Budgeting in Accordance with Our Values - A Letter to DC Mayor Bowser

Dear Mayor Bowser,

I am writing on behalf of the Greater Washington Community Foundation and its Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council to offer our recommendations on DC’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

As you know, the Partnership to End Homelessness brings together a diverse coalition of leaders from the private, public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. Together, we work to ensure everyone has housing they can afford because we know that when our city is welcoming, our businesses do better, and that solving homelessness makes business sense. We are grateful for your administration’s long-standing commitment to investing in solutions to end homelessness and look forward to partnering to increase housing stability in our city.

Your leadership is needed now more than ever. Despite several years of progress toward our shared goal to end homelessness in DC, we are facing new challenges. Post-pandemic economic pressures have led to increased homelessness in our city. More residents are at risk of becoming newly homeless; according to the Community Foundation’s 2024 Voices of the Community Survey conducted in partnership with Gallup, 17% of DC residents have experienced times in the past twelve months when they did not have enough money for adequate housing. New Federal administration priorities further threaten investments in housing and supportive services and put even more of our neighbors at risk of becoming homeless.

We know that the city has financial challenges and that the District must make tough choices this year. But we also know that a budget tells a story about what we value most. In DC, we value our resilience, strength, and unity during hard times. We care about creating a thriving city that works for every resident. We have the solutions to prevent and end homelessness – and under your leadership, the District has shown that it can make progress by putting resources behind these solutions. We urge you to invest the necessary resources to continue making progress.

Our FY 2026 budget recommendations align with the recommendations of our community partners:

• Fund 1,260 new Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) vouchers for individuals annually for three years and 764 new PSH vouchers for families.

• Allocate $6.5 million to the Coordinated Street Outreach Network to help unsheltered residents meet their basic needs and move into housing, if housing is available.

• Allocate $17.3 million to the Local Rent Supplement Program to improve housing affordability for residents and families with extremely low incomes. This would create 800 new housing vouchers, improving housing affordability for those with extremely low incomes.

• Allocate $100 million to the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) and allocate $5 million for flexible capital. To ensure that preservation projects have a path to becoming safe, affordable, high-quality housing, the District should set aside 25 percent of the HPTF for preservation. Flexible capital would support carrying costs, gap financing, and other up-front costs required for preserving affordable housing.

• Ensure there are at least 100 medical respite beds for individuals experiencing homelessness. This would be a critical step in expanding to meet the need for medical respite beds, which offer a safe place for people who are unhoused to recover from surgery and illness or to learn to manage a chronic condition.

• Create a flexible funding program at the Department of Human Services to cover one-time move-in expenses for residents receiving a voucher or RRH.

• Restore $540,000 to DC Flex to create an additional 75 slots for individuals and improve rent affordability for working households. This would restore FY 2025 funding cuts so that 100 individuals, up from 25 individuals, can participate in DC Flex, as originally planned.

• Increase the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) to improve living standards for residents who were chronically unhoused and now call DC’s first assisted living facility home. Improve the facility’s Medicaid tenants’ ability to purchase essentials like hygiene products and clothing by increasing the monthly PNA floor, which is capped at $130, and indexing it to inflation. This would likely boost participation in the program, which is currently undersubscribed.

We must not let the District’s finances this year result in long-term harm to our neighbors and our community. Stable and affordable housing is the key to creating healthy communities, which in turn supports businesses, school success, reduces crime, and ensures economic mobility for all.

Thank you again for your leadership and commitment to our city. We look forward to continuing to partner with your administration on lasting solutions to end homelessness and create stable and affordable housing for all.

Sincerely,

Tonia Wellons
President & CEO
Greater Washington Community Foundation

Partnership to End Homelessness Awards $350,000 to Nonprofits Through Waldon Adams Housing Justice Fund

The Partnership to End Homelessness (The Partnership) is pleased to announce $350,000 in Waldon Adams Housing Justice grants awarded to 8 organizations and 2 coalitions leading housing justice efforts in DC.

These nonprofits partners, together with tenants and people with lived experience of homelessness, educate the public about policies and legislation, advocate with public officials to influence how DC tax dollars are spent, and steer our community toward meaningful solutions to help end homelessness in DC.

In DC, homelessness has decreased by 12 percent since 2020 – in no small part due to the tireless work of these advocates.

These grants will support work to advance housing justice using multiple strategies, including public will building, organizing, policy advocacy, and budget advocacy. They will also help nonprofits secure critical public sector resources and fight back against policies that harm our neighbors.

As we enter DC’s budget season, many of our nonprofit partners will be focused on protecting the progress that our community has made since 2020 and advocating to improve existing housing and homelessness programs to ensure that our city’s resources are used efficiently.

Here’s what some of our grantees have shared about their work and their plans for the coming year:

New Housing Coalition

“Partnership funding is supporting the creation of a new coalition of individuals and organizations who are building real, comprehensive, community-led solutions. As a group, we plan to use our deep expertise in power building, community leadership, research and analysis, policy development, and narrative change to create a joint roadmap and a long-term advocacy strategy to ensure stable affordable housing is available for all low-income and extremely low-income households in our city.”

People for Fairness Coalition

“We will use our Partnership grant to continue to empower and uplift individuals with lived experience to become their own best advocates and to continue our mission to bring about a public policy to make housing a universal right in the District of Columbia. With this funding, we are excited to add two new women advocates to the Rhonda Whitaker Street to Life DC Women’s Initiative, ensuring that underrepresented women who have experienced homelessness receive training and support so they can influence policies that impact them.”

Empower DC

“Empower DC will conduct targeted outreach to residents at risk of eviction with a focus on residents living in subsidized affordable housing. We will work with housing providers to boost eviction diversion through payment plans, rent forgiveness, streamlined DC Housing Authority subsidy recertifications, and by creating easy entry points for tenants into eviction diversion such as weekend clinics. We will also work with tenants to increase their ability to advocate for themselves in landlord-tenant court, and with the DC Council to seek systemic solutions to the eviction crisis.”

DC Jobs With Justice

“Our organization sustains the work of a coalition of labor, community, faith and youth groups by providing coordination, trainings, and campaign support to fight the displacement of communities in DC. Partnership funding will support our coalition’s budget and legislative advocacy campaigns to support programs that prevent the eviction of low-income tenants and that improve their living conditions and housing quality.”

Miriam’s Kitchen

“With our Partnership grant, we intend to 1) advocate to speed up and simplify the city’s housing processes so that people can exit homelessness more quickly, 2) shift the way people think and talk about homelessness, its causes, and its consequences, 3) help limit the inflow into homelessness by advocating for prevention programs, and 4) elevate the leadership of individuals with lived experience in influencing and advocating for change.”

The following grants were made possible thanks to generous partners and donors to the Partnership’s Grantmaking Fund.

HOUSING JUSTICE GRANTEES

• New Housing Coalition ($100k)

• DC Jobs with Justice ($30K)

• DC Fiscal Policy Institute ($30K)

• Empower DC ($30K)

• Fair Budget Coalition ($30K)

• Miriam's Kitchen ($30K)

• ONE DC: Organizing Neighborhood Equity ($30K)

• People for Fairness Coalition ($30K)

• The Washington Legal Clinic for The Homeless Inc. ($30K)

• LGBTQ Budget Advocacy Coalition ($15K)

A Call to Action: Join the Fight to End Homelessness

As an initiative, The Partnership to End Homelessness has invested in advocacy, systems change, and housing justice organizations in DC since its launch in 2019. This year marks our sixth round of investments through the Waldon Adams Housing Justice Grants - made possible by the generous support of The Community Foundation’s fundholders and donors.

In today’s uncertain political and economic environment, and with new threats to DC’s autonomy emerging, support for the critical work of our nonprofit advocacy partners is needed now more than ever.

As we head into a year of economic and political uncertainty where our partners face potential funding cuts from both local and federal government – The Partnership and our nonprofit partners need your voice, your leadership, and your support!

Here are some ways you can get involved:

1. Learn More and Be Informed! Join us May 20th at noon for a virtual opportunity, to network, ask questions, and hear from a panel of experts in the housing justice space. Register now!

2. Let your voice be heard! Contact your local representative and join our nonprofit partners in advocating for critical funding for Emergency Rent Assistance (ERAP), Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), and other critical investments in affordable housing.

3. Make an Investment in Affordable Housing through The Enterprise Community Impact Note! While earning a fixed return, your investment dollars can be used to help create and preserve affordable housing.

4. Donate to the Partnership to End Homelessness Grantmaking Fund! The Waldon Adams Housing Justice Fund and other Partnership initiatives are made possible by generous support from our partners and individual donors. Together, we can work together to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in DC.

Partnership to End Homelessness Announces Critical Investments in PSH Innovation Pilots

The Partnership to End Homelessness (The Partnership) is pleased to announce two 12-month pilots intended to support innovations in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). These grants are made possible through the generous support of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, a member of the Partnership’s Leadership Council.

Across our region – and the country - PSH programs have a proven track record as the solution to end chronic homelessness for individuals and families. In 2024, over 500 people in DC moved into housing thanks to vouchers provided through the PSH program.

However, navigating the PSH system can be complex and time-consuming – for many, taking over a year before they move into permanent housing. The Partnership is committed to strengthening the PSH system through the DC PSH Innovation Lab Pilot and other critical investments.

DC PSH Innovation Lab Pilot grants are intended to address key challenges identified by front line case managers and clients with the ultimate goal to improve program quality.

The Partnership is excited to announce the first DC PSH Innovation Pilot grants to Edgewood/Brookland Family Support Collaborative and Woodley House/Pathways to Housing DC.

Edgewood/Brookland Family Support Collaborative (E/BFSC) - Stable Steps Program ($130,000)

Launched in 1996, Edgewood/Brookland Family Support Collaborative (E/BFSC) strengthens families and communities in DC’s Ward 5 & 6 through a wide range of services including workforce development, school-based programs and housing stabilization (including PSH).

The organization’s new Stable Steps program will use structured incentives and client-centered engagement techniques to help increase housing retention among PSH clients. Participants will receive welcome kits including essential household items and grocery vouchers, as well as incentives encouraging them to expedite the housing voucher application process, regularly attend case management sessions, and maintain lease compliance. PSH clients will also develop leadership skills as they support new participants through structured peer mentorship sessions.

"E/BFSC is excited to partner with the Greater Washington Community Foundation to enhance our service provision and positively impact the lives of the PSH participants in our program. This investment will support our efforts to ensure all of our participants have a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home."

-      Ronald E. Smith, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, Edgewood/Brookland Family Support Collaborative

E/BFSC hopes that Stable Steps will lead to an increase in lease compliance rates and a decrease in eviction rates. As part of the pilot, E/BFSC will create a toolkit with implementation guidelines, training materials for case managers, and data collection tools so the program can be scaled and adapted by other PSH programs.

Woodley House and Pathways to Housing ($150,000)

Woodley House and Pathways to Housing DC will use the grants funds to pilot A.I. technology to dramatically reduce the administrative workload for its PSH case managers and clinical teams.

