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We are so proud to announce that Leadership Greater Washington has named DASH the LGW Community Partner of the Year Award presented by the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.  

The LGW Community Partner of the Year Award presented by the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation recognizes outstanding leadership by an LGW member in our region’s non-profit sector.  

The award honors non-profit organizations for creating an exceptional positive impact in the communities they serve. This year, we are proud to honor Koube Ngaaje (’20) and the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) for their extraordinary response in safeguarding survivors of domestic violence and their children, especially with the extra challenges the pandemic imposed.

DASH is truly honored to be recognized by the LGW and Cafritz community, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. Domestic violence increases and the need for DASH’s services continue to be called upon more than ever.  

We are proud to say that DASH has emerged stronger thanks to the incredible outpouring of support from our community at large. 

We are excited to share some news! DASH is launching a new initiative called the Safe Nights Fund.  

Why did we launch this new initiative? 

Emergency shelters are chronically full due to COVID-19, forcing families to choose between homelessness or staying in a violent home.  

DASH has been receiving calls from organizations asking for our help to keep families safe while they await placement in more permanent housing. We are addressing this crisis by launching a Safe Nights Fund to safely house families with a hotel stay and support services.  

DASH’s flexible funding program, the Survivor Resilience Fund, allows us to quickly offer support – such as the Safe Nights support – for whatever survivors need to prevent homelessness and keep them safe. This innovative homeless prevention resource can swiftly prevent survivors from falling through the cracks at the cost of their lives. In addition, sources of hotel vouchers can take days to access; such delays are retraumatizing for survivors in danger. 

What is the Safe Nights Fund? 

The Safe Nights Fund will offer the housing, transportation, and wraparound services these at-risk survivors and families deserve for their safety and peace of mind. The hotel stay is lifesaving while survivors and their families work with our Advocates to develop a service plan and connect to housing through programs such as the Rapid Rehousing Program. 

• Survivors are immediately connected to an emergency hotel stay 
• DASH Advocates work to connect families to more stable housing. 
• On average, this process takes 5 days — not a long time but an eternity when you don’t have a safe place to call home.  

What can the Safe Nights Fund do for survivors and families in our community? 

Having a stable place to live and daily living essentials is life-changing for survivors, many of whom have been in crisis for a long period of time, in some cases living out of a car with their children.  

We are asking for your help to get it up and running as quickly as possible. Together, we can help survivors of domestic and sexual violence find safety, without hesitation, in their moment of need. 

Learn more. 

DASH stands with ALL survivors of domestic violence, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, because EVERYONE deserves a safe place to call home. 

While we know that domestic and sexual violence can occur in any relationship, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or other intersectional identities, we also know that LGBTQ individuals are at a higher risk of experiencing domestic violence and face unique barriers to safety. 

For example, 43.8% of lesbian women and 61.1% of bisexual women have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime, as opposed to 35% of heterosexual women. