The release of Solid Foundations DC and our latest Youth Homelessness Issue Brief

On Monday of this week, we joined community partners at the Hill Center for the release of Solid Foundations DC, a Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Homelessness in the Distrcit by 2022.

We were thrilled to help provide logistics support for this joint event, presented by the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region and the District Interagency Council on Homelessness. The event was kicked off by remarks from Bruce McNamer, President and CEO of the Community Foundation, and HyeSook Chung, the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services.

Kristy Greenwalt, Director of the District ICH, then walked us through highlights from the plan, from the research that informed it to the strategies developed to execute it. She reiterated that this plan was the culmination of an inter sector collaborative effort and data-driven priorities.

Director Greenwalt's presentation was followed by a panel with Maggie Riden, DCAYA's Executive Director, moderating. The panel included both youth served by and providers working at the Department of Human Services, Casa Ruby, HIPS DC, the Latin American Youth Center, and Sasha Bruce Youthworks.

The event was well attended with many individuals across various sectors who are all invested in ending youth homelessness in the District. And we look forward to supporting the work of the plan, by doing what we do best and ensuring that legislation, policy, and funding over the next 5 years keeps our youth a priority, particularly those experiecning homelesness, in adequately and appropriately implementing this plan.

Today at noon, Council held a joint Public Oversight Roundtable on Solid Foundations DC. Today, we've also released our latest Youth Homelessness Issue Brief. We hope you check it out and share it, and continue to join us in making sure youth homelesness is a rare occurence by 2022.

#DCFY18 Budget Advocacy: Up to $5.7 million Toward Ending Youth Homelessness

Throughout budget season, we’ll be sharing talking points around the #DCFY18 Budget as it relates to our asks of Council and the Mayor for DCAYA’s key issue areas, which have included spotlights on Expanded Learning and Disconnected Youth. We conclude this week with Youth Homelessness.

THE ASK: Up to $3.3 million in additional funding to fully fund Year 1 of the Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Homelessness

The DC Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) approved the Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Homelessness in December 2016, and the plan includes a five-year projection for scaling services to youth experiencing homelessness. The plan proposes expanding existing services (transitional housing, crisis beds, PSH) as well as bringing new services for youth online (youth rapid re-housing, aftercare) in the first year, the cost of which we estimate to be $5.7 million.

Funding in the mayor's proposed budget for FY18 falls short of that mark, at just $2.4 million, meaning we'll need to work through Council to get to the investment we know is needed if we are serious about ensuring that by the end of 2022, homelessness among people age 24 is a rare, brief and non-recurring experience.

NOW: What are the needed program enhancements and what can be accomplished in the next year?

• Aftercare and Prevention Services: We presently do not have an aftercare support system in place for youth who have experienced homelessness, meaning that a key service for preventing returns to homelessness is not being met. While the Plan calls for an upfront and full-scale investment to fund more than 60 aftercare slots in its first year, the budget as proposed only funds 20 of these slots.
• Youth Shelter Beds: While it is understood that a bed in a shelter setting is not an acceptable replacement for a home, the annual census of youth experiencing homelessness reveals a present and persistent need for more safe and low-barrier access to beds for young people in crisis. The Plan calls for increasing our present capacity by 32 beds in its first year and then adding steadily and as needed in future years, but the budget as proposed funds just 20 additional beds.
• Transitional Housing: Transitional living programs remain a vital intervention in the current system, and those that serve youth in a developmentally appropriate and culturally competent setting are all the more important given the need. They offer a more structured placement than shelter beds, and the Plan calls for 15 new units in its first year with a steady increase in future years to reach full scale by year five; the budget as proposed funds 10 additional units.
• Permanent Supportive Housing: There are relatively few PSH units set aside for youth in the current system, and as we scale up other housing intervention programs for youth, it is important that PSH keeps pace to ensure that young people in those programs who are found to need ongoing case management and mental health supports have a place to go. The Plan calls for 16 new units in its first year; the budget as proposed funds 10 additional units.
• Rapid Re-Housing for Youth: Beginning in FY18, DC will bring online a rent-subsidized housing program specifically for youth. While this is an exciting development, and the Plan calls for an ambitious scale in its first and future years, we also recognize that Youth Rapid Re-Housing programs are an option among a diverse array of programs in the District which will need to grow and evolve with our young people. With that in mind, we see the 20 units as proposed in the budget as a good start, and would encourage DHS to pursue efficiency and frequent program evaluation to maximize the impact of funding allotted for this program in its initial year.

Current performance indicates that DHS is poised to work with youth providers to meet the objectives of Year 1 of the Plan by deploying the funds for launching and enhancing the above programs.

For the current fiscal year, $2.3 million in new investments were committed in the FY17 budget to serve more youth experiencing homelessness. With those funds, DHS has to date:

• Funded a new LGBTQ transitional housing site-based program at SMYAL (8 beds)
• Funded a new LGBTQ transitional housing apartment-based program at the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) (6 beds)
• Extended low-barrier crisis beds at Casa Ruby beyond hypothermia season through the end of this fiscal year (14 beds)
• Supported additional staff at youth drop-in centers at Sasha Bruce Youthwork and LAYC
• Increased youth street outreach support at Friendship Place
• Set up a 6-person youth homelessness prevention team at DHS

HOW: Help advocate for funding toward ending youth homelessness in the #DCFY18 Budget

• Please sign up to testify at the Budget Hearing for the Department of Human Services on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at 10 am in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building at 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
• To sign up to testify, you can email humanservices@dccouncil.us, or call the Committee on Human Services at 202-724-8170.