Founded in 1958, Woodley House provides personalized mental health supportive services and housing for DC residents across four Wards – and recently became a certified provider for PSH in 2023. They have partnered with Pathways to Housing DC – a longtime champion of PSH and wraparound service provider – to tackle one of the most daunting parts of the PSH system – paperwork.

For every individual entering the PSH system, case workers are required to spend countless hours documenting, notetaking, and coordinating across systems and organizations – just so that those they serve can get the resources they need. The mountain of administrative burden combined with the dire conditions that clients face on a daily basis can quickly lead to burnout and in some cases organizational turnover – which can cause serious delays for those trying to navigate the PSH system.

To combat this, Woodley House and Pathways to Housing DC will leverage the power of A.I. through the Eleos Health Platform- one of the most widely adopted AI platforms in behavioral health.

Eleos uses artificial intelligence to reduce time spent on documentation by up to 70 percent, allowing staff to spend more time working with clients. This outcome benefits both the organization’s mission and its fiscal stability and longevity – since PSH providers can receive reimbursement through Medicaid for services provided to those experiencing homelessness.

“Since our founding 67 years ago, Woodley House has been innovating to better address the needs of Washingtonians facing behavioral health challenges and the risk of homelessness. With this generous grant, we’re thrilled to continue our legacy of innovation, using cutting-edge A.I. technology to benefit Woodley House’s PSH clients, staff and community.”

-      Ann Chauvin, Executive Director, Woodley House

Woodley House and Pathways to Housing DC hope to see workforce recruitment, job satisfaction, and retention increase over the course of the pilot program. They also hope to see revenue from client services reimbursement increase as case managers are able to spend more time working with clients and less time doing paperwork. The goal is that this additional revenue could be used to fund the technology after the grant has ended. 

Woodley House, Pathways to Housing DC, and E/BFSC will all provide quarterly updates on their progress to the Partnership. They will also receive technical assistance and evaluation support from the Corporation for Supportive Housing throughout the year.

Advocate Rachelle Ellison, a member of the review committee speaks at a Partnership Event in October 2023.

Grantmaking Grounded in the Community
Advocate Rachelle Ellison, a member of the review committee, said, “I am really excited about the innovative proposal that Woodley House and Pathways to Housing put forth, and I am praying for their success. And Edgewood’s Stable Steps program is so client-centered – I really think it will empower and uplift clients.”

The DC PSH Innovation Lab Pilot was designed based on community feedback, including a series of focus groups with PSH leaders, case managers, and clients. Nonprofit partners were selected by a review committee consisting of Partnership staff, advocates with lived experience of homelessness, and representatives from the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Corporation for Supportive Housing.

Proposals were evaluated based on their level of innovation, client-centeredness, and collaboration – with preference given to pilots that could be launched quickly, had outcomes that could be measured at the end of the pilot year, and could be scaled and replicated by other organizations.

The DC PSH Innovation Lab Pilot continues the Partnership’s long-standing commitment to strengthening PSH in the District. Since its launch in 2019, the Partnership has made investments in flex fund grants to help expedite housing placements for PSH clients and assisted nonprofit providers in their transition to billing Medicaid to fund PSH services. You can support grants like these by making a contribution to the Partnership’s Grantmaking Fund.

For more information on this and other important investments in the fight to end homelessness, join our Partnership email list to get the latest news, highlights, quarterly updates!

Madi Ford, Alice & Eugene Ford Foundation - Building Homes and Career Pipelines to End Homelessness

Madi Ford's journey in affordable housing began long before her professional career. As the granddaughter of Eugene "Gene" Ford, Sr., founder of Mid-City Development—a major provider of affordable housing nationwide—Ford was immersed in the world of housing and community development from an early age.

"My family's business has been predominantly the ownership and operation of affordable multifamily housing," Ford explained. "I've been associated with it my whole life."

During her grandparents' lifetime, Mid-City Development funded a wide range of affordable housing programs at their properties with a focus on economic empowerment—creating after-school programs, resume building workshops, and job training opportunities for residents. This holistic approach to housing—seeing it not just as physical shelter but as a platform for community growth and individual advancement—would become a cornerstone of Ford's own philosophy.

Today, Ford is the co-founder and managing partner of Audeo Partners, a real estate development and investment firm based in Virginia.

 Hammers & Heart: Building A Legacy Through Community Engagement

Madi Ford speaks at a Habitat for Humanity Women Build Event

Ford's commitment to housing extends well beyond her professional obligations. Seeing the importance of housing first-hand Ford has dedicated her time to several local organizations.

Since 2017, she has been deeply involved with Habitat for Humanity of Washington DC & Northern Virginia – most notably the organization’s Women Build Campaign – an annual fundraiser that provides women (and men) opportunities to support affordable housing ownership in their communities. Ford currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board and the co-chair of Habitat DC-NOVA’s 35th Anniversary fundraising campaign.

With Ford's involvement, Habitat DC-NOVA has continued to expand its impact in the region. Since its inception, the organization has built homes for 300 families, with the goal of doubling their impact by 2030.

In 2019, Madi joined the newly formed Leadership Council of the Partnership to End Homelessness – where she had the chance to convene regularly with developers, housing advocates and people with lived experience from across DC.

“What’s great about the Partnership is the array of voices of opinions they have at the table,” Ford shared. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount listening to the very real conversations about the problems that we need to address to end homelessness in our community.”

“The Partnership has done a great job of making these conversations value-driven and focused on our shared goals across the various housing constituencies represented.”

A large part of that work included engaging in advocacy work advocating for increased funding for crucial programs like the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), vouchers, and emergency services for those experiencing homelessness.

“I don’t believe we’ve done a good job in providing and maintaining affordable housing in this country,” Ford explained. “We can and must do better – and the private sector plays a critical role in that.

Building Career Pipelines to End Homelessness

One of the exciting ways that Ford is stepping up is through the work of her family’s foundation, the Alice & Eugene Ford Foundation, where Ford serves as President.  

Established by Ford’s grandparents to further their mission of encouraging economic empowerment for those residing in affordable housing communities,, this past year, the organization made a significant investment in one of DC most urgent – and frequently overlooked -systemic needs – increasing the number of social workers working with the unsheltered

For years, housing providers in DC have struggled to hire enough social workers to serve the city’s homeless population. In 2023, 800 people who qualified for a housing voucher remained homeless because there weren’t enough workers to process their cases.

Ford and her family’s Foundation partnered with the National Catholic School of Social Service to launch the Ford Scholars program – a $1.76 million initiative to support graduate scholarships for students willing to provide clinical services to the unsheltered in the District.

Created in honor of Madi’s grandmother, Alice Ford -- an alumna of the National Catholic School of Social Service-and her daughter, Louise Ford, the Ford scholarship provides students with opportunities and the resources to work in a field that they otherwise may not have had.

A family at Friendship Place - one of the five service providers participating in the Ford Scholars program.

“As part of the program, Ford scholars are connected with homeless service providers across the District,” Ford explained. “This gives them first-hand clinical experience in case management, community outreach, and other important skill sets while providing much-needed services to the homeless population.”

Just one year into the scholarship program, Ford scholars have already logged more than 1,700 hours of service at five different housing service providers across DC.

The Ford Scholarship is also open to both new and existing graduate students. This allows individuals currently working in the homeless services field – especially those with lived experience –to pursue an advanced degree and subsequent career advancement opportunities.

“These case workers – and the providers they work with -- are the future,” Ford shared. “The more we can invest in them and provide capacity-building support for the work that they do, the more success we will see in the long-term fight to end homelessness.”

As Ford concludes her service on the Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council, she remains confident that homelessness is fundamentally solvable.

"We know how to solve this problem—it's just hard and expensive," Ford states candidly. "We need to be willing to do the work while respecting the dignity of our unsheltered neighbors by providing the care and support they need through the rehousing process. "

“I’m grateful for the continued leadership of the Partnership, as we continue to unite around common goals and work towards a community where everyone has a place they can call home.”

The Community Foundation is grateful for Madi Ford’s leadership as a founding member of the Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council.

If you would like to support the work of the Partnership to End Homelessness, visit https://donate.thecommunityfoundation.org/give/588288/#!/donation/checkout

For more information on the Partnership to End Homelessness, visit https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/partnership-to-end-homelessness

Making a Difference in Housing In Montgomery County

At the start of the new year, members of The Community Foundation’s Montgomery County Advisory Board, staff, and Sharing Montgomery donors visited with community partners to talk about the future of housing and the fight against homelessness in Montgomery County.

“The housing crisis is one of the biggest issues facing families in our community,” shared Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for Montgomery County at the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “We’re excited to learn from our partners about how we can work together to ensure everyone has a place to call home.”

As one of the most affluent and fastest growing counties in the region, housing has long been a challenge in Montgomery County. However, as housing prices and inflation have risen in recent months, many residents – particularly those on the margins – have found it increasingly difficult to keep a roof over their heads.

The 2024 Point in Time count by the Metropolitan Council on Governments found that more than 1,100 people in Montgomery County were homeless. The number represents a 20% increase from the previous year – including a 47% increase in homelessness among families.

“This isn’t a data problem – it’s a people problem,” explained Claudia Wilson Randall, when asked about the numbers. Randall is the Executive Director of the Community Development Network of Maryland – a community development advocacy group that heads the Montgomery Housing Alliance (MHA).

“We have lots of data about the housing shortages in Maryland – what we need are individuals who are committed to investing in housing solutions that break down some of the barriers in our communities.”

Jennifer Olney moderates a panel discussion with Claudia  Wilson Randall and Mary Kolar from the Community Development Network of Maryland

Randall was joined by her colleague, Mary Kolar – the Network’s organizer in Montgomery County, and The Community Foundation’s Jennifer Olney, Senior Program Officer for The Partnership to End Homelessness who moderated the discussion.

The group started off by outlining the benefits of Housing First – a nationally recognized strategy that prioritizes eliminating barriers to housing for those experiencing homelessness.

“Housing First is the anchor solution for a lot of the issues being faced in our community,” Kolar added

“Whether an individual is struggling with food insecurity, employment, or mental or physical health challenges – if we can get them housed, we can give them a foundation to build off; a safe and stable environment where they can grow and get the support they need.”

Some examples of this in Montgomery County include the Housing Initiative Program (HIP), Rapid Rehousing (RRH) and  Short Term Housing and Resolution Program (SHARP), which provide resources including rent subsidies and security deposits to lower the economic barriers to housing. The programs also connect residents with case management (based on the individual’s level of need).

“When it comes to supportive housing, not everyone needs the same level of resources,” Olney pointed out. “Some people just need help covering rent for a month or two; others may need more support.”

“Housing First is about matching the right resources with the right needs.”

Jennifer Olney, Senior Program Officer for The Partnership to End Homelessness with Claudia Wilson Randall, Executive Director of the Community Development Network of Maryland

Some programs like SHARP have been extremely successful, Kolar pointed out. According to the MHA, 79 percent of individuals who enter the SHARP program are still stably housed a year later. For families, that success rate is even higher – 97 percent.

However, as the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness continues to rise, advocates like the MHA and the Community Development Network of Maryland have raised the alarm about the need for more funding and support for those on the margins.

