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Catfish for DASH! #justinsfishfry

We had an amazing time at Justin’s Fish Fry this past Saturday in support of DASH!

Thank you so much, Justin Schuck, for pulling together such an enjoyable and generous event to benefit the women and children in our programs.

Thanks go to Justin’s dedicated crew of friends and helpers as well! The day would not have been possible without Michele Walk, Brandon Reavis, Timothy Charles Briscoe, Violaine Orban, Stephen Joseph (from Goûter) and Matthew Rhoades & Luis Gomez from Borderstan.

Justin and team served a delicious full course meal to over 120 people! The catfish, hush puppies, greens, and fried desserts received rave reviews all around. Most importantly, they raised critical funds and donations for our residents at DASH.

What a fun party and perfect way to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon! We could not be more grateful to have community partners like Justin!

Cornerstone Dinner with RUBIES Women’s Ministry

Last Saturday, Cornerstone residents were treated to a night of food and entertainment by Shekinah Glory Deliverance Church RUBIES Women’s Ministry. RUBIES members arrived at Cornerstone with trays of delicious ribs, chicken, potato salad, and green beans donated by Dale’s Smokehouse in Indian Head, MD. They also brought gifts, toiletry items, and other much-needed items for DASH participants. Before the dinner began, the women and children participated in a game and listed to a beautiful song performed by a RUBIES member. The volunteers expressed their solidarity with Cornerstone residents and reminded them of how special and brave they were to leave an abusive relationship. All participants left the event full of fantastic food and grateful for a wonderful evening. DASH is so thankful to Shekinah Glory Deliverance Church for reaching out to us and providing residents with such a memorable night!

DASH and the National Alliance to End Homelessness

This week, DASH staff presented three workshops at the National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference, exposing homeless advocates from across the country to DASH’s unique approach to safe housing for survivors. The conference, which featured over seventy workshops for the thousands of attendees, provided an excellent opportunity for DASH staff to gain valuable insight from many of the nation’s leading experts on homelessness, as well as to impart their own wisdom. Moreover, due to DASH’s status as a nationally-recognized best practice model organization, they were able to emphasize the intersection of domestic violence and homelessness to conference attendees, using their expertise to educate many homeless advocates with little knowledge on how to work with domestic violence survivors.

DASH Community Housing Director Shakeita Boyd

Prior to the conference’s official start on Tuesday, DASH’s Community Housing Program Director Shakeita Boyd presented a section on safety planning in the “Improving Safety and Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence” workshop. DASH offered guidance to housing providers on how to support survivors in their program to plan for safety. As survivors move through the homeless system, it is imperative that homeless organizations are aware of the dynamics of domestic violence and are able to address emotional and physical safety concerns and assist survivors using a trauma informed lens. This pre-conference session offered homeless service providers an innovative approach to effectively address the needs of survivors in their housing programs. Other highlights of this session included; best practices for case management and developing successful organizational partnerships to benefit survivors.

DASH Housing Resource and Training Manager LaToya Young

Later in the week, Shakeita also presented “Selling Your Program: Landlord Engagement and Rental Assistance Strategies.” This session focused on the importance of developing strong landlord relationships in order to foster rapid rehousing. Shakeita discussed successful elements of DASH’s Empowerment Program, which is a national model for providing scattered site, apartment-based long-term housing for survivors. Attendees learned about developing successful marketing tools such as short-term rental subsidies to encourage landlord cooperation and engagement.

DASH Housing Resource and Training Manager LaToya Young

Finally, on Wednesday, Housing Resource and Training Manager LaToya Young presented “Public Housing Authorities: Partnering to End Homelessness,” a discussion on the relationship between community housing assistance programs and public housing authorities (PHAs). The session emphasized strategies that many PHAs and community programs have used to develop partnerships to assist homeless families. LaToya discussed how she partners with the DC Public Housing Authority (DCHA) to address the unique housing barriers survivors face, including facilitating safety transfers and training DCHA staff on housing protections afforded to survivors.

Even when domestic violence was not the primary focus of the workshops they presented in, Shakeita and LaToya were able to educate attendees on various ways housing, homelessness and domestic violence intersect. DASH is grateful for this opportunity to share our message to so many homeless advocates and to create new partnerships to ensure that safe housing is a reality for everyone.

Summer Fun Wellness Day for DASH Residents!

Summer Fun Wellness Day

Last Saturday was Summer Fun Day at Cornerstone, themed around our Wellness Program offerings. Residents, Staff, and DASH Volunteers shared fresh summer snacks, garden mint tea & juice, and socializing together. From make-overs and face paint to music and dancing, the mood was incredibly fun and festive!