NEXT: Please sign up for updates from DCAYA to stay informed about our budget advocacy and our upcoming Youth Advocacy Day on May 11!

And in case you missed it, check out our Actions for Budget Advocacy - Week 3 email.

Leading the Way in Youth Workforce Development!

Last week, DCAYA and our partners at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) celebrated the graduation of fourteen local professionals from our Youth Workforce Leaders Academy (YWLA). The Academy has run for two years now, and was developed with the support of the Community Foundation’s Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative where the Foundation and a dozen other philanthropic partners are co-investing in programs throughout the Washington region that focus on building local residents’ literacy and workforce skills to support their movement toward greater economic security. Also central to the success of the Academy, YWLA session topic areas and materials were based on the IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth’s (NCWD/Youth) Youth Service Professionals’ Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities professional development initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.

A year-long learning community, YWLA enables DC youth workforce development providers from the nonprofit and government sectors to further their skills, and bolster their organizations with deeper knowledge and resources. Over 10 monthly sessions, the Academy explored the following tenets of high-quality youth workforce development programming: Youth Rights & Policies, Youth Development & Youth Voice, Program Design and Delivery, Career Exploration, Workforce Preparation, Assessment & Individualized Planning, Employer Engagement, Collaboration & Partnership, and Engaging Families. 

Testimony Highlights from Performance Hearings

With DC Council Budget Hearings just over a week away, we thought we'd recap and share some highlights from testimony that member organizations have provided during Performance Oversight Hearings at the Wilson Building.

Here's an excerpt from Bethany Henderson's testimony, the Executive Director of DC SCORES, provided at the performance oversight hearing for DC Public Schools:

Research shows that increased academic achievement won’t be reached simply through more instructional time. With income gaps widening, free enrichment opportunities like the ones we offer are increasingly essential to helping DC’s at-risk children achieve successful school outcomes.  Unfortunately, the need in DC is great.  Thousands of low-income children currently have no access to expanded learning programs. Indeed, over the past year our own waiting list has swelled to 16 schools.  This represents a serious opportunity gap that threatens negative long-term consequences for these children and our city. 

DC SCORES and DCPS share the same goal: that low-income DCPS students succeed in school and in life.  Community partners like DC SCORES can and do play a powerful role in realizing that goal.  Not only do we provide programming, but we bring significant private funds to the table.  For every dollar of local government funding we receive (very little of which comes from DCPS), we raise and deploy more than two dollars of private money.  This year alone we are bringing well over $1 million in private resources to bear on student outcomes.  Continued and expanded collaboration, coordination, and data-sharing between DCPS and expanded learning providers will only enhance student outcomes. 

Here is part of Frank Cervarich's testimony which he provided for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities' performance oversight hearing, as Deputy Director for Young Playwrights' Theater:

In the past twenty years, YPT has engaged over 12,000 students in our artistic process by integrating free playwriting programming into local schools, and reached over 85,000 audience members with free, professional productions of our students' plays. We integrate our programming directly into local public schools, leading every student to write their own play and bringing professional actors into
the classroom to perform their work.  

We work to not only improve student literacy, but to inspire our region’s underrepresented young people to realize the power and value of their voices and stories. Our impact is deep and enduring. Students tell us their experience with YPT inspired them to attend college, often as first-generation applicants, and pursue careers paths from the arts to education to neuroscience.We began in 1995 serving 20 students in one classroom. Today we serve over 1,500 students in all eight wards of Washington, DC, four times more students than in 2010.  We work to meet the Mayoral priorities, and we have been doing so for over twenty years.

And in case you haven't seen last week's blog post yet, here's an excerpt of testimony which Ademir Delcid, a student in Latin American Youth Center’s Guide to Post Secondary (GPS) Program from the performance oversight hearing for the Department Of Employment Services and the Workforce Investment Council:

During my 2 years of being in LAYC, I got to meet a wonderful team of advisors. I was given the opportunity to work with Adriana, Scholastique, Ella, Diana, Alexis and Loren. Meeting them and talking with them made me realize that they knew what they wanted for us students, which was to succeed and be prepared for the next chapter in our lives. Being a senior, I do not have the opportunity to continue working with them, however all that they have done in the short amount of time were worth the little time. Overall what each and every individual in this program has helped not only me but other students achieve is the progression, impact and determination to succeed in and out of school. I have witnessed firsthand how my life has been impacted and I thank each and every member of LAYC GPS for their never ending spirit to see me and others be prepared for college and life. I see each and every individual that have worked with me as more than advisors, they are my family and LAYC is my home.

It's testimony from DCAYA organizations, community members, and youth themselves that really make a difference as our representatives make the annual policy and funding decisions whose impact lasts for much more than a single fiscal year.