“Almost half of all renters in Montgomery County are one emergency away from eviction,” Kolar explained. “That rate is even higher for low-income households. We need more housing that meets the needs of these families.”

“People who need affordable housing aren’t invisible,” Randall added. “They’re all around us, every day, all day.”

“If we want to become a stronger county and grow the Maryland economy, we need to make sure we’re considering their basic needs. Our North Star needs to be higher, brighter, and pointing to a better place.”

When asked what role philanthropy should play, Randall and Kolar explained the importance of funding and supporting advocacy efforts to help connect philanthropy to impact.

“Whether we donate our time, our resources, or our expertise, we are all advocates,” Randall explained. “And as advocates, we do not have to resign ourselves to living in a world where people are homeless. We need to remind ourselves, our community members, and our elected officials, that housing needs to be a priority.”

Randall and Kolar were followed by Courtney Hall, CEO of Interfaith Works, and Abe Schuchman, CEO of Housing Unlimited, two of the leading service providers for individuals experiencing homelessness in Montgomery County.

Anna Hargrave moderates a panel with Claudia Wilson Randall and Mary Kolar (Community Development Network of Maryland), Courtney Hall (Interfaith Works) and Abe Schuchman (Housing Unlimited)

Hall began by echoing some of the unsettling trends from the latest Point in Time Count – particularly the increase in homelessness cases among seniors– many of whom have appeared at one of the four shelters that Interfaith Works operates across the county.

“Shelters are not a sustainable solution to address homelessness,” Hall shared.

Interfaith Works is one of the few service providers in the county that operates shelters and provides permanent supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness (in addition to a wide range of other services).

“We know that for every dollar that we invest in programs like permanent supportive housing and Housing First, society saves $1.44.”

“In a community like ours where the cost of living for a middle-class family is so high, we really can’t afford to not make smarter investments when it comes to our housing system,” Schuchman agreed.

Housing Unlimited provides independent housing for 253 adults in mental health recovery –including many individuals transitioning from homelessness–thanks in part to a partnership with the county that caps rent for residents at 1/3 of their income. Right now, over 200 people are on the waitlist for the program.

“There’s a big stereotype that people who are homeless aren’t working or don’t want to work,” Schuchman explained. “That is simply not the case.  The reality is that most people are working, sometimes 2-3 jobs.  It’s just not enough to get by.”

Schuchman also addressed stigmas that those experiencing homelessness often face related to mental health challenges. He encouraged listeners to acknowledge the tenacity those individuals demonstrate as they work towards stability.

“We really need to remember and respect the integrity and complexity of people’s lives when we talk about these issues.”

While recognizing the challenges ahead, the panelists concluded by sharing what brings them hope. 

“I think it’s important to highlight that Montgomery County’s elected officials are really receptive to having these conversations,” Olney said. “They have been extremely proactive and willing to invest in Housing First; we just need to remind them that it must continue to be a top priority.”

“We have an opportunity to be a shining example of inclusionary housing for the country, here in Montgomery County,” Hall shared. “With your continued support – funding advocacy, supporting critical services, meeting with local officials, and leading discussions like this one – we can work towards a community where everyone has a place to call home.”

For more information on how you can support housing efforts in Montgomery County, contact Anna Hargrave at ahargrave@thecommunityfoundation.org.

For more information about Permanent Supportive Housing, Housing First, and other initiatives to end homelessness, visit https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/partnership-to-end-homelessness

Dr. Yavar Moghimi & AmeriHealth Caritas: Closing the Gap Between Health & Housing

The Community Foundation is excited to continue our Leaders of the Future series, highlighting the work and experiences of incredible individuals and organizations from across our community of philanthropic, community, professional advisor, corporate, and nonprofit partners.

This month, we’re pleased to feature Dr. Yavar Moghimi, Chief Psychiatric Medical Officer at AmeriHealth Caritas. Dr. Moghimi has spent much of his career serving individuals at the intersection of health and homelessness and sits on the Leadership Council of the Partnership to End Homelessness.

$770 Million. According to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, that is how much it will cost to ensure everyone in DC has a place to live by 2030.

While that number may seem high, it’s less than half of what healthcare systems expect to pay over the same time period.

“Part of our role as a healthcare plan is to manage costs to the system and encourage positive health outcomes,” explained Dr. Yavar Moghimi, Chief Psychiatric Medical Officer at AmeriHealth Caritas. “Individuals who are housing insecure or homeless represent one of the largest costs to the healthcare system.”

The relationship between housing and healthcare has long burdened both those experiencing homelessness and the healthcare professionals who care for them. A recent study found that those experiencing homelessness are twice as likely to visit an emergency room than those who are housed – some of them as often as five times per year.

These visits can cost healthcare systems as much as $44,000 per year -- per person. With nearly 10,000 individuals experiencing homelessness in the DMV, the annual cost to the healthcare system ranges in the hundreds of millions of dollars. By 2030, homelessness could cost the healthcare system up to $2.6 billion.

“As a healthcare provider, it’s difficult to treat homelessness,” Dr. Moghimi explained. “We can treat symptoms – but until we are able to properly identify and address people’s needs, those who are housing insecure will continue to migrate from one acute care situation to another.”

Screening for Social Determinants of Health: Knowledge is Power

As a psychiatrist and addiction specialist with more than a decade of clinical experience in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in DC, Dr. Moghimi has spent much of his career serving individuals at the intersection between health and homelessness.

While working at places like Whitman-Walker Health and So Others Might Eat, Dr. Moghimi saw how healthcare providers were able to conduct screenings to identify a patient’s needs within the social determinants of health (SDOH).

SDOH screenings (known in the healthcare industry as Z Codes), are a relatively new innovation to healthcare that only became official practice starting in 2016. It allows healthcare professionals to add notes to a patient’s medical record for when a patient displays symptoms that don’t point to a specific medical concern, but still warrant treatment. These Z Codes include Homelessness, Problems related to employment or unemployment, Occupational Exposure to Risk Factors, Problems related to Education and Literacy, and others.

As a clinician, the information gleaned from these screenings was critical, as it allowed Dr. Moghimi to more effectively meet the immediate mental health needs of his patients. However, he also found that the system often stopped short of solving the problem.

“Most FQHC’s don’t have capacity to do the kind of long-term engagement needed to help patients progress,” Dr. Moghimi explained. “They would put the record in the system, but without someone to follow-up and work with patients to connect them with resources like housing and employment, that information doesn’t have any long-term impact.”

Now as the Chief Psychiatric Medical Officer at AmeriHealth Caritas and a member of the DC Interagency Council for Homelessness Health Subcommittee, Dr. Moghimi has been advocating for better integration between the healthcare providers and community partners providing homeless services.

“What we need is a liaison,” Dr. Moghimi added. “Someone who can utilize the data that we’re collecting to connect patients with the long-term support and resources they need to improve their health and wellbeing.”

The liaison position(s) would require external funding to support – as it falls outside of the hospital’s traditional staffing structure. As a member of the Partnership Leadership Council, Dr. Moghimi is working with government, philanthropic, and community partners to identify the right organizations and grant opportunities that could make it possible.

“The Community Foundation and the Partnership to End Homelessness play a huge role in bringing people together and building the bridges that make it possible for us to meet the needs and challenges facing our community,” Dr. Moghimi said. “This is the ecosystem we want to be a part of – one that builds stronger, and healthier communities, today, tomorrow, and into the future!”

The Community Foundation is proud to partner with Dr. Yavar Moghimi, AmeriHealth Caritas and other incredible community, corporate and philanthropic leaders on our Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council. For more information about how you or your organization can get involved, contact Jennifer Olney, Senior Program Officer for the Partnership to End Homelessness.

Investing In Solutions To Address Housing Instability

By Anna Smukowski, Senior Director, Impact Investing, Enterprise Community Loan Fund

In the DC area, a shortage of rental homes that are affordable and available to extremely low-income households is leading to debilitating cost burdens: 75% of extremely low-income households are spending more than 50% of their incomes on rent.

High housing costs are known to create significant financial ripple effects. Cost-burdened residents are often forced to cut back on food and medical care, or even relocate in search of more affordable housing. Further housing instability can also follow when tenants are forced to move multiple times in search of ever cheaper rent, increasing the potential for health risks, particularly among children. 

Crucially, lack of affordable housing also contributes to homelessness: A survey of city government officials found that a lack of affordable housing was the most frequently mentioned cause of homelessness.

To address the challenges of housing scarcity in DC, Enterprise Community Loan Fund, Inc. (ECLF) and the Greater Washington Community Foundation (The Community Foundation) through its Partnership to End Homelessness (The Partnership) have raised $15.2 million through the Enterprise Community Impact Note. Proceeds from sales of the Impact Note are used primarily as capital for loans to community-based, nonprofit, and mission-aligned for-profit, affordable housing, and community and commercial facilities borrowers.

The Partnership, co-launched in 2019 by The Community Foundation and the District of Columbia’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, is dedicated to making homelessness in Washington, DC rare, brief, and nonrecurring. This year, we celebrate the five-year anniversary of The Partnership and its investments in ECLF through the Impact Note that supports critical work in the DC market.

Since 2019, ECLF has provided financing to create or preserve 671 affordable homes in DC –including 359 units serving extremely low-income households, 112 units with supportive services, and 343 units serving senior residents – advancing The Partnership’s goal of addressing the affordable housing shortage and helping create more equitable, just, and thriving communities.

Standout projects include the ground-up construction of Edgewood V, a 151-unit senior housing project in Washington DC’s Ward 5, affordable to individuals up to 50% AMI. ECLF provided a $5.1 million bridge loan to Enterprise Community Development for the Edgewood V project. The design of Edgewood V incorporates features that will extend the time that elderly residents with varying levels of health needs can live independently via accessibility-focused design in all apartments. The project will also meet Enterprise’s Green Communities Standard and will include renewable energy sources onsite in the form of solar panels.

According to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, individuals over the age of 55 are the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness – many of them for the first time. While the reasons are complex, an increased risk of poverty is chief among them, as limited fixed incomes pay for less as housing costs skyrocket across the country. This is especially true in DC, where the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute attributes the root cause of homelessness to high housing costs and the structural racism that has created disparities in housing, wealth, incarceration, and health. Further complicating affordable housing access is limited acceptance of permanent supportive housing vouchers at facilities that offer age-appropriate resident services to seniors. Properties like Edgewood V are key to preserving the housing stability of seniors in historically diverse and rapidly gentrifying areas of DC.

Disclaimer: This is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Such an offer is made only by means of a current Prospectus (including any applicable Pricing Supplement) for each of the respective notes. Such offers may be directed only to investors in jurisdictions in which the notes are eligible for sale. Investors are urged to review the current Prospectus before making any investment decision. The securities are unsecured debt securities subject to terms, conditions and risks described in the Prospectus, including the possible loss of the amount invested. Payment is dependent on Enterprise Community Loan Fund’s financial condition at the time payment is due. No state or federal securities regulators have passed on or endorsed the merits of the offering of notes. Any representation to the contrary is unlawful. The notes will not be insured or guaranteed by the FDIC, SIPC, or other governmental agencies.  

