Achieving economic security by strengthening the safety net

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is committed to leading on critical community issues, including strengthening the safety net.

Why is this important? The quality of life in our region depends on increasing individuals' and families' access to high quality food, shelter, and services.

The greater Washington region has one of the strongest economies in the nation. Unfortunately, poverty continues to grow. In addition, the demand for safety net services continues to increase as available resources drastically decrease.

According to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s 2012 Count of Homeless Persons, there are 11,830 homeless people in our region with children and youth representing 29% of the homeless population. Homelessness among the region’s families has increased nearly 23 percent since 2008 in our region, compared to 1.2 percent for the nation since 2009.

The region’s overall increase in family homelessness is attributed to the impact of the economic crisis and the lack of affordable housing. Service providers are unable to meet the increased and steady demand for shelter, housing, emergency financial assistance.

Bridging Differences: Youth/Police Dialogue in Montgomery County

We were ushered into a small classroom near the side entrance to Gaithersburg High School where a group of 10 students were already gathered in a circle. About half of them were African American; the others were Latina. Included in the circle was a burly African American Montgomery County police officer, and two young African American women police officers.

On the floor was a colorful rectangular cloth surrounded by handwritten papers. Vanessa, the group’s facilitator, told me that these were depictions of the students’ values – “honesty, love, hope, faith…” — the people for whom they want to make the world a better place – “my little brother, my grandma, my friends, myself…” — and their safe places – a church sanctuary, a bedroom, a beach.

Not content simply to have us observe this program, Vanessa invited me, my colleague Anna, and our Grant Committee member to take the remaining open seats and to participate fully in the intense, raw, honest conversation that followed.

For the next hour and a half, we talked about our frustrations with those who had authority over us as adolescents – for some of us, a distant memory, for others, very much of the moment. “There are too many rules.” “They don’t trust me.” “They assume I’m screwing up before I even have a chance.” The students shared their questions and concerns about interactions they and their friends have had with police. “Why do police always stop my friend’s dad – a Muslim with a license plate that says ‘EGYPT’ when he’s driving around the County — and never my white friend’s dad?” “Why do you always assume the worst?” “Why did that SWAT team barge into my house, break all of our stuff, handcuff me to my bed, and terrify my grandma, when the guy you were looking for wasn’t even there?!”

The police officers told why they are called to this work, how it feels when they have to confront their neighbors, and how they perceive their duty to protect and serve. “I’m putting my life on the line for you and your family.” “Your parents work hard to pay for your car and your insurance. Do you want other people to get away with not paying for their registration and insurance? Your parents are gonna be stuck with the bill if an uninsured motorist causes an accident.” “I feel terrible when I have to bust into someone’s home, but I have to put on my emotional armor to protect myself and everyone there from the danger that might be lurking just around the corner.”  “I’m sorry that you had that experience; it must have been scary.”

This conversation, the fifth in a series of six sessions with this particular group of female students, is part of a Youth/Police Dialogue program funded by an anonymous donor through her fund at The Community Foundation. 

About two years ago, this donor and her family felt heartsick every time they saw another police-related shooting in the news. They were especially troubled by the pattern: shooting, protests, community meetings, lip-service responses, and then…nothing. No meaningful change. They wanted to make an investment in the deep relationship-building necessary to heal the distrust between police and communities, particularly communities of color in their own county. They turned to us.

Our Philanthropic Engagement staff in Montgomery County did some research, and found that one of our long-time trusted grantees, Identity, already had a program in partnership with Montgomery County Police and Public Schools, offering one-time youth/police summits.  The donor was impressed, but wanted to invest in a longer series that would enable the students and police to make real connections with each other. She wanted to remain anonymous, so our staff served as the intermediary to solicit a proposal and get all of the donor’s questions answered.

Together, we agreed on a program design involving six facilitated sessions (three with youth only, three with police joining the young people), focusing on youth who have interacted with law enforcement after participating in or witnessing violence or being involved with a gang, are crime victims, have served in-school suspensions, and/or have low conflict-resolution skills. Our staff invited other donors to join in supporting the project, raising sufficient funds to launch the program last fall in three public high schools, two community-based centers, and a Germantown library.