Hot-packs, microwaveable and used for sore joints and necks, were crafted out of socks and rice generously donated from Board Member Jordan Fitzgerald, and rosemary picked fresh from

Rosemary hot pack

DASH’s own community garden. DASH’s regular knitting group members led the way in yarn class and taught skills to newbies. Cornerstone volunteer acupuncturist provided demonstration sessions and chatted with the group, about the health benefits of this ancient practice.

Says Ayesha Ali, DASH’s Cornerstone Wellness Intern, “The event was a success! Not just because residents came, [participated, and helped], but because they stepped up with their gifts, talents and ingenuity…to make an event ‘for’ them instead be an event ‘by’ them.”

Mint Lime Iced Tea

Inspired by the day, residents are looking forward to creating a Zumba Party for the next event!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this a great success.

Knitting and Community Building

Donations from Looped Yarn Works

Alison Gurley, Resident Advocate at DASH, recently lead a knitting program with DASH residents. The pictures are just a portion of the yarn that was donated by DC business Looped Yarn Works. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity! Here Alison talks about how she came to DASH and the project:

I am originally from Massachusetts, but I went to a small college out in Minnesota called St. Olaf College. I graduated in 2010 and decided that I needed to be somewhere warmer so I moved to DC. I am a resident advocate. A resident advocate at DASH does pretty much what the title suggests, we advocate for our residents and partner with them throughout their stay at our transitional housing program. During their two years here, advocates work to support residents are they work toward their goals, seek permanent housing, connect to community resources and etc. Advocates are available to share their knowledge of community organizations and resources, government programs and benefits and to generally provide a listening ear. We also plan much of the programming that occurs within our Cornerstone housing facility.

I first got involved with DASH as a full-time volunteer through Lutheran Volunteer Corps (kind of like AmeriCorps) in March 2011. I had been working at an organization doing advocacy work on federal immigration and refugee legislation, and I wanted a chance to do direct service work. DASH had an opening for a Resident Advocate so I applied to work here through Lutheran Volunteer Corps. DASH hired me as a full-time advocate outside of Lutheran Volunteer Corps in August 2011.

Resident Advocate Chanel Meadows, knitting with DASH residents

A number of residents had expressed interest in starting a knitting/crocheting group. One resident in particular was interesting in teaching crochet. For me, knitting is an important stress relieving activity, I find it wonderful and satisfying to create a tangible product. I thought it was a wonderful idea for DASH to help the women take some time for themselves and build community together. One of the founders of Looped Yarn Works used to work with a DASH staff member at Our Place, DC, so I got in touch with her to see if we could have supplies donated to make the group possible. Looped does drives quarterly to help make knitting/crochet groups possible for a number of non-profits.

As a resident advocate, my first priority is to build a relationship of mutual respect with the women I work with at DASH. The most important thing to me is that we approach the work we do together as a partnership. I want to make sure that the women have self-determination in the goals that they set for themselves and the life they build for themselves while they are in our Cornerstone program.

Donations from Looped Yarn Works

Knitting is a great way to build community. When your hands are busy, it’s amazing what will come out of your mouth! Building a strong community among the residents in our Cornerstone program is very important to DASH. Survivors are the people best equipped to help other survivors, we always want our residents to be able to turn to one another for support, as well as to staff.

DASH and the E&G Group Receive the MassMutual Citizenship Award from the Washington Business Journal

Even before one of his real estate company’s employees was the victim of domestic abuse, E&G Group executive Thomas Gallagher began working with Peg Hacskaylo of the District Alliance for Safe Housing to place survivors of domestic violence in E&G properties. Photo by Joanne S. Lawton.

This morning DASH and the E&G Group received the MassMutual Citizenship Award from the Washington Business Journal designed to honor the region’s most active and inspiring partnerships between local businesses and nonprofits. Awarded at the Washington Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy Awards Breakfast, MassMutual and WBJ honor businesses and nonprofits that have created a partnership which benefits families and children in the area. These are partnerships that made a difference through philanthropic work, both financially and through volunteer hours, and have made a commitment to:

• A philosophy of “doing well by doing good”, by supporting nonprofits focused on families and children.

• Ongoing involvement of the CEO/owner and senior leadership in the company’s social initiatives.

• Active promotion of philanthropy and volunteerism among employees.

• Demonstrating a measurable social impact of the company’s philanthropic efforts.