So what can you do? Here's a simple list, of which we ask you do at least one:

• Sign our #ExpandLearningDC online petition
• Bookmark our website's event calendar, for upcoming Budget Hearing dates
• Check out this blog from January, which lets you know what Committee each agency and hearing falls under, as well as how to sign up to testify yourself

That's it for now! And as always, let us know if you have any questions.

Youth Voice: Continue School-Based Workforce Development

This week we’re bringing you the testimony of Ademir Delcid, a student in LAYC’s Guide to Post Secondary (GPS) Program from last week’s performance oversight hearing (3/7) on DOES and the WIC. Currently supported by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) dollars, programs like GPS are facing significant funding shortfalls under the District’s Draft WIOA State Plan. A reduction in the federal allocation of in-school program funding, the District’s planned emphasis on increasing pre-employment supports specifically for youth with disabilities, and, most importantly, the lack of local dollars to supplement these programs could threaten their continuation. (More on these trends here.) Especially as the District moves towards the creation of a career pathways system, it’s critical to bolster programs like GPS that help youth transition into post secondary education and better jobs. We'll turn it to Ademir to explain why:

My name is Ademir Delcid, I am 18 years and a senior attending Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. I have been a part of The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) Guide to Post Secondary (GPS) for the past two years. Being a part of LAYC has been a wonderful experience.

Through LAYC, I have improved academically and been given the opportunity to give back. In school, my progress is tracked so that I am passing my classes. If an assignment or anything is missing that may affect my grade, the advisors of LAYC at school make sure that I get the help to understand the lesson/homework through after school tutoring or personal help. I am also getting help with my essays and writing. If I have a writing assignment or college application, they make sure that it has been reviewed and corrected before submission. I have participated in community service events through LAYC. I attended the MLK Day of service and Martha's Table, each one allowing me to give back to those in need. I have also participated in dances that were hosted at LAYC and Wilson, both events allowing people to be entertained and enjoy themselves.

GPS has given me financial help and preparation for college. Being enrolled in the program, I have learned about FAFSA, what to look for in colleges, how to apply to scholarships and prepare for the SAT’s. I am also being paid in different ways, some being: taking the SAT, attendance, CASAS testing, and community service events. With the money I earned, I created a bank account that I have put my money on a debit card. With the help of my advisors I was taught how to save my money, in preparation for college, so that when I do attend college I will have saved up enough to pay for school related items or other needed things. Through GPS, I have applied to over 12 schools and 6 scholarships. I have learned a lot during my senior year and it has prepared me for college.

During my 2 years of being in LAYC, I got to meet a wonderful team of advisors. I was given the opportunity to work with Adriana, Scholastique, Ella, Diana, Alexis and Loren. Meeting them and talking with them made me realize that they knew what they wanted for us students, which was to succeed and be prepared for the next chapter in our lives. Being a senior, I do not have the opportunity to continue working with them, however all that they have done in the short amount of time were worth the little time. Overall what each and every individual in this program has helped not only me but other students achieve is the progression, impact and determination to succeed in and out of school. I have witnessed firsthand how my life has been impacted and I thank each and every member of LAYC GPS for their never ending spirit to see me and others be prepared for college and life. I see each and every individual that have worked with me as more than advisors, they are my family and LAYC is my home.

For more information on how to get involved in advocating for the continuation of in-school workforce development programs this budget season, check out our budget hearing schedule and testimony guide, or reach out to DCAYA's policy analyst, Amy Dudas, at amy@dc-aya.org.

Holiday Highlights from DCAYA's Amazing Members!

It's a quiet week here in the office, so we thought we'd take this week's blog post to share some Twitter highlights of Holiday greetings and happenings from DCAYA members over the past week or so. This selection is in no particular order. Enjoy.

Thanks to all our Elf Store volunteers on Sat! Thanks to you, our kids were able to buy gifts for their families! pic.twitter.com/UkXGjzstII

— Jubilee Housing (@jubileehousing) December 14, 2015

Doing Great Together: DCAYA's Do More 24 Digest

"Do More 24™ is a local movement that brings together nonprofit organizations, companies, and people committed to making a difference. Through focused online giving on June 4, 2015, Do More 24 provides the opportunity for people to create solutions to our region’s most difficult social challenges by determining which issues matter most to them and channeling their funding towards tackling those problems."

Do More 24 is one day away and this year, DCAYA decided to take a step back and feature some of our members! Below you will find some amazing youth-serving organizations in DC. Browse through the stories and be sure to give to a few of your favorite organizations on Thursday June 4th for Do More 24! 

To find out how you can Do Even More 24, check out the full list of participating organizations (including DCAYA and more of our members) here!

Disclosure: The following organizations are DCAYA members who submitted content for this blog. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington
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Mission Statement: The mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington is to help boys and girls of all backgrounds, especially those who need us most, build confidence, develop character and acquire the needed skills to be productive, civic-minded, and responsible adults.

