A Home for the Holidays
For more than 50 years, Everyone Home DC has proudly partnered with families, individuals, caring neighbors, government officials, and fellow advocates to end homelessness. We are a transformative, results-driven nonprofit organization whose homelessness prevention, housing programs, street outreach, drop-in day center, and supportive services have served as the foundation for thousands of individuals and families to secure stable homes and build thriving lives.
Our work is vital, as fewer and fewer families can afford a roof over their heads – over one in five renting families in America spends over half of their income on housing, and at least one in four dedicates over 70% to paying rent and keeping the lights on. The Economist found that Washington, DC is the fourth most expensive city in North America, tied with San Francisco. The rising housing prices and a shortage of affordable housing have led to a housing crisis in the city, and more people experience being unhoused.
The year-end holidays are the perfect time for families and friends to come together to celebrate, create memories, eat delicious food, and relax. They can also be a time of extreme anxiety and stress, especially for people without a safe and comfortable place to call home. In the spirit of the season, please make a personally meaningful year-end gift today to ensure all families living in our city have access to services and programs that connect them with supportive networks and make positive gains in their lives.
Thanks to your support this year, we have made life more stable, secure, and full of possibilities for families on the margins, with few other places to turn. We want to highlight Evelyn and Claudia, whose families are a couple of the many in our family housing and prevention programs who are celebrating this year’s holidays in a new place they are proud to call home.
Evelyn is a single mother in Everyone Home DC’s Permanent Supportive Housing program. She lived in an apartment that, over time, had many maintenance issues, pest infestations, and increased criminal activity. Working with the landlord to make the appropriate repairs and eliminate pests became increasingly difficult. The deplorable housing conditions led to her experiencing several severe mental health episodes. Evelyn was desperate to find a new home in a safer neighborhood that was void of pests and in good working order. Finding a new apartment was extremely challenging, and covering the move-in fees to relocate felt impossible. This fall, Evelyn learned her family was approved to move into a beautiful complex in a neighborhood she was excited to live in. Thanks to your support, Everyone Home DC was able to cover the move-in fees, and now Evelyn is looking forward to celebrating the holidays in her new apartment, which is the sanctuary she needs and deserves.
“I feel so much peace in my new home. Every morning I wake up to the most beautiful sunlight coming through my windows. I am happy to be here and cannot wait to share my home with others this holiday season,” Evelyn shared.
At Everyone Home DC, we know housing is the solution to ending homelessness. We also know that a lot of the hard work continues once a family is connected to a safe and stable home. For some, that hard work looks like finding a stable career or enrolling in an education program. For others, it may mean identifying parenting supports and affordable, high-quality child care; securing reliable and affordable transportation; reconnecting with family or other supportive communities; or addressing long-standing physical and mental health needs. And we know housing gives people a safe place to start doing those things. It is your gift this holiday season to Everyone Home DC that ensures all families in our city have access to services and programs that meet each person where they are and support them with reaching their personalized goals.
Claudia was referred to Everyone Home DC’s Family Homelessness Prevention Program this year. She is a mother of three young children and an undocumented non-US citizen who speaks limited English. She had an urgent need to find housing after losing the apartment she shared with her siblings. Working alongside our Spanish-speaking case manager, they began actively looking for housing that her family could afford, and our case manager reached out to landlords on Claudia’s behalf since her English was limited. Claudia’s prevention case manager worked with her to identify new sources of income through support from the children’s father and financial assistance and support services through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. With Everyone Home DC’s assistance, Claudia was able to secure a home that she feels confident she will be able to afford long-term. Everyone Home DC provided rental assistance to alleviate the early financial hardship that comes with moving into a new home. Once Claudia and her family were settled and accessing support from the TANF program, she could also increase her work hours to help ensure housing stability.
“I am so grateful to have a place for my family that is all ours. That we call home. I know this holiday season will be one of our most memorable yet!” Claudia recently shared with great emotion.
You are a part of each of these stories, and your holiday investment helps Everyone Home DC provide essential services and housing solutions for people in our city. With your gift today, Everyone Home DC will be here well beyond the holiday season, working with our community to put the needs of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness at the center of a just recovery from the pandemic. As we watch our city rebuild and heal, we are grateful for your commitment to a future inclusive of all our neighbors, especially those in extremely vulnerable situations. We cannot do this work without YOU. Thank you in advance for your support!