The Impact Note is currently not offered in Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Tennessee. 

Dr. George Leventhal & Kaiser Permanente - Tackling the Medical Respite Gap for the Region's Homeless Population

The Community Foundation is excited to continue our Leaders of the Future series, highlighting the work and experiences of incredible individuals and organizations from across our community of philanthropic, community, professional advisor, corporate, and nonprofit partners.

In honor of National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, we’re pleased to feature Dr. George L. Leventhal, Director of Community Health at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Leventhal is a long-time regional advocate in the fight against homelessness and sits on the Leadership Council of the Partnership to End Homelessness.

Homelessness has been described as a public health crisis. Research done by the National Alliance to End Homelessness found that individuals within the homeless population often experience conditions of diabetes, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS at rates that are three to six times higher than that of the general population. Additional data from the most recent Point in Time Count found that the majority of single adults experiencing homelessness are over the age of 55.

These statistics paint a sobering picture during the warm summer months. However, as winter approaches and the temperatures drop, that picture becomes deadly.

“Homelessness is a public health catastrophe,” shared Dr. George L. Leventhal, Director of Community Health at Kaiser Permanente. “Living unsheltered is terrible for the body. Those that sleep on the street are often unable to get a good night’s rest. That impacts their mental health. They’re also exposed to stress factors which impact their body’s ability to fight infection.”

Dr. Leventhal with members of the Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council visit with the staff of Joseph’s House – one of just four medical respite sites located in DC.

Dr. Leventhal has been involved in the regional homelessness sphere for more than two decades, serving on the Montgomery County Council and chairing the Council’s Health & Human Services Committee from 2002 to 2018. He also served on the Council’s Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee and played a key role in the Montgomery County’s efforts to end homelessness in one of Maryland’s most populous counties.

Now as the Director of Community Health at Kaiser Permanente and a member of the Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council, Dr. Leventhal is taking aim at another critical issue – Medical Respite Centers.

Along with the Partnership to End Homelessness’ Leadership Council, Kaiser has identified Medical Respite as a key priority in the fight to end homelessness. “Medical respite centers are places where someone who has been discharged from hospital can take time to rest and recover before returning to their everyday routine,” Dr. Leventhal explained. “While most of us can do that at home, those experiencing homelessness don’t have access to that kind of environment – and are more likely to need to go to the emergency room and be readmitted after hospitalization.”

According to the National Institute for Medical Respite Centers, there are only 145 Medical Respite programs across the United States. Of those, only eleven of those are located in the DMV – two in Maryland, five in Virginia, and four in DC.

Medical respite beds at Joseph's House - one of the four locations offering medical respite care for individuals suffering from HIV, cancer, and homelessness in DC.

“The average medical respite center has about 16 beds,” Dr. Leventhal explained. “Considering there are nearly 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in the DMV right now – that’s not even a drop in the bucket.”

For Dr. Leventhal and Kaiser Permanente, the issue is both a public health issue and a public cost issue. Not only are hospital readmittances damaging for a patient’s health – they are also extremely costly for the patient, the hospital, and health care providers. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the average cost of a hospital stay in DC was $3,974 – per day.

“It’s in our best interest as healthcare providers to ensure that everyone has access to the care and services they need to stay healthy,” Dr. Leventhal added. “That’s why Kaiser Permanente is committed to bringing more Respite Centers to the DMV.”

Kaiser Permanente is working with Volunteers of America Chesapeake and Carolinas, along with an advisory board including hospitals, local government, and nonprofit service provides, to open a Medical Respite Center in Prince George’s County. If successful, the center would be the first in the county.

The project - which is still in the early phases of development - could also potentially ease the pressure on service providers in DC, which sometimes provide services for individuals experiencing homelessness coming to the District from neighboring counties.

“One of the biggest obstacles is that there is no clear language in Maryland or DC’s Medicaid regulations that indicates that medical respite services are billable to Medicaid – meaning that charities operating these centers struggle to cover the cost,” Dr. Leventhal shared. “While some things – like PSH (permanent supportive housing) - are clearly defined and covered – medical respite isn’t.”

As Dr. Leventhal and Kaiser Permanente navigate the logistics of this exciting new project, The Partnership to End Homelessness has served as an important resource and facilitator. In November, Dr. Leventhal joined other Leadership Council members for a site visit at Joseph’s House – one of the four locations offering medical respite care for individuals suffering from HIV, cancer, and homelessness in DC.

“The Partnership to End Homelessness is a great way to get connected with the work that is being done to end homelessness in DC,” Dr. Leventhal shared. “It’s encouraging to know that we are all working to make sure everyone has access to the services and care that they need.”

The Community Foundation is proud to partner with Dr. George Leventhal, Kaiser Permanente and other incredible community, corporate and philanthropic leaders on our Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council. For more information about how you or your organization can get involved, contact Jennifer Olney, Senior Program Officer for the Partnership to End Homelessness.

Partnership to End Homelessness Celebrates Five Years of Impact

The Partnership to End Homelessness launched in June 2019 with a bold vision to bring together the public and private sectors to ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring in DC.

We are pleased to report that with your support, Homelessness in DC has decreased by 12 percent since 2020. With your investments, the Partnership has contributed to this progress by funding critical advocacy to secure public funding, supporting our nonprofit partners on the ground, and making strategic investments in systems to make it possible for us to exit more people from homelessness.

However, we know that much more must be done to ensure everyone has housing they can afford. Despite record numbers of people exiting homelessness in recent years, we are seeing a growing number of people seeking help. Nearly 1 in every 120 DC residents experience homelessness on any given night in neighborhoods across the city. 75% of DC’s lowest-income households live in housing they can’t afford. Community members report growing concerns about economic insecurity and income inequality in our region, and the end of pandemic supports mean more people are at risk of housing instability and homelessness.

At its launch, the Partnership set four goals:

1. Increase the supply of affordable housing with a priority on extremely low-income households;

2. Build nonprofit capacity to help single adults, families, and youth exit homelessness as quickly as possible;

3. Change perceptions about homelessness and affordable housing through donor education, community engagement, and advocacy efforts; and

4. Leverage private philanthropy and align with public resources and strategies, leading to more nimble, strategic, and sustained investment in the homeless services system.

The Community Foundation conducted a review of the Partnership this summer to evaluate the impact it has made on our community during its first five years. This included an analysis of our progress against these goals, outcomes, and financial data, and interviews with a cross-section of key community stakeholders in the Partnership, including nonprofit grantees, government leaders, Community Foundation staff, Leadership Council members, and funders. Here are some of our key findings:

• The Partnership has successfully leveraged and aligned nearly $20 million in funding to support its priorities through investments in affordable housing and grantmaking to nonprofits.

• The Partnership has increased the supply of affordable housing in our area, helping to build and preserve 924 homes for low-income individuals and families.

• The Partnership has supported advocacy to increase the supply of affordable housing and provide permanent supportive housing vouchers that helped 3,254 individuals and 1,542 families exit homelessness. Over $1 billion in public investments for homelessness and affordable housing priorities has been made by DC in the last five years. The Partnership participated in advocacy for this funding through grantmaking to local advocacy organizations and through direct advocacy with the Mayor and City Council.

• Our community believes that the Partnership plays a unique and valuable role, and that it could be made even more effective by raising additional funding from foundations, corporations, and individual donors so it can increase its investments in improving local systems and in building and preserving deeply affordable housing. Stakeholders also urged the Partnership to continue to convene private and public sector stakeholders to solve community challenges, and to do more to change the narrative around homelessness.

As the Partnership looks forward to 2025, it will be focusing on funding critical efforts to expedite housing placements for people experiencing chronic homelessness and to improve care coordination between healthcare and homeless services systems.

We invite you to join us by making a contribution to the Partnership to End Homelessness, or by contacting  Jennifer Olney at jolney@thecommunityfoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved.

Permanent Supportive Housing -- A Smart Investment Towards Ending Homelessness in DC

Every person deserves the dignity of a home. Yet, DC has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the country, and nearly half of individuals that are unhoused are experiencing “chronic homelessness.” Chronic homelessness is the condition of being homeless for a year or more, or repeatedly, while struggling with a disabling condition such as a serious physical and mental illness.

The Partnership to End Homelessness believes that DC can end chronic homelessness. However, ending chronic homelessness is not possible without a robust homeless service system and providers that can support households experiencing chronic homelessness.

Permanent Supportive Housing - A Solution to Homelessness
The Partnership has invested in multiple projects to advance the work to end chronic homelessness, focusing on Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). PSH is a proven solution that pairs housing with wrap-around services to help those experiencing chronic homelessness not only obtain affordable housing, but also maintain it long-term.

The Partnership has taken an active roll in supporting advocacy efforts to secure historic investments in PSH in the District. Together with our partners DC has secured over 4,000 new PSH vouchers that helped 3,254 individuals and 1,542 families exit homelessness. This funding had a direct impact on the city’s ability to end homelessness and has, in part, led to a 12% decrease in homelessness since 2020.

Investing in Systems Change for Supportive Housing
Securing investment for PSH is only part of the equation. Equally as critical is the need to invest in the housing infrastructure – specifically service providers and advocates who are working to ensure that PSH funding reaches those who need it the most.

To that end, The Partnership has joined with other funders including The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation to help Permanent Supportive Housing providers improve their systems and processes to access the city’s new expanded Medicaid benefit through the Corporation for Supportive Housing.

During this process, we’ve heard from service providers about some of their most persistent ongoing challenges. These challenges included maintaining quality in service delivery amidst increased administrative responsibility, hiring challenges, lack of training and onboarding for new case managers, and inadequate coordination between service providers. 

Additionally, service providers mentioned how unrealistically heavy caseloads for PSH case managers and staffing retention challenges due to the high burnout rate pose serious obstacles to their organizational stability as they work to support people experiencing chronic homelessness and help them move into available housing.

The Future of PSH

The Partnership to End Homelessness recognizes the importance of continuing to build the capacity of the PSH system and of our PSH providers.

In 2023, DCFPI released a landmark report, funded in part by the Partnership, that outlines specific recommendations for ending chronic homelessness and specifically for strengthening case management. The report’s recommendations – which were informed by frontline providers and people with lived experience of homelessness included the need to speed up the housing process and to strengthen case management services.

In addition to the report, the Partnership has also heard other ideas for innovation through our partnership with the Corporation for Supportive Housing who supported work to expand Medicaid benefits.

Over the next years, the Partnership will continue to bring together PSH providers to identify high impact innovation opportunities and pilot these ideas. By investing in innovative ideas informed by providers, case managers, and people with lived experience, we will identify impactful and scalable opportunities that sustain and accelerate our progress toward ending chronic homelessness in DC.

The Partnership to End Homelessness Welcomes New Members to Partnership Leadership Council

This past year, the Partnership to End Homelessness welcomed five new members to its Leadership Council - a group of committed, private sector individuals representing foundations, housing developers and owners, healthcare institutions, and universities who are dedicated to ending homelessness in DC.