Issue Area: Expanded Learning

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington's Impact: 
Poetry was my outlet for everything I had inside that was negative. The first time I performed my poetry was at an event for Nick Cave through FBR Branch Boys & Girls Club. From that day on, I continued to write and perform my poetry. For 12 year old Ayanna, walking into FBR Branch, from that day on her life would be changed. Today, 17 year old Ayanna aka Sunshine is appreciative for all that they have done for her. My first program, SMART Girls, asked us for a rose as a positive event from the day, and a thorn as a negative event. Well, if you were to ask me, my past was a thorn but the Club was the bud to my rose. For a long time I was angry, but I couldn’t identify why. Maybe it was from childhood trauma, maybe it was from being teased in school. With help from Ms. Green’s many Club programs for empowering women, I realized how important I am and to cherish my life. You all don’t know how many times I’ve come to the Club ready to burst into tears and do so because to me the Club is home.

Chess Challenge
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Mission Statement: Chess Challenge in DC seeks to promote the academic, social, and leadership development of underserved youth in the District of Columbia. Using the game of chess, children learn to think strategically; develop self-discipline and positive social skills; and increase their self worth.

Issue Area: Expanded Learning

CCinDC's Impact:

Erikah M. joined CCinDC in 2009 while a fifth grader at Leckie Elementary School. She showed immediate promise as she quickly and enthusiastically grasped the basic concepts of chess and began applying the same strategic thinking to her own life. Erikah chose to remain with CCinDC after her transition to Hart Middle School where she became one of the chess team captains, assisting with student recruitment and instruction.
She continued to excel in her academics, as well as her chess skills, during her years at Hart and is now a sophomore at Banneker Academic High School, a top DC public school. Throughout Erikah’s participation in our program she was vocal about how chess positively impacted her life. We were so impressed by her accomplishments and determination to succeed that she was named the first recipient of the Chess Challenge in DC Richard England Promise Award. This year Erikah chose to fulfill community service hours by returning to our program at Hart as a volunteer. It is clear that Erikah is motivated to succeed and we know that her commitment to mastering the game of chess has helped her in this quest.

College Bound
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Mission Statement: The mission of College Bound is to prepare public and public charter school students in the metropolitan D.C. area to enter college, earn a degree, and achieve their personal and professional goals.

Issue Area: Expanded Learning

College Bound's Impact:
To be a student of College Bound meant I had to become a student first. I seldom took academics seriously and here that wasn’t an option. The culture of the students that surrounded me shocked me initially. I knew I had to make something of myself with only a little time to do so. My first step into success was actually buckling down academically; I lacked good academic news to share at site, so there stood my motivation. I had to develop a new mindset and with the help of my mentor I did just that. I’m pretty positive I would have barely made it to college without the assistance of College Bound, but I know that I would not have been prepared! I would have ended up like many students who drop-out. Instead I’m on track to attend college this fall with no reservations about what’s ahead.

 Covenant House Washington
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Mission Statement: Covenant House Washington has served over 35,000 homeless and disconnected youth within the national capital region since 1995 through a variety of different services which include a 36 bed immediate housing center, transitional housing programs, street outreach, workforce development training and job placement, education classes, prevention services program for middle and high school students, and a nationally accredited Child Development Center. Our mission is to serve homeless and disconnected young people with absolute respect and unconditional love.

Issue Areas: Youth Homelessness, Youth Workforce Development, Disconnected Youth, and Expanded Learning

Covenant House Washington's Impact:
I came to Covenant House Washington after being evicted from my home. My job at the time did not have maternity leave and once I entered my ninth month of pregnancy, they let me go. With the loss of my job I was unable to pay my rent, and eventually found myself on the street and pregnant. Looking back, that was one of the hardest times of my life. I was alone, with little money, and no place to stay for me and my son.

When I found Covenant House, I found my strength again. I felt like they were offering me a second chance at life, and this time the stakes were much higher because I had a son to take care of. I’ve learned that being on the streets can either break you or make you humble yourself toward life. I chose to humble myself and ask for help. While living at Covenant House I was able to get back on my feet and find stable employment. My goal was to not just find a job, but a career which would offer me health benefits for my son and a consistent, secure lifestyle. Nearly 9 years after first walking through the doors of Covenant House, I now have a great career as a banker and am able to care for my son without any doubts or fears for the future.

I owe a lot to Covenant House for helping me get back on my feet. They offer so many troubled young people a chance to get their lives back on track. They taught me discipline and helped me find clarity about your goals. My life is definitely better off because of it.

DC School Reform Now
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Mission Statement: DCSRN helps families, particularly in underserved communities, navigate the DC school choice application process.

Issue Area: Disconnected Youth

DCSRN's Impact:
Charles Hudson, Sr. is a military veteran and single father who lives in Ward 8 with his son CJ, a rising sixth grader who wants to be a pediatrician when he grows up. He knows how important the middle school years are for any child and wanted to find a school with a rigorous, structured academic environment that would nurture CJ’s interest in science. Before Charles received DCSRN’s free services, he knew little about the DC school choice application process. After working with one of DCSRN’s parent advocates and applying to 13 quality schools, Charles was ecstatic to learn that CJ was matched to The SEED School of Washington, DC, a quality public charter boarding school located close to where Charles and CJ currently live.

