Together, we can end homelessness in DC. The city has a plan based on proven solutions and DC residents agree that ending homelessness is a priority. We’re on the right track but it will take all of us doing our part to ensure everyone in DC has a safe, stable place to call home.
Increase the supply of deeply affordable and supportive housing.
For people who are experiencing chronic homelessness, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) using a Housing First model is a proven solution. PSH provides wraparound services to help residents improve their health, find a job, reconnect with family, and participate in the community.
For extremely low-income households, we need housing everyone can afford. DC has a variety of policies and financing tools to incentivize the development of affordable housing, and a deep bench of nonprofits, faith-based institutions, and private companies that develop affordable and supportive housing.
But even with all of these resources and partners, creating an adequate supply of affordable housing for our lowest income neighbors is challenging.
It has been estimated that DC needs to build more than 30,000 units of deeply affordable housing (0-30% MFI) to meet the current need. The Mayor has set a goal of creating 36,000 new housing units by FY2025. The city estimates that 12,000 of these units will be affordable with approximately 4,000 units being deeply affordable. These units are essential, but we need more.
Our Affordable Housing Initiatives use innovative investment vehicles, including Impact Investing, to increase and accelerate the production of supportive housing and deeply affordable housing for extremely-low-income households.
Our partnership with Enterprise Community Loan Fund on its Impact Note has led to the creation and preservation of almost 500 homes; the majority of these homes are affordable for low-income households making less than 50% of the area median income. In DC, this includes families of four making less than $64,500 a year.
Strengthen the homeless services system.
DC has many dedicated and effective nonprofits working together to provide essential services for people experiencing homelessness. But we can do more to help nonprofit providers expedite housing placement and help people maintain housing stability.
Our Grantmaking Fund helps nonprofits working with and for individuals, youth, and families experiencing homelessness to fill critical funding gaps, support innovative programs, build capacity, meet emerging needs and support systems change/advocacy and organizing efforts.
Through our grantmaking fund, we have invested in nonprofit organizations working to advance housing justice through budget advocacy, policy advocacy, and public awareness building; nonprofit direct service providers helping to move people into housing and out of homelessness more quickly; and in efforts to make homeless services more efficient, effective, and coordinated.
Our Advocacy and Public Awareness education will help build champions for this work who say “yes in my back yard.”
Change perceptions about homelessness and create champions for this work.
No one chooses to be homeless. Homelessness is not an individual failure, but a failure of our systems.
Many of us know someone who is teetering on an edge so thin that any unforeseen event, expense, or challenge can find them without a home, sleeping on a friend’s couch or even living in their car. In fact, personal experiences with homelessness are widespread across DC – nearly 1 in 3 residents know someone who has experienced or is at risk of becoming homeless.
People experiencing homelessness in DC include working families struggling to make ends meet, women escaping domestic abuse, LGBTQ youth who have been kicked out of the house by their parents, students stretching budgets, veterans, seniors with no savings, and people of color who have been disproportionately impacted by systemic racism in our country. Not everyone is lucky enough to have someone to call on or give them a helping hand when they need it - a place to stay, a living wage, quality affordable childcare or health care.
Our Advocacy and Public Awareness educates the public about the root causes of homelessness and builds champions for this work who say “yes in my back yard.” SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER TO LEARN MORE.
Our Donor Education Series bring together our donors with nonprofit leaders and people with lived experience to discuss solutions and hear from experts on topics such as applying a racial equity lens, chronic homelessness, and affordable housing. Read a recap from our event on "The Truth About Chronic Homelessness and The Solution." Contact Jennifer Olney, Senior Community Investment Officer for the Partnership to End Homelessness to learn more.
Increase private sector investment in ending homelessness.
Nobody wins if we fail to address the housing needs that lead to homelessness. Planning for the housing needs of our residents and our growing workforce is a vital infrastructure investment, that will pay dividends for decades to come.
The Partnership brings private sector leaders to the table to understand needs, solutions, and ways to engage and invest.
Fifteen private sector leaders have joined the Partnership’s Leadership Council representing business, universities, health care, and philanthropy. The Leadership Council also includes people with lived experience of homelessness. Leadership Council members support our efforts through direct investment, networking, advocacy, and collaborative efforts. In 2021, Leadership Council members joined Partnership staff at meetings with DC Councilmembers to advocate for increased funding for homeless services and deeply affordable and supportive housing.
The Partnership works to secure new public and private resources to end homelessness.
The Partnership has leveraged over $12 million in new funding for homelessness and affordable housing efforts. In addition, our advocacy grantees have helped secure new funding for homelessness and affordable housing in DC. In 2021, their efforts led to historic investments and an increase in the marginal tax rate on high-income DC residents. As a result of this win, the FY22 DC budget will fund housing for an additional 3,500 households, a significant step toward ending homelessness in the city.