The Leadership Council has three primary objectives: 1) Engage private-sector stakeholders and networks in work to end homelessness and increase housing stability in DC; 2) Provide financial investment and other resources to support the strategic priorities of the Partnership to End Homelessness; and 3) Participate in budget advocacy, policy advocacy, and public narrative change efforts using personal and professional networks.

Since the Partnership launched, the Leadership Council has been instrumental in our work to align $18.5 million in private sector resources and joined our nonprofit partners in advocating for historic public sector investments in homeless services and affordable and supportive housing.

The new members of the Partnership Leadership Council include - Anand Dholakia, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation; Kimberly Harris, CareFirst BlueCross Blueshield; Alecia Hill, FCP; Dr. Yavar Moghimi, AmeriHealth Caritas; and Andrew Vincent, Horning Brothers.

Shaping the Future for the Partnership to End Homelessness

Together with new and existing members, the Leadership Council gathered to reflect on the Partnership’s progress to date and determine where the Partnership should prioritize our efforts over the next two years.

Through this process, members reaffirmed their commitment to the Partnership’s overall goals and guiding principles, including racial equity and deeply affordable housing.

Leaders also committed to continuing to provide a table for the private sector to share knowledge with and learn from our public sector partners, nonprofit service providers, and advocates about homelessness and affordable housing issues in DC and best practices and innovations to address them.

In order to have the greatest impact, the Leadership Council made the decision to focus on a limited set of strategic priorities.  Based on a needs analysis, community feedback, and potential for future impact, the following priorities were identified:

1. Expedite housing placement for people experiencing chronic homelessness. The Leadership Council expressed an urgent need to expedite the process for people experiencing chronic homelessness to move into housing. Currently, delays in the process lead to units sitting empty for many months, creating financial challenges for landlords and housing providers while people continue to live on the street or in shelters.

   The Leadership Council and the Partnership will continue to advance this priority through advocacy, grant funding, and convening.

2. Improve care coordination between healthcare and homeless service systems. Housing insecurity is a public health issue that impacts health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and drives up healthcare costs for the broader system. Healthcare and housing systems are complex, and significant coordination is needed to address the unique challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness - many of whom have significant mental health and physical health needs.

   The Leadership Council and Partnership will support existing efforts to improve collaboration that are being led by our partners at the DC Interagency Council to End Homelessness. The Council has also identified a specific interest in expanding medical respite in the city.

Are you a private sector leader, individual donor, or institutional funder interested in joining this work? The Partnership Leadership Council is always seeking for new ways to partner and build relationships to help end homelessness in DC. Reach out to Jennifer Olney at jolney@thecommunityfoundation.org to learn more.

New Community Listening Survey Shows DMV Residents Are Significantly Less Optimistic Now Than They Were in 2020

Worries about being able to pay rent or a mortgage in the Greater Washington region have soared; fewer residents believe changes where they live will benefit them

A new community listening survey conducted by Gallup in partnership with the Greater Washington Community Foundation shows that DMV residents are now significantly less optimistic about the future of the region than they were in 2020. DMV residents have become less positive in their views about who will benefit from changes in the area, and a staggering 85% of residents believe they have little to no influence on local government decision-making.

The number of residents who expect living conditions in the Greater Washington region to get “better” in the next five years dropped by nearly half, from 29% in 2020 to 16% in 2023, while the number of people who think living conditions will get “worse” in the region has increased from 24% to 32%. In 2020, 27% of respondents said changes in the area would benefit “more people like me,” but this is now down to 19%.

“Our last survey, conducted just before the pandemic, documented wide disparities in income and opportunity that were preventing many residents from accessing the region’s economic growth and prosperity. Today, many of these hardships remain, and have been exacerbated by the health and economic trauma of the past few years,” said Tonia Wellons, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “Recognizing the challenges many people face, we’re redoubling our efforts to facilitate deeper engagement with residents and are investing in microgrants for individuals and organizations with ideas for improving neighborhoods to ensure every person has the opportunity to thrive.” 

The Voices of the Community (VoicesDMV): Community Insights survey is one of the only large-scale community listening and engagement tools in the region that seeks to understand how residents are experiencing key quality of life indicators across a wide range of topics: economic opportunity, wellbeing, safety, influence in our democracy, and general perceptions about livability in the region. Through VoicesDMV, The Community Foundation has committed to engaging our community every three years to help keep a finger on the pulse of the community by deeply and authentically listening to the voices, experiences, attitudes, and perceptions of people who are generally not heard from in philanthropy.

This year’s publication reveals that while the DMV is outpacing the growth of other northeast regions, and more than half of residents are thriving, many people still lack access to basic needs. Nearly one in five DMV residents say there were times in the past year when they didn’t have enough money to pay for healthcare or medicine or food for themselves or their family, while 11% say they were unable to provide adequate shelter. Black and Hispanic residents are more likely than other racial subgroups to report struggling to afford basic needs — including more than a third who say there were times in the previous year when they did not have enough money to buy food and more than a quarter who experienced not having enough money for healthcare or medicine.

“Economic precarity has been a consistent theme throughout Gallup’s and the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s research across pre- and post-pandemic measures, revealing inequalities that could persist or even expand if gone unaddressed as the DMV region continues to change,” said Camille Lloyd, Director of the Gallup Center on Black Voices. “These findings demonstrate the need for programs and services that help residents catch up and keep up financially, move up the economic ladder, and ultimately build wealth.”

Additionally, worries about being able to pay rent or a mortgage in the DMV have soared since 2020. The percentage of people who are “very” worried about not being able to pay their rent or mortgage has more than tripled – from 8% in 2020 to 27% in 2023. When asked which amenities are “good” or “excellent” in the region, across all geographies, the availability of affordable and accessible housing was ranked last. 

Results for the survey are based on a mail survey of adults living in Washington, DC, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Arlington County, Alexandria City, Fairfax City, and Falls Church City. Gallup mailed a total of 27,000 surveys, available in both English and Spanish, 2,832 of which were completed between May 5 and June 26, 2023. Previous iterations of the survey were completed in 2017 and 2020.

Along with the release of the new report, The Community Foundation will relaunch its Community Action Awards, a microgrant program for nonprofits, as well as the new VoicesDMV Fellowship, a leadership opportunity for residents. The full report and an online dashboard with further geographic and demographic breakdowns of the VoicesDMV survey data is available at VoicesDMV.org.

Partnership to End Homelessness Awards $375,000 in Grants Through Waldon Adams Housing Justice Fund

The Partnership to End Homelessness (The Partnership) is pleased to announce $375,000 in grants awarded to eight organizations and coalitions leading systems change efforts in DC through the Waldon Adams Housing Justice Fund. Selected nonprofits receive up to $50,000 in funding to support work to end homelessness and increase the supply of deeply affordable housing.

Named after a fearless advocate for those experiencing chronic homelessness in DC, the Waldon Adams Housing Justice grants are designed to invest in organizations making the greatest impact towards ending homelessness in DC.

Since the Partnership awarded our first grants to advance housing justice, together with tenants and people with lived experience, our community partners led efforts to secure:

• Over 4,o00 Permanent Supportive Housing vouchers to end homelessness for 3,106 individuals and 1,217 families;

• $794 million for the Housing Production Trust Fund to create affordable housing;

• $155 million to repair and preserve public housing;

• $129 million for emergency rental assistance to prevent evictions; and

• More just and equitable housing policies.

This fourth round of grant funding will support work to advance housing justice using multiple strategies, including public will building, narrative change, policy advocacy, and budget advocacy.

Learn more about previous Waldon Adams Housing Justice Grantees

Here’s what some of our grantees have shared about their work and their plans for the coming year:

Fair Budget Coalition

Partnership funding is helping us create and advocate for our FY25 budget priorities to increase safe, affordable housing for DC’s most marginalized residents. We are excited about new strategies we are implementing to build the power and voice of impacted community members in our work. We are creating more space for people with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity to draft budget recommendations, voice their concerns, and tell their stories. Currently, there is an unprecedented number of constituents leading and engaging in our issue groups, including the revenue and public deals issue group and the housing security issue group. This ensures that those who are closest to the challenges are leading us on what solutions need to be enacted.

ONE DC

Our goal for Homes for All DC is systems change through political education and leadership development. We proactively work with tenant associations to build their capacity to liberate their properties for collective ownership by residents, while simultaneously raising awareness and building tenant power. Partnership funding will allow us to continue to build and organize a united front of 10,000 to 15,000 renter households to push for the level of political change we need to secure control of housing for a significant portion of Washingtonians. We are disrupting paternalistic narratives and demonstrating that the very people most often displaced by gentrification, racist housing policies, and racialized capitalism are the same people who are effectively organizing their neighbors, asserting their rights, and collectively owning their buildings.

These grants were made possible thanks to generous partners and donors to the Partnership’s Grantmaking Fund.

2024 waldon adams HOUSING JUSTICE GRANTEES

• DC Jobs with Justice

• DC Fiscal Policy Institute

• Empower DC

• Fair Budget Coalition

• Miriam's Kitchen

• ONE DC: Organizing Neighborhood Equity

• People for Fairness Coalition

• The Washington Legal Clinic For The Homeless Inc.

Budgeting to End Homelessness in DC - A Letter to DC Mayor Bowser

Dear Mayor Bowser:

We are writing on behalf of the Greater Washington Community Foundation and its Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council to offer our recommendations on DC’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget. We urge you to prioritize ending chronic homelessness and making substantial investments in affordable housing and housing stability programs for DC households with extremely low-incomes (0-30 MFI).

Homelessness in DC increased about 12% from 2022 to 2023, the first time this has happened since 2016, when DC launched Homeward DC. This alarming news comes at a time when the District’s rate of investment in housing programs is declining. At the same time, rent continues to rise in DC making it harder for many people to afford to live in DC and evictions are also increasing.

As you know, the Partnership to End Homelessness is a collective effort of private sector business leaders, philanthropists, and national and local nonprofits working in alignment with the city’s comprehensive plan to ensure homelessness in DC is rare, brief, and non-recurring. The private sector and philanthropy play an important role in supporting and funding efforts to end homelessness, but the city’s success greatly depends on the leadership of the DC government to adequately fund and implement evidence-based solutions.

We understand that the city has financial challenges and that the District has many funding priorities to balance this year. However, we are deeply concerned that with the end of pandemic assistance programs, many DC residents are struggling economically and having trouble maintaining their housing. We urge you to prioritize the protection and expansion of programs that help residents obtain and maintain stable and affordable housing. Stable and affordable housing creates the conditions for healthy families and thriving communities, and helps DC advance its goals of achieving racial and economic equity for all its residents. We have the solutions to prevent and end homelessness, and under your leadership, the District has shown that it can make progress by putting resources behind these solutions. We urge you to  invest the necessary resources to continue making progress. 

Our FY 2025 budget recommendations align with the recommendations of our community advocacy partners.

Expand Permanent Supportive Housing to end chronic homelessness: We ask you to invest $36.6 million in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) to end chronic homelessness for 1,260 single adults. We urge you to provide $22.8 million for PSH for 580 families. 