After informing his parent advocate that he lacked transportation to SEED to submit CJ’s enrollment paperwork—which parents must submit in-person during school hours—DCSRN provided him a free shuttle ride to-and-from the school. Charles was immediately impressed with the academics of the school and quickly became comfortable with the boarding aspect upon learning that the Head of School and many faculty and staff live on campus with the students. A boarding program would also enable Charles to work longer days which would allow him to afford to move sooner. This is important to him as he has safety concerns about the neighborhood in which he and CJ currently live.

Like any parent, Charles simply wants the best for his child. He is relieved to know that his son is now positioned to receive a quality education in a safe environment.­­

Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso (FAN)
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Mission Statement: Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso (FAN)'s mission is to cultivate a focus on youth well-being and positive development in an environment infused with safety, security, and love. We provide youth in foster care opportunities to gain a sense of personal and group recognition.

Issue Areas:Youth Workforce Development, Disconnected Youth and Expanded Learning

FAN's Impact:
Twelve year old Dante has been a part of the FAN program since the summer of 2013. At the time, Dante lived in a foster home with his brother Virgil. Whereas the older Virgil was soft-spoken and even-keeled, Dante was animated and boisterous. Dante loved being a kid. He would ask for help opening a juice box, or talk wondrously about cartoon he had just seen. Dante's home-life changed rapidly when he was put back into custody of his biological mother. He was forced to grow up quickly. He now rode the metro alone to school.


Whereas most other times in his life Dante had to act like an adult, his time at FAN was spent being a kid. He giggled at knock-knock jokes, and still found a sense of wonder in coloring books. He felt like he belonged with the other kids—running and playing and learning. Inside the group he felt a part of something, gaining important lessons in belonging and structure. As a result of returning to regular participation in FAN’s after school program, Dante’s mother reports that his school performance and behavior improved to the point that he was named student of the week at school.

For Love of Children (FLOC)
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Mission Statement: For Love of Children (FLOC) provides educational services beyond the classroom to help students succeed from first grade through college and career. FLOC brings together students, volunteers, families, and community partners in proven programs that teach, empower, and transform.

Issue Areas: Disconnected Youth and Expanded Learning

FLOC's Impact:
A’Tyra first came to the FLOC Scholars program two years ago when she was a freshman in high school. She was a shy young lady and it took her some time to warm up to staff and other students. A’Tyra was not planning on going to college; she wanted to go into the military. Eventually, staff started to realize that A’tyra’s shyness might be stemming from the fact that she was several years behind in reading and math. She struggled in school her first year of high school and ended up repeating the 9th grade.

Unfortunately, last year was no better. A’Tyra was looking at repeating the 9th grade again and started talking to staff about dropping out of school if she had to be in the 9th grade for the third time. FLOC staff supported her mom in finding another high school for her to transfer to and encouraged her to enroll in NTP.

This year A’Tyra is at a new school, at FLOC three nights a week (NTP and Scholars) and has made the honor roll. She is in the 9th grade for the 3rd time but with additional support she is finding confidence in herself. When asked this year what she plans to do after high school she said, “I want to go to college now, I am thinking about becoming a lawyer!” Even though she is tired from all of the work she is putting into school, she is not giving up. A’Tyra is persevering and moving towards her goals.

Homeless Children’s Playtime Project
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Mission Statement: Homeless Children's Playtime Project's mission is to send children experiencing homelessness to camp experiences they'll remember for a lifetime and to nurture healthy child development and reduce the effects of trauma among children living in temporary housing programs through our 18 weekly programs in Washington D.C.

Issue Areas: Youth Homelessness and Expanded Learning.

Homeless Children Playtime Project's Impact:
My name is Jaclyn Borowski and I have been a Site Captain with Playtime at the Turning Point Center for Women & Children for 1.5 years. I joined Playtime because I was new to the area, had always enjoyed working with children and was looking for an opportunity to give back. A few months after joining Playtime, a 4-year-old boy named "Marquan" joined our program. Initially when we tried to get him to participate in activities with the other children, he'd lash out and throw things and scream and run back and forth, working himself into a frenzy. After our Site Manager did a developmental screening that led to an evaluation, we learned that he was on the autism spectrum. It was amazing how much changed once we understood Marquan's needs and how much more we could appreciate his progress!

Marquan started receiving help through school and the results have been tremendous. He now interacts with the other kids in the sweetest ways, telling one girl that her hair looks nice, asking another boy if he'd like to play. Marquan has learned my name and is now able to look at me and engage with me in ways that I never would've imagined before. The progress we've seen in the last year has been a true testament to the benefits of early childhood intervention.

Hope and a Home
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Mission Statement: Hope and a Home empowers low-income families with children in D.C. to create stable homes of their own and to make lasting changes in their lives. We seek to break the cycle of poverty for qualified families through the programs and services we offer.

Issue Area: Youth Homelessness

Hope and a Home's Impact:
LaTrice was a 2nd semester high school senior when she and her family entered Hope and a Home. She failed to meet the requirements for graduation so Hope and a Home assigned her a tutor to help her over the summer. She went on to receive a high school diploma and was accepted to Livingstone College on a full scholarship arranged by Hope and a Home and the Mike Young Education Fund. We are happy to report she’s just completed her sophomore year and has been on the Dean’s List each semester. She also was an RA this year and will continue in that role during her junior year.

