graduates of the DCRA pre-apprenticeship program at Dunbar High School who have been hired as housing inspectors. Reese and Gibson discussed their experience in the program, and representatives from District government touted the program as a path to a middle-class jobs.

A Joyful Food Market volunteer distributes produce at Neval Thomas Elementary

Markets Provide Free Nutritious Food to Students, Families

Joyful Food Markets is a monthly pop-up market run by Martha’s Table and the Capital Area Food Bank that gives the families of elementary students in Wards 7 and 8 free produce and nonperishable groceries at monthly community events. Each enrolled child at the 21 schools where Joyful Markets are currently held can receive 23 pounds of food. Martha’s Table also hosts free pop-up markets at Rita Bright and Fort Stanton community centers.

A man on the streets.

Homeless

Vendor-artist Leonard Hyater discusses how we can end homelessness and how he thinks people should treat people experiencing homelessness.

A sidewalk outside the building with volunteers and participants waiting in line. In the left background, there's a white truck and a sign that reads "HIV TESTING". In the right foreground, there's a close up of a volunteer in a green shirt.

Second Chances Take Center Stage at Project Homeless Connect

On Wednesday, October 19, 357 homeless Washingtonians and 304 volunteers took part in the second annual Project Homeless Connect. The resource fair, which is organized by the United Way of the National Capital Area, connects participants with a variety of on-site services, such as medical screenings, employment and housing information, haircuts and voter registration.

Aspire participant Ronald Coles of District 1 Trucking engaged in a discussion on effective prioritization at Changing Perceptions

Entrepreneurship Puts Returning Citizens Back in the Game

The D.C. City Council passed a bill in July creating a program that would teach citizens returning from incarceration entrepreneurship skills. The legislation has not received funding yet, although advocates are pushing for its inclusion in the FY 2018 budget. The Department of Small and Local Business is running a similar pilot program called Aspire to Entrepreneurship for returning citizens.

Human Needs First

D.C. must become better at allocating resources to people experiencing homelessness, Marie-Louise Murville writes.