DASH is thrilled to be the recipients of The Washington Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy Citizenship partner award this morning for its partnership to ensure safe housing and freedom from violence for those enduring domestic violence. We are honored to receive this distinction with such wonderful partners. The organization will be featured in next week’s Washington Business Journal.

University of Maryland Volunteers

On Friday, April 27, volunteers from the University of Maryland MBA program came to Cornerstone to transform its outdoor space into more than just a patch of grass. Working with staff members and residents, the volunteers created two gardens filled with herbs, vegetables, and fruit to be enjoyed throughout the spring and summer. Through their time and generous donation of plants, soil, compost, and gardening supplies, the UMD MBA students provided an invaluable service to DASH. In addition to their gardening work, the volunteers provided a much-needed cleanup to Cornerstone’s side yard, making the area’s playground safe for children to use as the weather heats up. Thank you to the wonderful MBA students at the University of Maryland for making this service day a success!

Domestic Violence & Housing Taskforce Action Alert

Domestic Violence & Housing Taskforce Action Alert:

Stop Cuts that Hurt!

Fully Fund Domestic Violence and Homeless Services!

Housing Ends Homelessness

What you need to know:

No families requesting shelter at the Family Resource Center will be provided lifesaving shelter until next winter. The Administration has no plan to change that policy.
Families requesting shelter at FRC who have no safe plan for where to stay will be reported to CFSA. CFSA currently has no housing resources to assist such families.
On any given day more than 50% of victims seeking domestic violence services in the District of Columbia request shelter or housing placement.[1] While it is common for victims to need safe housing, 74% of service requests for shelter or housing go unmet. [2]
The Mayor’s budget proposal has a $7 million funding gap for homeless services. The Administration is suggesting cutting food, transportation, outreach, medical and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness— which will hurt people already desperately in need of services.
The Mayor’s budget proposal has a $2.6 million funding gap for Office of Victim Services that will affect all services OVS provides to survivors including shelter and hotel stays.
The Mayor has no plan in place to provide long-term affordable housing to help lift families out of homelessness.

What you can do:

Wednesday Action: Call or email the DC Council to put money in the budget to help DC residents in need!

1) Restore the $7 million funding gap in FY13 to make Homeless Services whole;

2) Restore the $2.6 million to OVS to make victim services whole; AND

3) End Homelessness for more than 500 children (250 families) with a Housing investment of $4 million in FY13.

Sample message: Please pass a budget that protects DC residents and responds to DC’s crisis of skyrocketing child homelessness by: 1) Restoring the $7 million gap in homeless services money so all adults and children experiencing homelessness have the services they need to survive; 2) Restoring $2.6 million to OVS’ budget to ensure victims of violence can access needed services; and 3) Placing at least 250 homeless families into long-term affordable housing as an effective and cost-efficient response to homelessness.

Chairman Kwame Brown, kbrown@dcouncil.us, 724-8032, @KwameBrownDC

Councilmember David Catania, dcatania@dcouncil.us, 724-7772

Councilmember Phil Mendelson, pmendelson@dcouncil.us, 724-8064

Councilmember Michael Brown, mbrown@dcouncil.us, 724-8105, @CMMichaelABrown

Councilmember Vincent Orange, vorange@dcouncil.us, 724-8174, @VincentOrangeDC

Councilmember Jim Graham, jim@grahamwone.com, 724-8181, @JimGrahamWard1

Councilmember Jack Evans, jevans@dcouncil.us, 724-8058, @JackEvansWard2

Councilmember Mary Cheh, mcheh@dcouncil.us, 724-8062, @MaryCheh

Councilmember Muriel Bowser, mbowser@dcouncil.us, 724-8052, @MurielBowser

Councilmember Tommy Wells, twells@dcouncil.us, 724-8072, @TommyWells

Councilmember Yvette Alexander, yalexander@dcouncil.us, 724-8068, @CYMYA

Councilmember Marion Barry, mbarry@dcouncil.us, 724-8045, @marionbarryjr

Thursday: Come to the Department of Human Services budget hearing at 11AM in Room 123 at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW to show your support for this proposal.

Friday: Come to the Office of Victim Services budget hearing at 11:00 AM in room 412 at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW to show support for full funding for victims services.

Spread the word! Blog, Tweet, Facebook, talk to your neighbors– whatever you can!

Tweeting: Use the hashtag #dcfy13. Here are some sample tweets:

End the Hunger Games: restore homeless services gap and put 250 families in housing! #dcfy13
Looking forward to @JimGrahamWard1 supporting homeless kids at DHS budget hearing! #dcfy13
Cuts hurt in #dcfy13. Please restore homeless services $ [insert Councilmember handle]
Don’t gamble with kids’ lives: invest in affordable housing for 250 families in #dcfy13.