Kid Power
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Mission Statement: Kid Power inspires youth leadership by promoting academic advancement, physical and emotional wellness, and positive civic engagement in underserved communities throughout the District of Columbia.

Issue Area: Expanded Learning

Kid Power's Impact:
Felicity joined Kid Power in 2004 as a 4th grader at Miner Elementary, a school in a high crime neighborhood with struggling test scores and student achievement rates. Felicity often found herself in trouble for speaking out of turn and getting into verbal altercations with her peers. With the Kid Power’s commitment to one-one-one mentoring and belief in meeting students where they are academically and emotionally, Kid Power staff worked closely with Felicity to help channel her passion, energy, and strong will. Through Kid Power’s innovative after-school and summer programs, Felicity developed a strong love for acting and an awareness of her personal social responsibility of being a good citizen and neighbor.

Over the years, she became a fearless leader, pioneering the youth-led social entrepreneurial project CookieTime, and a talented actress, earning leading roles in a variety of productions. Felicity attended Duke Ellington School for the Arts and just finished her sophomore year at Emerson College for performing arts in Boston! She has continued to volunteer with Kid Power and is an integral part of the Kid Power family. Felicity recently told her mother that she wants to work for an organization that gives back to the community because she is passionate about helping others the way Kid Power helped her and her peers.

Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)
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Mission Statement: The mission of the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) is to empower a diverse population of youth to achieve a successful transition to adulthood through multi-cultural, comprehensive, and innovative programs that address youths' social, academic, and career needs.

Issue Areas: Youth Homelessness, Youth Workforce Development, Disconnected Youth, and Expanded Learning.

LAYC's Impact:
Life made Alejandra, 21, grow up rather quickly. Just before her 15th birthday, Alejandra's mother was deported to Mexico and she went to live with her their father, who had been absent for most of Alejandra's life. Alejandra got a job, sometimes two, as a dishwasher and prep cook to help support the family. A short three months later, Alejandra's father kicked her out because Alejandra is gay.

For the next few months, Alejandra slept in her car, laundromats in apartment complexes, the park, and later with friends or observant teachers. After three months of uncertainty, the family of one of her friends opened their home to her, and she has been living with the family ever since. Around this time, Alejandra came to the Latin American Youth Center and began to work with a case manager. Alejandra continued to go to high school while working overnight, and she graduated on time. "Without LAYC, I may not have ever finished high school," said Alejandra.

An artist, Alejandra has been attending a community college, and has completed three semesters worth of general studies toward her Bachelor's degree. Alejandra just received a full college scholarship for the strength of her character and her artwork. Alejandra will pursue a Bachelor of Arts in the fall and hopes to one day run an art therapy studio for homeless youth.

Sasha Bruce Youthwork
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Mission Statement: Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY) meets the urgent needs of disconnected youth and their families by providing safe homes, life skills, and workforce development programs throughout the D.C. Metro area.

Issue Areas: Youth Homelessness, Youth Workforce Development, and Disconnected Youth

SBY's Impact:
Raynice was a teenage mother in a tough spot. Sleeping on a hard floor with her newborn child, living with grandparents, and trying to finish school seemed overwhelming.

But this did not stop her. Raynice graduated high school at the top of her class, and began college. But at nineteen years old, another challenge came. Raynice lost both her mother and grandmother within two weeks of one another. With support suddenly gone, she found a family shelter. Soon after, she came to Sasha Bruce. Raynice found stability at SBY for her and her daughter, along with staff that, in her own words, “have become like my family, my new support system”.

Raynice is now a senior at Trinity Washington University studying Business Administration, with an International Affairs minor. Her story reminds us; the call to connect youth to opportunities is necessary. In her own words: “Sasha Bruce is helping me break the cycle in my family, giving me a new opportunity to become what I aspire most to be: a great mom, the first person to graduate college in my family, and an entrepreneur.”Now, Raynice can extend a hand to someone else in need. And her daughter can too.

Year Up National Capital Region
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Mission Statement: Year Up’s mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. We achieve this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college credits.

Issue Area: Youth Workforce Development

Year Up's Impact:
The "most important thing I have learned on this journey is that it takes hard work and dedication to be successful and that you have to lead by example." said James McGriff, a graduate of Year Up National Capital Region Class of July 2013. James came from "an environment where all [he'd] seen was hardship." James said that he "still had high expectations for [himself]." He enrolled in Year Up, and "the technical and business skills [he] gained at Year Up helped [him] get an internship at FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)." James now works at FINRA as a full-time Desktop Support Specialist. He is also enrolled at Prince George's Community College.

Young Playwrights’ Theater
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Mission Statement: Young Playwrights’ Theater inspires young people to realize the power of their own voices. By teaching students to express themselves through the art of playwriting, YPT develops students’ language skills, and empowers them with the creativity, confidence and critical thinking skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.

Issue Area: Expanded Learning

Young Playwrights' Theater's Impact:
"Everything is real. It’s not made up.”