The school staff, Identity’s facilitators, and the police officers told us that the group of Latina and African American girls we met at Gaithersburg High School that day were chosen because they are leaders within their peer groups, but their voices are often drowned out by boys who join them for larger summits. With skilled help from Identity’s staff, these young women and the police who join them are opening up, bravely sharing their values, stories, and fears with each other, cultivating respect and empathy. They are engaging “power with” – the power of people and communities to connect and nurture trusting, healthy relationships.

At the end of the session, Vanessa asked everyone in the circle to answer one question: “Is there hope?” Coming from our very different perspectives – across race, ethnicity, gender, class, professional status – each of us answered, simply, “yes.” This is what philanthropy can make possible!  

If you are troubled by discord among our neighbors in Greater Washington and aren’t sure how your philanthropy can make a difference, please reach out and we would be honored to facilitate a connection between you and community organizations that are healing the divides among us. Together, we can bridge differences, cultivate empathy, and make our region stronger and more resilient.

Workforce development is critical to achieving economic security

Helping workers acquire the skills and credentials they need to launce successful, family-sustaining careers, and helping businesses attract, retain, and advance the skilled workforce they need to remain globally competitive.

Along with education and strengthening the safety net, workforce development is one of the Community Foundation’s three strategic investment priorities. Our investments in these three areas work together towards one overarching goal – achieving economic security for all residents of the greater Washington region. 

Our region’s economy increasingly demands high levels of skills and knowledge from its workers Thousands in our region are unemployed, under-employed, or stuck in low-wage employment, lacking the necessary tools to find and keep a job that can lead to economic security. Employers value credentials, so we are working to link adult education and training to the on-the-ground needs of employers.

Our workforce development investments have helped thousands of workers across the greater Washington region earn credentials and launch family-sustaining careers. 

Three strategies for improving education

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is improving the quality of life in our region through community leadership initiatives.

Our education initiatives are geared to preventing youth from falling off track (which means 2 or more years behind graduation requirements), intervening with at-risk students before they fall off track, reengaging students and accelerating completion of graduation requirements, and targeting drop out populations for re-enrollment toward an educational and career trajectory. 

Our team pursues this work in in three key ways: Defining needs, best practices approaches, and collective impact.

Defining Needs

Our commitment to defining needs helps to inform the creation of multiple education options matched to students’ needs by investing in research and other products that define the needs of “disconnected youth.” 

Best Practice Approaches

Define and invest in best practice approaches to re-connecting disconnected youth to education and training opportunities that lead to a post-secondary credential and ultimately a career. 

Collective Impact

Support communities to work together on a common agenda that will improve the lives of young people by investing in collective impact. 

The role of education in achieving economic security

Along with workforce development and strengthening the safety net, education is one of The Community Foundation’s three strategic investment priorities. Our investments in these three areas work together towards one overarching goal: To achieve economic security for all residents of the greater Washington region.

Disconnected youth represent an enormous potential for our region’s economy. If these young people do not reconnect with school and earn a high school diploma, their earning potential substantially decreases. A high school dropout will earn $40,000 per year at age 59, where an individual at age 24 will earn the same with a bachelor’s degree. To maximize the potential for the prosperity of region’s economy, investing in these young people is a social imperative. 

Our education investments are focused on producing tools to pinpoint problems and opportunities to reconnect disconnected youth, scaling effective practices and programs and alignment among important actors across and in the same sectors, which in turn ultimately ensures that our region provides youth multiple pathways to adult success. 

Housing security and food security: Why does it matter?

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life in our region by leading on critical community issues.

Stable and affordable housing for people at all income levels is a goal that our region should be able to achieve. Without stable housing, it is difficult for people to obtain economic security, a quality education, good health, and employment. 

In July 2014, The Community Foundation released a study, Housing Security in the Washington Region. This study was the first of its kind to show critical gaps in affordable housing across a range of income levels. It is also the first study to comprehensively examine housing needs and how housing policies and programs are funded by public and philanthropic sectors in multiple jurisdictions. 

The Community Foundation commissioned the study, which includes an Executive Summary, with generous support from The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and the study was researched and prepared by the Urban Institute and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. We commissioned this study in order to quantify the needs for affordable housing and inform strategic investments by the philanthropic sector, as well as the public and private sectors, because all people in our region deserve the chance to prosper as our region prospers.

Food security matters, too. The Community Foundation is a key partner in the Washington Regional Convergence, a group of funders focused on better understanding the food system in the region in order to increase access to healthy and affordable food for all residents and create an equitable food system.