Contact the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless at 328-5500 for more info on this campaign or Janelle Treibitz at makeonecitypossible@gmail.com to get involved in the

Fair Budget Coalition’s campaign to prioritize human needs in DC’s budget.

Contact Suzanne Marcus at the District Alliance for Safe Housing at 462-3274 for information about the Domestic Violence & Housing Taskforce at 202-462-3274 ext. 116 or email smarcus@dashdc.wpengine.com

[1] National Network to End Domestic Violence (2012). 2011 Domestic violence counts: A 24-hour census of domestic violence shelters and

services, Washington, D.C.: NNEDV

[2]

DASH featured in National Newsletter by NHLP

DASH was featured in the National Housing Law Project’s (NHLP) March 2012 newsletter, which highlights a number of DASH’s programs as national best practices for addressing homelessness amongst domestic violence victims. The NHLP is a nonprofit national housing and legal advocacy center established in 1968 to advance housing justice for poor people. The newsletter includes a full page on DASH, featuring information on The Cornerstone Project, The Empowerment Project, Project PATH, and the Domestic Violence and Housing Taskforce. DASH is one of a handful of organizations in the country dedicated to increasing housing access for victims by developing housing programs and advocating for systemic change.

DASH has made great strides in addressing the housing needs of survivors of domestic violence. Since its inception, DASH has helped survivors have over 37,665 “safe nights” and provided safe housing to 218 individuals. In addition, through community outreach efforts, DASH trained more than 1,500 abuse survivors to exercise their housing rights so as to avoid eviction stemming from violence in their homes. DASH also has trained more than 60 housing providers seeking to improve their response to victims in their programs. Despite the economic downturn, DASH continues to work hard to ensure quality housing for survivors and their families. For more information about DASH, please visit www.dashdc.org.

The newsletter also featured information on the report released in February by the National Network on Domestic Violence – a National Census on Domestic Violence Services. It illustrated that, in total, 1,726 out of 1,944 domestic violence programs in the United States and its territories participated. The census has several findings regarding housing needs of domestic violence survivors. The census found that on September 15, 2011, 67,399 adults and children sought services from domestic violence programs. Of those individuals, more than 36,000 received emergency shelter or transitional housing from a domestic violence program. Of the victims served, 35% were living in emergency shelter and 19% were living in transitional housing. Of the domestic violence programs surveyed, 74% provided emergency shelter, and 35% provided transitional housing. Additionally, 82% of the programs provided advocacy for survivors related to housing or landlords.

DASH is honored to be in partnership with the National Housing Law Project. For information on their domestic violence and housing newsletter, please contact Meliah Schultzman at mschultzman@nhlp.org or 415-546-7000 x. 3116.

March 2012 Newsletter FINAL-1

Allies in Change Luncheon

Table Settings

On Wednesday, March 28, DASH held its annual Allies in Change Awards Luncheon, celebrating five years of the organization’s mission to serve survivors of domestic and sexual violence with safe housing and honoring community partners who went above and beyond the call to help families facing homelessness as a result of domestic violence. Our Mistress of Ceremonies was Pat Lawson Muse from NBC News4, a long-time news anchor in Washington, DC, who energized the crowd and eloquently presented the DASH honorees their awards. All of our honorees are featured in DASH Blog interviews that you can access on this blog site.

DASH Staff with Pat Lawson Muse at Luncheon

The Keynote address was made by Olga Trujillo, an attorney, advocate, and survivor of childhood domestic violence at the hands of her father and brothers, which resulted in her subsequent diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Olga has chronicled her struggle and recovery in the book, The Sum of My Parts: A Survivor’s Story of Dissociative Identity Disorder, parts of which she relayed during the lunch, conveying a powerful message of how we can all help others, even if we don’t know it.

DASH Brochure and Five-year Report

Additionally, DASH shared a video of the stories of our Cornerstone Building’s residents. To the surprise of the 160 attendees, including our incredible sponsors, the women featured were in attendance and were given an enormous round of applause. DASH feels honored to be able to celebrate our work and accomplishments with such a vibrant, compassionate, and powerful community, and we look forward to next year’s event! We’re grateful for

Mistress of Ceremonies Pat Lawson Muse and DASH Executive Director Peg Hacskaylo

everyone’s support and help in making DASH a place where home is a safe place for all. Please click here for information on DASH’s goals for the next five years.

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