Dominique Butler has powerful stories to tell, and he tells them with authenticity and emotional honesty. I was thirteen [when I started writing],” he says. “My grandfather passed away, so the only thing for me to get over it was just to write.”

Dominique started writing poems and stories, then got a chance to write his first play in YPT’s In-School Playwriting Program. He seized the opportunity and wrote a play called Like Father, Like Son, about a young man whose father is in and out of prison. The play resonated with readers and was selected to be featured in YPT’s 2015 New Play Festival. When Dominique found out that professional actors would be performing his words onstage, he was blown away.“I really couldn’t believe it,” he says. “This is the first time that something like this has happened to me. I didn’t really think nobody wanted to listen, for real.”Now that Dominique knows the world is listening, he is eager to keep writing. He has plans to attend college soon, and when he does will keep in mind one crucial lesson he learned from this process: “My story matters.”

To find out how you can Do Even More 24, check out the full list of participating organizations (including more DCAYA members) here!

Coordinated Entry: Boot Camp and 100-Day Challenge

This week homeless youth advocates went to boot camp.  There wasn’t a lot of yelling and push-ups, but there was sweat-inducing policy planning and some ice breakers that got a little intense.  

On Monday and Tuesday, along with the Interagency Council on Homelessness and Community Solutions, DCAYA co-hosted a DC policy boot camp on coordinated intake and referrals for homeless youth.  Participants came from Office of State Superintendent of Education, DC Public Schools, Department of Behavioral Health, Department of Human Services, Children and Family Services Agency, Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, The Community Partnership, Latin American Youth Center, Sasha Bruce Youthbuild, Wanda Alston House, and Covenant House.  Together, they mapped out a working plan to build a District-wide, coordinated entry system for unaccompanied homeless youth. 

Coordinated entry is a system where a homeless youth can show up at any “front door” government agency or community-based organization, be assessed by a standardized assessment tool, and then be referred in a standardized way to best-fit programs.  It sounds simple, but it is actually really difficult to get all the pieces in place to make this process work.  

Think about it, dozens of government agencies and community-based organizations, each with their own requirements and missions, have to come together to select and hone a standardized assessment tool.  They have to change their current referral protocols and habits to a semi-standardized referral protocol based off the chosen assessment tool.  They have to create and maintain a living database that shows available housing slots and service slots. Then they have to figure out what happens when a youth is assessed and referred, but there are not enough services for them.  And those are just a few of the challenges.

That’s why the boot camp model doesn’t end after the two-day planning period.  Now starts the 100-day challenge to implement the work plan.  DCAYA and its fellow participants have only 100 days to make coordinated entry happen. This is a very rapid timeline, meant to keep the momentum going to bust through the obstacles that have kept coordinated entry from happening in the past.

This 100-challenge is nationally historic.  While this model has been very successful in implementing coordinated entry for adults, this is the very first time it will be attempted for unaccompanied homeless youth.  The unaccompanied homeless youth system presents more challenges than the adult side: stricter privacy laws, mandatory reporting laws, working with the 18-24 age group that is often mis-resourced, etc.  But we know DC is ready for this challenge.  

DCAYA has been chosen as the lead organization for this challenge.  We are slightly daunted by the massive amount of work that we are facing over the next 100 days, but we know it is worth it.  It will be incredibly rewarding to collaborate with hard-working, creative, compassionate people from government agencies and community-based organizations. Our youth deserve a coordinated entry system when they come to us for help, and we are going to make it happen.

Katie Dunn is the youth homelessness and expanded learning policy analyst for DCAYA.  She is listening to Rocky pump-up music to get through this 100-day challenge.

Share Your Shutdown Story

As we embark on the second week of stalemate in federal budget negotiations, organizations that serve the most at-risk children, youth and families are being forced to make difficult decisions. With the District's budget frozen until the shutdown is resolved, critical funding from both federal and local sources have been shut off for community-based organizations. Many have been forced to reduce their programming and services, furlough non-critical staff, or shut their doors entirely. All of this is bad news for the city’s young people.

Take for instance the afterschool provider People Animals Love (PAL) who has served hundreds of youth in the past few years and receives the bulk of its funding from two government sources, the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corp (CYITC) and the Office of the State Superintendent for Schools (OSSE). Reimbursements for OSSE-administered programming offered by CYITC and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers are currently on hold. According to PAL’s Executive Director Rene Wallis, “PAL and many other youth-serving organizations are going to have to cope as the federal funds remain frozen. We may lay off workers, reduce our activities, serve fewer kids, and delay our reading interventions – all as the school year is getting seriously underway. Then, once the feds get it together, we have to ramp up again, but the lost time cannot be recovered”.

Another heartbreaking example of the effects of the shutdown is the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC). In an email to constituents yesterday afternoon, Executive Director Lori Kaplan explained that “to ensure the long term health of our programs, on Wednesday, October 9th, the LAYC will reduce services to ESSENTIAL operations only.” Incredibly, many LAYC staff members, despite being furloughed, will serve as volunteers until Congress refunds the government to ensure the stability of service provision for hundreds of young people.