Support Emergency Rental Assistance: Census Bureau Household Pulse data estimates that 31,000 renters with incomes under $50,000 are behind on their rent in January 2024, or one-third of all low-income renters. Rents continue to rise sharply, even in rent-controlled units. The significant need for emergency rental assistance has time and again been demonstrated by the high volume of requests submitted and the fact that funds are repeatedly depleted long before the end of the fiscal year. Demand for emergency rental assistance is so great that the available ERAP application slots each quarter were filled within hours of opening the portal. We urge you to fund DC’s ERAP program at a minimum of $100 million in FY 2025.

Preserve Public Housing, Expand Affordable Housing: We urge you to commit to preserving and creating deeply affordable housing for households earning 0-30 percent of the Median Family Income (MFI). We recommend:

• Maintaining the $60 million annual commitment to repairing public housing.

• $17.3 million for 800 Local Rent Supplement Tenant Vouchers, to assist those on the DC Housing Authority waitlist.

Expand non-congregate shelter for people experiencing homelessness: The District should take steps to transform its shelter system to make them smaller, safer, and trauma informed. Shifting away from large congregate shelters is essential to supporting the dignity of unhoused residents but also to help them. We support the call for two shelters, funded at $13.3 million.

Support street outreach: Given the increase in unsheltered homelessness over the past year, we call on the District to provide $6.4 million for homeless street outreach to fully restore and expand outreach capacity of the Coordinated Street Outreach Network. 

Support medical respite:  We ask you to support 150 medical respite beds, to offer the critical service of caring for the unhoused who need intensive medical support.

Support and Expand Project Reconnect: Project Reconnect is a successful and cost-effective shelter diversion and rapid-exit program for unaccompanied adults experiencing homelessness. By maintaining existing funding for the program at $1.2 million, and adding an additional $545,000, the program can add diversion specialists to reach more people and prevent homelessness at scale.  

Maintain funding for DC Flex: DC Flex gives a yearly stipend of $7,200 to use on rent in the case of an emergency or in a case where a participant is unable to make rent. We urge you to maintain its $1 million funding as we assess this promising approach. 

Maintain 24/7 shelter access: DC expanded access to shelters during the pandemic so that individuals could stay in and/or access the buildings around the clock. We urge you to continue this practice, which will require $8.4 million. 

Create a fund to cover PSH move-in expenses:  The District should create a fund to cover one-time move-in expenses for residents receiving a voucher. Assistance with transportation to find a unit, obtaining necessary documents, and IDs, plus help to purchase household items is critical to ensuring that a voucher can be used quickly.      

Address the critical need for affordable housing: DC will not end chronic homelessness until we address the critical need for affordable housing. We ask that you: 

• Increase the supply of Tenant Based Local Rent Supplement (LRSP) vouchers, including TAH.

• Ensure that the Housing Production Trust Fund meets the target of at least 50 percent of funding dedicated to producing housing for extremely low-income households (0-30% MFI). We urge you to fund an adequate number of LRSP vouchers to meet the important targeting requirement of the Trust Fund to produce deeply affordable housing.

• Ensure all produced affordable housing is accessible.

Housing stability is the foundation of thriving individuals, families and communities. Any long-term vision for a stronger DC must start with ending homelessness and addressing the high rates of housing instability. We must not let the District’s finances this year result in long-term harm to our neighbors with the least resources. Stable and affordable housing is the key to creating healthy communities, which in turn supports school success, reduces crime, and narrows DC’s racial income and wealth gaps.

Thank you again for your leadership and commitment to ending homelessness in our city. We urge you to continue to make progress in FY 2025 towards ending homelessness and increasing the supply of deeply affordable housing for extremely low income households.

Sincerely,

The Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council

Tonia Wellons, President & CEO

Greater Washington Community Foundation

“Say Their Name, Say Their Name” Advocates Call for Action at Annual Vigil For Those Who Have Died Without Housing

Days before Christmas, friends and advocates for DC’s homeless community gathered around an empty coffin at Luther Place Memorial Church for the 11th Annual Vigil honoring DC residents who died without housing in 2023.

The event is an annual holiday tradition that many say they have become weary -- and wary -- of celebrating, as the number of those who died without housing in DC continues to rise.

“Ninety people died without housing this year,” Rachelle Ellison, Assistant Director at the People for Fairness Coalition shared to an audience of about 60 people gathered at the church.

“Last year it was 77 – more than 17% increase.”
“It’s so sad that the number of deaths just keeps going up.”

A young Vigil attendee and his mother pay their respects to the 90 DC Residents who died without housing in DC.

With local forecasters predicting above average snowfall this winter, advocates fear that unless more action is taken, the trend will likely carry over into the New Year.

“So many of these people - we don’t see their names – but they are humans. They matter,” shared Reginald Black, lead organizer with the People for Fairness Coalition.

“I spent 10 years – 10 long years homeless.”

“Any one of those years, I could have been one of the names; one of the initials; one of the ages on this list.”

“We need to raise our voices that housing is a human right and that those whom this casket represents were denied that right,” Black added.

Black also pointed out the need to incorporate racial equity into policies to end homelessness. Of the 90 DC residents who died without housing this year, 80 percent of them were Black.

“We can and must do better.”

Following the service, the participants filed out onto 14th Street where they followed the empty coffin on a mile-long march towards Freedom Plaza.

For some in the procession, this was their first time at the annual Vigil – which has become something of a somber holiday tradition in the homeless community.

The White House looms in the background as housing advocates gather at Freedom Plaza

For those at the front of the procession; the pallbearers – especially those with ‘lived experience’ of homelessness, the experience marks a milestone of far too many cold sleepless nights and far too many friends needlessly lost.

“I’ve been doing this for three years now,” one pallbearer shared at an open mic gathering held at the end of the march. “It’s sad to keep seeing the same results. But I know it’s important to put our heart on the line and raise our voices.”

“We need to advocate, to be concerned, and to raise awareness– this is an issue that can be solved.”

Perhaps most concerning to housing advocates is the number of deaths that were nearly prevented. Close to 70% of those on the list had received a housing voucher but died before they could be housed – that’s up from more than 60% in 2022.

The list of those who died without housing in 2022 compared with the list from 2023

The harrowing statistic outlines what advocates say is one of the biggest existing gaps in a housing system where people too often fall through the cracks.

“It is disappointing how often this city gives up on people who are unhoused,” Council Member Janeese Lewis (Ward 4) shared at the vigil. “We shouldn’t ever give up on anyone.”

Council Member Lewis and her staff attended the vigil to honor the memory of one of their constituents, David Ashmore, a lifetime Ward 4 resident and close friend of Council Member Lewis. Mr. Ashmore experienced homelessness for 30 years before he passed away in July 2023.

DC Council Member Janeese Lewis (Ward 4) at the annual Vigil for those who died without housing in 2023.

Council Member Lewis shared that, like many people who experience homelessness, Mr. Ashmore had lost faith in the government and the housing system.

“We spent months visiting with him, building a relationship with him, before he trusted us enough to help him with the housing voucher process.”

Council Member Lewis explained that although housing advocates had tried to help Mr. Ashmore with the housing voucher application in the past, few had taken sufficient time to guide him through the paperwork.

“All he asked was to know what he was signing,” Council Member Lewis explained. “It took us three hours to go through the application with him – but three hours is worth the time for someone who’s been on the streets for 30 years.”

Even after receiving his voucher, Mr. Ashmore still faced an uphill battle, as he now needed to find an apartment that would meet his needs and accept his voucher. Council Member Lewis and her team were in the process of helping Mr. Ashmore visit apartments when he passed away in July.

“Mr. Ashmore had so many people behind him – he had a DC Council Member behind him -- yet he died on the streets,” Council Member Lewis shared. “Mr. Ashmore deserved better from our city.”

DC Council Member Robert White (At-Large) at the annual Vigil for those who died without housing in 2023.

Also in attendance was Council Member Robert White (At-Large), who thanked advocates, including the People for Fairness Coalition for their efforts to raise awareness of the need for further investment and systems change in homeless services.

“Because of you all, I know there are folks in this city who care,” Council Member White shared. “Thank you for continuing to remind us of the work that is truly important – the work that needs to be done.”

The Community Foundation’s Partnership to End Homelessness is proud to partner with advocates like the People for Fairness Coalition in our efforts to end homelessness in DC.

The Partnership to End Homelessness is a public-private partnership that convenes government agencies, funders, and advocates to create more supportive and deeply affordable housing and lead strategic and sustainable investment in the homeless services system.

For more information, visit  https://www.thecommunityfoundation.org/partnership-to-end-homelessness

Tackling Hunger and Homelessness in the Greater Washington Region

November 11-18 is National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week — a time to raise awareness of those in our community who lack the basic needs of food and shelter heading into the holiday months.

In recognition of those in our community who struggle with chronic homelessness and food insecurity, during the month of November, The Community Foundation is highlighting experiences from some of our partners working to increase access to affordable housing and nutritious food for our community.

• DC Central Kitchen

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  As the nation's first and leading community kitchen, DC Central Kitchen uses food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities. We prepare 11,000 nutritious meals a day for our community while creating living-wage jobs and enduring careers for our neighbors who have experienced food insecurity, homelessness, and incarceration via our acclaimed Culinary Job Training program.

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  We bring healthy, dignified food where it is most needed while employing 130 graduates of our Culinary Job Training program to lead and guide this work -- with industry leading benefits and living wages. Our graduates have overcome systemic barriers to employment and now are responsible for serving award-winning healthy school meals, empowering corner stores to become reliable sources of fresh, affordable produce, supporting local farmers, and training the next generation of culinary talent. We are most proud of this "leadership cycle" that takes on the root cause of hunger: poverty.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  As a social enterprise, we earn half of our budget by serving scratch-cooked school meals, wholesaling affordable produce to small corner stores, and operating three cafes city-wide, but philanthropy makes our innovative solutions to hunger and poverty possible. Grants through the GWCF have allowed us to increase our trauma-informed, comprehensive social services for culinary students, invest more resources in local farmers, open the nation's most ambitious community kitchen and urban food hub in Southwest DC, and provide millions of emergency meals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  Food alone will never end hunger. Hunger-fighting organizations cannot measure our progress in fighting food insecurity through the pounds of charitable food we distribute. Answers to hunger must also reflect our success in unleashing the power of food to improve health, create jobs, and build a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive food system.

• Sasha Bruce Youthwork

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  For nearly 50 years, Sasha Bruce Youthwork has been providing services to an often-overlooked population experiencing homelessness in the Greater Washington region - young people who are on their own. Our goal is to prevent chronic homelessness by addressing the factors that lead to homelessness before they become entrenched. Our 25 programs provide direct and preventive services for more than 5,000 young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Washington, DC, and Prince George's County.

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  The most meaningful aspect of our work in the Greater Washington region is the historic and ongoing impact Sasha Bruce Youthwork has on calling attention to the plight of young people experiencing homelessness. We are incredibly proud of our services tailored to the needs of young people ages 18 to 24. While legally adults, these young people are still very much in transition.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  The Community Foundation of Greater Washington has been an invaluable partner throughout history, helping achieve our mission. The Foundation administers giving for some of our top individual donors and foundation funds. Ongoing grants through The Community Foundation’s fundholders provide critical support for our Barracks Row Drop-In Center. Regular visits to a Drop-In Center are frequently the first step for a homeless or unstably housed young person to move toward family reunification or stable and supportive housing. This support ensures that we can fully staff our Center and provide all the resources needed to help vulnerable youth. The Community Foundation’s Fund for Children, Youth, and Families has also been instrumental over the last few years at Promise Place, our emergency youth shelter in Prince George’s County allowing us to hire a case manager, an essential position for helping homeless youth achieve self-sufficiency.

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  We wish for greater awareness of youth experiencing homelessness in our region. Homeless young people often manage to stay below the radar for a long time. They move between friends’ and relatives’ homes and sometimes stay in abandoned buildings. It can be difficult for them to admit they need help and to seek assistance. They are often homeless because the adults in their lives have mistreated them. Greater awareness of these youth and an understanding that they may need a lot of support to even admit they are homeless is critical. The more visibility organizations like Sasha Bruce Youthwork have, the more people will know about the needs of youth experiencing homelessness and the services available to them.

• Miriam's Kitchen

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  Miriam's Kitchen is dedicated to helping DC reach its goal of ending all chronic homelessness. We are thrilled with the impact of collective advocacy we help lead through The Way Home Campaign. Together 110+ agencies and 7,000 individual supporters have helped bring about important systems changes and increased city investment in proven best practices like Housing First/Permanent Supportive Housing.

  Aside from system level work, Miriam's Kitchen operates four programs that together provide a variety of direct services. Every weekday morning and evening our chefs serve a made-from-scratch meal--about 83,000 meals over the last year. Our Street Outreach program covers half of DC's geographic area to connect people living on the street or in shelters to essential services they. Our Permanent Supportive Housing program supports 320 people who used to live without the security of a home, but now have apartments. Our Social Services team staffs a drop-in center open every weekday morning and afternoon to connect clients (we call them guests) to medical care, mental health support, housing assistance and the income help they need to reach their goals.

  At the core of our work is our guests who have a seat at the decision-making table. They are equal partners in our strategic planning, serve in important advisory roles, fill paid positions as an Advocacy Fellow, speak alongside staff members at local, regional and national conferences, and help guide The Way Home Campaign from seats on the Steering Committee.

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  We are proud of the high-quality services we provide AND that we were open every weekday during the pandemic except one (Inauguration Day) during which we had to close to protect our guests from threats posted on the Internet.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  Funding from the Partnership to End Homelessness has helped us make great strides in advocacy and systems change. Together we have 1) pushed forward unprecedented investments in Permanent Supportive Housing, 2) taken initial steps on changing the narrative around homelessness 3) increased local investment and help expand Medicaid funding which will reduce the cost of Permanent Supportive Housing by about 20%, 4) achieved system improvements to address some of the hurdles in implementing the voucher investments and 5) helped win approval for a much-needed non-congregate shelter in Ward 2 against strong opposition.

  With support from the Community Foundation (and from other important private investors) we have been able to field a four-person Advocacy team (building to five this year) to lead collective advocacy through The Way Home Campaign. We will broaden our work in 2023 to address some of the root causes of homelessness and continue the important narrative change.

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  Homelessness is not caused by addiction, mental illness, or lack of family support. Those are risk factors that make it harder for some people to work their way out of homelessness, but they are not causes. Housing is too expensive and even people working full time jobs often can't afford to live here because of rapidly rising rents and increased cost of living. Structural reasons like systemic inequality and discrimination are some of the root causes of homelessness.

• Hope and a Home

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  Hope and a Home’s mission is to empower low-income families with children in D.C. to create stable homes of their own and to make lasting changes in their lives. Our mandate is to break the cycle of poverty for qualified families through the programs and services we offer.

  Recognizing the extremely negative impact on the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities that result from homelessness, Hope and a Home’s programs implement the best practices of a housing-first model coupled with proven, multi-generational programs to confront the root causes of homelessness. Hope and a Home’s 19 transitional housing units in Washington, DC are rented to homeless and extremely low-income families with children at subsidized rates while families participate in Hope and a Home’s robust, multi-phased program, consisting of Phase I: Transitional Housing, Phase II: Independent Housing, the Grace Dickerson Higher Education Program (GDHE), and the Mary Jo Schumacher Nutrition Security Program.

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  The most meaningful part of the work Hope and Home provides is seeing the growth of the parents and families Hope and Home works with. Our two-generation approach focuses on meeting the needs of both children and parents, providing parents access to quality education and financial literacy opportunities while also supporting children's development and educational needs. Families that come to Hope and a Home with little hope, leave the housing program after three years of intensive support thriving mentally, physically, and economically – not only because of the support Hope and Home provides but also through the hard and diligent work that parents and children engage in to build strong foundations for success. They also have the confidence that, when hard times inevitably come, they remain connected to the education, nutrition, and other supportive programming that Hope and a Home provides for as long as necessary. Hope and a Home is proud of its dedicated staff, who remain a constant source of support for each adult and child throughout their academic journey and is proud of the work that these families do to build new pathways to a permanent exit from homelessness.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  Hope and a Home is grateful for the funding partners who make possible our work supporting low-income families with children in Washington, DC to create stable homes of their own and to make lasting changes in their lives. Support from Hope and Home’s partners ensures that Hope and Home can remain committed to operating the two-generation model that works to address the systemic causes of poverty and homelessness for families living in Washington DC. Becuase Hope and a Home provides services to families even after they have transitioned out of Hope and Home’s transitional housing, funds from our partners have been critical in ensuring that Hope and a Home can support families if they return for additional supportive services.

  Importantly, support from Hope and a Home’s partners has afforded Hope and a Home the ability to remain responsive to the needs of families experiencing homelessness which continues to be a critical element in Hope and a Home’s ability to support families as they build the foundation to transition from transitional to market-rate housing. In FY2023, Hope and a Home focused efforts on supporting families as they continued to be disproportionately impacted by post-pandemic pressures and increasing inflation. Even as emergency pandemic support has abated, Hope and a Home has been able to increase support for the Mary Jo Schumacher Nutrition Security Program to ensure families continue to receive nutritional, fresh foods.

  Hope and a Home has also been able to continue working to support our students who are recovering academically from the pandemic-mandated school closures and subsequent changes in school routines.

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  We wish more people, organizations, and stakeholders understood the multi-dimensional, multi-layered, and multi-generational challenges that families experiencing homelessness in the greater Washington area are met with. We also wish more people understood the opportunity that we have to strengthen our community, as we invest in the long-term well-being and success of these families.

  Research shows that getting people housed saves tax-payer dollars; improves education outcomes for young people, increases the likelihood that they will not experience homelessness in adulthood to mitigate further costs of homelessness; and reduces the cost and pressures on healthcare systems, among others.

  Investment is more than getting people housed. Investment means supporting individuals and families to develop the skills and foundation necessary to maintain economic stability and improved well-being. By investing in families and individuals experiencing homelessness, we can ensure that all people can experience the stability necessary for overall well-being and contribute to developing stronger communities.

• People for Fairness Coalition

  1) Briefly describe the mission of your organization and the services you provide to help those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region.

  Our Mission is to end housing instability with outreach Peer Mentoring and Advocacy by advocating on behalf of those who haven't found their voice yet. Speaking before Dc Council. Leading a women's initiative of women with lived experience although challenging it has been rewarding

  2) What do you find most meaningful about the work that you do for those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region? What are you most proud of?

  Being their voice and doing what we can to change the stigma around mental health and homelessness so society at large will see the unhoused population as human beings with a back story and helping those who engage with documents and resources to get housing.

  3) As a nonprofit partner, tell us about how funding that you’ve received that has helped you achieve this?

  The Rhonda Whitaker Streets to life DC Women's Initiative was birthed through the Waldons Adams Justice Grant bringing about racial equity and allowing unhoused women to have a seat at the table with real time info to become their own best advocates

  4) What do you wish that more people understood about those struggling with chronic homelessness or food insecurity in the Greater Washington region?

  That people who struggle with chronic homelessness are human and have a back story and just need someone to believe in them and treat them with dignity and respect so.they can see themselves in a different light thanks to the support of consistent people in their lives.

Partnership to End Homelessness Continues to Invest in Systemic Change for Service Providers

In 2022, DC launched a new Medicaid benefit that can pay for permanent supportive housing (PSH) services for people experiencing homelessness – a major shift that allowed the city to leverage an estimated $20+ million in new, annual federal resources through Medicaid.

Since the launch, the Partnership has been working to help nonprofit providers take advantage of the opportunity and make the transition to billing the new Medicaid Benefit for permanent supportive housing (PSH) services for people experiencing homelessness.

Shortly after the change was announced, the Partnership provided an initial grant to provide technical assistance for twenty-six PSH providers through The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), a national leader in supportive housing. Providers were enrolled in CSH’s Supportive Housing Medicaid Academy, a six-week training series where they learned how to enroll clients, how to supervise, budget, and bill under the Medicaid model and how to comply with Medicaid regulations – filling a critical knowledge gap for many providers.

However, as the Medicaid Academy came to a close, it became clear that some providers needed more human resources, accounting, evaluation, and compliance capacity to meet Medicaid requirements.

The Partnership responded quickly to meet the needs of these providers. The Partnership provided $200,000 in additional Readiness Grants, administered by CSH, to seventeen of the PSH providers. Each readiness grant included a technology stipend of $5,000 for PSH providers who were implementing electronic medical record software to comply with Medicaid requirements. It also included support for increased overhead costs associated with the Medicaid transition, such as staff training, additional back office administrative support, and hiring and retention incentives.

The investments are already paying off. Since the launch of the new Medicaid Benefit in DC, providers have been reimbursed a total of $22 million for delivering housing supportive services to over 4,500 Medicaid beneficiaries.

“Partnership funding helped us get our infrastructure and initial staffing in place so we could hit the ground running and start serving people experiencing homelessness as soon as the city assigned them to our caseload,” Chapman Todd, Principal at Jaydot shared. Jaydot is one of DC’s newest PSH providers, and a Readiness Grant recipient.

“Thanks to their support, we are now serving 70 households.” 

“By reducing some of this financial burden, the Partnership has allowed us to focus on supporting and stabilizing our most vulnerable clients in housing,” added Brendan Haley, Director of Single Adult Programs at Everyone Home DC. “They helped to supplement the difference between our income and expenses while we transitioned our clients into housing – which helped us to grow and take on more clients.”

New PSH providers weren’t the only ones who benefited from the additional support. Long-time PSH providers also shared how the Partnership funding proved transformational to the way they operate.

“This grant has been critical to our ability to ramp up,” shared Corey Mendez, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Housing Up. “In addition to incurring hard costs for things like new billing software, we’ve incurred new costs given the need for increased staff time to manage the complex Medicaid billing process. Funding from the Partnership was essential to helping us make the transition to Medicaid.”

Cornelia Kent, Friendship Place’s Vice President of Administration and CFO, agreed. “The Partnership grant helped offset costs for our new Credible billing software system – a tool that allows us to bill both Medicaid and DC’s Department of Human Services accurately and efficiently, for around 400 participants each month.”