Countless other stories of direct service organizations/entities being affected by the shutdown have come to light in recent days, but this does not necessarily mean that everyone understands the full outcomes of the shutdown. Surely the government workers who were most immediately affected by the closing of their offices in the District deserve public empathy, however, the ripple effects like the non-payment of contract/grant dollars to organizations serving at-risk populations is an issue somewhat less salient. The young people enrolled in most of the types of programming the city offers are in dire need of programming and services. The interruption of these has the potential to set youth back for much longer than the duration of the shutdown. With that in mind, it becomes the responsibility of the non-profit community writ large to make this an issue the general public can digest, and more importantly, act on.

Organizations serving at-risk populations often rely heavily on government grants and contracts, and when these funds suddenly disappear, many cannot bear the financial strain of maintaining full operations. With that in mind, it is more important than ever that individuals from the very communities who will endure the stoppage of services and programming are engaged in creating solutions to this issue.

For that reason we urge DCAYA’s members and allies to spread the word about the full effect of the shutdown and how young people here in the District are bearing a lack of services and supports. Please consider sharing this post with your personal networks and adding in your own story of how the young people you know/serve are being affected by the shutdown.

Congress needs to know how THEIR actions are affecting OUR youth. DCAYA wants to help share your story. Use #DCshutdownstories to tell them how your organization is effected by the furlough. Also, visit Susie Cambria's blog to see how you can take action against the federal shutdown!

To read more about youth issues in DC you can FOLLOW us on Twitter, LIKE us on Facebook and VISIT us at www.dc-aya.org.

Finding Mutual Inspiration in Corporate-Nonprofit Partnerships

This post was written by The Advisory Board Company's Community Impact Associate Director Rachel Tappis. Rachel is a proud DC-metro native with a passion for enacting positive change through volunteerism and community engagement. 



I have always loved volunteering to work with children. I began as a coach with our neighborhood summer swim team at age 13, and ever since then I have sought out opportunities to serve as a coach, tutor, and mentor. I love the way children look at the world – every experience is new and exciting. I strive to incorporate that perspective into my own life, and when I do, often find inspiration in places that I wouldn’t normally look.

This summer, I was thrilled to accept a job with The Advisory Board Company’s Community Impact team. The opportunity to join a company that understands the inspiration I find in volunteering and seeks to support and empower talented employees to pursue their interests in an altruistic setting is, for me, profound.

The commitment to service infused throughout the Advisory Board starts at the top. This year, CEO Robert Musslewhite challenged the firm with a “2013 Commitment to our Communities”, calling for 100% employee participation in service, $1M in benefits to our nonprofit partners, and 10,000 lives touched. Even for a company with a strong service record, this was an ambitious call to action. I am proud to say that my colleagues have risen to meet this challenge applying their vast skill sets and knowledge of the health care and higher education fields to assist organizations that make a tangible and positive difference in the DC community every day. Whether it’s working with Community of Hope’s Marie Reed Health Center to provide patients with continuity of care, or enabling the Latin American Youth Center to save over $35,000 through an IT and email system assessment, the Advisory Board commits our strongest assets to help our nonprofit partners to achieve their missions. This is a mutually strengthening partnership: it empowers our partners and inspires our employees.

In my experience, Advisory Board employees choose to participate in our community impact work is because we strive to engage our teammates on dual levels: the head and the heart. Engaging the head involves assessing an individual’s unique strengths and skills to determine where and how they can have the greatest impact. Engaging the heart goes beyond that practical mindset to tap into each person’s passion to make a difference in the areas that matter most to them. By empowering our teammates to connect with service opportunities on both these levels, their community-focused work takes on a deeper meaning and results in transformative outcomes.

While the Advisory Board is dedicated to serving our community year-round, our commitment will be intensified during our third annual Week of Service: October 7-11th. Building on the 4,000 community impact hours logged in our 2012 Week of Service, events this year include dispatching 70+ senior executives to serve local nonprofits in a consulting capacity, engaging our brightest minds in a firm-wide competition to solve a pressing social issue, tapping marketing and graphic design experts to generate creative collateral for our partner organizations, and coordinating dozens of hands-on opportunities for our teammates to provide direct community service. Please check out our website for the full roster of events happening throughout the week – we may be dropping in at an organization near you!

I am extremely proud of our community impact efforts both during Week of Service and year-round, but I am just as proud to know that DC is rich with amazing nonprofits. We are very fortunate to partner with mission-driven organizations like DC-AYA, BUILD DC, and Urban Alliance. The dedication and empathy that they exhibit daily inspires me and every member of our team, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside them.

So please know our work doesn’t end on October 11th. As we move forward, we want to cultivate and expanded ways to serve our community. If your organization can benefit from pro bono support next week or at any point throughout the year, please do not hesitate to contact me. Our firm welcomes the opportunity to partner with like-minded organizations in our common goal to inspire positive community impact.

Rachel's current favorite volunteer spot is at the Children's National Medical Center where she is a member of their Junior Council. You can learn more about The Advisory Board Company's Impact team by watching this video and following them on Twitter.   

 To read more about youth issues in DC you can FOLLOW us on Twitter, LIKE us on Facebook and VISIT us at www.dc-aya.org.