The Partnership is continuing to engage PSH providers and monitor the progress of the Medicaid implementation to identify additional systems investment opportunities. Ultimately, the Partnership hopes that these investments will not only continue to leverage millions of dollars in new federal resources but, most importantly, position providers to provide high-quality services and support to people experiencing homelessness in DC.

To learn more about earlier stages of this project, check out our previous blog posts Investing In the Future of Homeless Services: How Medicaid Is Driving Systemic Change In DC’s Fight to End Homelessness and  Investing in Nonprofit Capacity to Leverage Federal Funds to End Homelessness.

Partnership to End Homelessness Celebrates Four Years of Impact

On October 11th, friends and supporters of the Partnership to End Homelessness gathered at the Festival Center in Northwest DC to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Partnership to End Homelessness and discuss the progress in the city’s fight to end homelessness.

“We believe that ending homelessness in DC is possible. And it will take all of us working together to accomplish it,” Jennifer Olney, Senior Community Investment Officer with the Partnership to End Homelessness shared. “We have made progress, but we know we have more work to do.”

Since its launch, the Partnership has leveraged and aligned over $18 million in private sector resources. At the same time, advocacy efforts have resulted in over 4,000 permanent supportive housing vouchers to end homelessness for 3,106 individuals and 1,217 families.

The event focused on the Partnership and our community’s collective progress in the work to end homelessness and featured remarks from Theresa Silla, Executive Director of the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness, key philanthropic partners such as Allison McWilliams, Executive Director of the Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation, and a panel of nonprofit leaders and advocates with lived experience of chronic homelessness.

Christy Respress, President of Pathways to Housing DC, has worked with individuals experiencing chronic homelessness since the ‘90s and has long been a champion of the “Housing First” approach adopted by the DC Government – a model that prioritizes permanent housing for individuals and families, which creates a platform for pursuing other goals.

“Housing First is a proven model,” Respress explained. “We know it works. Now we just need to get the resources and hold ourselves accountable to get things done.”

“We know we can end homelessness because we have made so much progress reaching families experiencing homelessness,” Silla shared. “What we need now is to apply that same thinking to our single adult population – and our unaccompanied youth – and invest in new resources to meet their specific needs.”

Attendees also heard from Rachelle Ellison, Assistant Director, and Robert Warren, Director, at the People for Fairness Coalition.

Rachelle Ellison (Assistant Director) and Robert Warren (Director) at the People for Fairness Coalition

 “I was homeless for 17 years before the Housing First initiative model helped me,” Ellison shared.

“Once you have that housing, you have the foundation – you can do anything you want to do.”

Ellison and Warren pointed out that while housing is by far the most critical (and costly) need, there are a host of other supports needed that help people stay in housing, such as access to healthcare and addiction recovery treatment, and access to case workers and service providers. Strengthening case management and service provider capacity has been a key focus for the Partnership for the past two years. Part of this work included helping permanent supportive housing (PSH) providers access new Medicaid funding that increases our community’s resources to invest in critical supportive services.

They also shared the importance in leading with lived experience and giving advocates who have previously or are currently experiencing homelessness a seat at the table with funders and government partners so they can better advocate for themselves and the needs of their community.

“We are so grateful for private sector funding that has given Rachelle and I a chance to advocate for change,” Warren shared. “Now we need your continued support so more can join us.”

“I know you see Rachelle and I sitting here; my hope is that you can see every unhoused member of the Washington DC community as well.”

DSC_0348.jpg

Partners then heard from Jim Knight, CEO of Jubilee Housing, a partner in the Partnership to End Homelessness’ impact investment efforts to build and preserve affordable housing for extremely low-income households.

“A vast percentage of people in our city are paying more in rent than they can afford,” Knight shared. “Investing in affordable housing allows us to alleviate that pressure so they can better provide for their future and their children’s future.”

“The impact of these investments can live on for generations.”

Thanks to partnerships with Jubilee Housing and Enterprise Community Loan Fund, the Partnership has helped create and maintain over 500 new homes affordable to extremely low-income households. Many of those are reserved for populations with specific needs such as seniors or returning citizens.

Martin Mellett, VP of External Affairs at Jubilee Housing leads a walking tour of Columbia Heights, including several service providers and affordable housing projects under development.

Following the panel discussion, attendees joined a walking tour around the neighborhood, which included stops at several affordable housing projects under development. Along the way, participants visited sites of multiple service providers including Mary’s Center, Columbia Road Health Services, Christ House, and the Sitar Arts Center – all within short walking distance of the homes. The hope is that the proximity, combined with new partnerships, will help residents gain access to all the resources they need to succeed.

“This Partnership is truly a partnership,” Olney shared at the event. “Nothing that we do would be possible without all of you working together with us. We thank you for your contributing your time, your expertise, and continued investment towards our shared vision to end homelessness in our city. Together we can build a community where everyone thrives.”

To learn more or to make a contribution to the Partnership to End Homelessness, visit our website where you can also learn more about Impact Investing and see our 2023 Impact Report!

For more information about how you can be involved in the Partnership to End Homelessness, contact Jennifer Olney at jolney@thecommunityfoundation.org

Bringing it All Home: How DC Can Become the First Major City to End Chronic Homelessness

Last month, The Partnership to End Homelessness hosted a special donor webinar to discuss a landmark report on chronic homelessness in DC.

The report by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI), “Bringing it All Home: How DC Can Become the 1st Major City to End Chronic Homelessness and Provide Higher-Quality Services” outlines a series of recommendations to DC policymakers and funders. The report also answers the ongoing question about the cost of ending chronic homelessness.

“The mission to end homelessness and create safe and affordable housing in our nation's capital for extremely low-income households has never been more important -- or more achievable,” shared The Community Foundation’s President and CEO Tonia Wellons. The Partnership to End Homelessness partnered with The William S. Abell Foundation to co-fund the report.

“[Ending chronic homelessness] is not only a moral imperative; it’s also a matter of racial justice,” DCFPI Executive Director Erica Williams shared. “Nearly 83% of individuals experiencing homelessness in the District are Black – even though Black residents make up just 44% of the District’s population and 73% of those living below the poverty line. Historic and current day racism are what got us to this result.” 

The recommendations come after DCFPI hosted a series of focus groups with experts, including case managers and individuals with lived-in experience with the Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) system. DCFPI also conducted a thorough analysis of DC homelessness data, including the annual Point in Time surveys.

DCFPI outlines Chronic Homelessness Funding into three primary categories: Tenant Vouchers & Services, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) or Site-Based Funding, and Stipend Incentives for Providers and Case Managers. Of the three, PSH represents the biggest need for investment.

DCFPI outlines some of the average expenses in each category.

In addition to the budgetary recommendations, the report also outlined a series of five systemic changes where public and private funding is needed. These recommendations include speeding up the PSH leasing process, strengthening case management, improving and clarifying the rules of site-based PSH, addressing behavioral health needs, preventing homelessness, and better meeting the needs of the aging population.

When asked about some of the biggest challenges, Kate Coventry, DCFPI’s Deputy Director of Legislative Strategy who authored the report, pointed to inefficiencies in the PSH system and the alarming increase in the number of seniors experiencing homelessness.

Of 1,924 PSH vouchers made available in FY22, only 427 – just 22 percent -- were used to house individuals. The delays in implementing vouchers – which originate from a number of factors, including unwieldy application requirements and case manager shortages - can sometimes prove fatal; especially for seniors experiencing homelessness. Seniors account for nearly 40 percent of the region’s single adult homeless population.

Point-in-Time Counts for the Greater Washington Region by age demographic (Credit: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments)

“We need to figure out why older people are experiencing homelessness more – and how we can better serve them within the PSH system,” Coventry explained. “Our shelter system is not designed to meet the safety and needs of older people. That’s why we need to prioritize getting them into stable, affordable housing.”

“Homelessness is not a lake; it’s a river,” Coventry added. “People are becoming homeless and exiting homelessness all the time – as providers, our objective is to keep people moving along their housing journey, while at the same time advocating to address the challenges that brought them here in the first place.”

Coventry was joined on the webinar by Rachelle Ellison, a Senior Mentor Advisor with the People for Fairness Coalition who participated in a focus group behind the report. When asked how philanthropy should get involved, Ellison emphasized the need to continue to fund service providers and advocacy efforts -especially those that are led by people with lived experience.

“What we need are more passionate people doing this work,” added Rachelle Ellison, Senior Mentor Advisor with the People for Fairness Coalition. “We need more case managers – and we need to re-examine the requirements to become a case manager so that more people with lived experience can become involved in the work.”

“The Partnership to End Homelessness recognizes the importance of building the capacity of the PSH system and of our PSH providers,” said Silvana Straw, Senior Community Investment Officer and Philanthropic Advisor with The Partnership to End Homelessness. “Together with our donors and investors, we continue to invest in the construction of more PSH housing units, and in the capacity of PSH providers to bill Medicaid and leverage ongoing federal funding.”

“The Partnership to End Homelessness is also committed to funding our advocacy partners who are leading this work around policy and practice change,” Jennifer Olney, Senior Community Investment Officer with the Partnership to End Homelessness added. “Without the public funding that they continue to fight for, much of this work would not be possible.”

“We look forward to continuing our investment in the capacity of PSH providers and building a more just, equitable system. Together, we look forward to helping DC become the first major city to end chronic homelessness.”  

For more information on how you can get involved, contact Jennifer Olney at jolney@thecommunityfoundation.org or Silvana Straw at sstraw@thecommunityfoundation.org or visit our website to learn more about The Partnership to End Homelessness.

Statement on Proposed FY2024 DC Budget

As a foundation committed to ending homelessness and increasing deeply affordable housing - and to leveraging private sector investment for these purposes - we are deeply troubled that the proposed FY2024 DC budget represents a major step backwards in our collective effort to address homelessness and housing instability, after years of laudable progress. By cutting programs that prevent homelessness and by failing to expand housing opportunities for people experiencing homelessness, the proposed budget would likely lead to a major increase in evictions, a growing number of residents living in unsafe or unhealthy conditions, an increase in homelessness, and wider racial and economic inequity in DC.

Despite some signs of economic progress, the reality for most DC residents with low incomes, nearly all of whom are Black or Brown, is much starker. Rents are rising sharply, even in rent-controlled units, while high food prices are increasing hunger and food insecurity. The phase out of federal pandemic aid has led to cuts in SNAP benefits and a risk that many will lose Medicaid coverage. It is no wonder that nearly 40,000 DC renter households pay more than half their income for housing or that emergency rental assistance funds (ERAP) ran out less than half-way into the year. People are having to make difficult choices between paying for rent, food, or prescriptions.

This is no time to cut programs vital to ending homelessness and increasing housing stability. Yet, the proposed FY 2024 budget would cut ERAP by more than 80 percent and cut the Project Reconnect homelessness prevention program in half. It would provide no funds to expand permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, stopping progress that has been made every year since 2014.

We urge the DC Council to reverse deep budget cuts in critical housing and homelessness programs, and to use the budget to make continued momentum toward ensuring everyone in DC has housing they can afford.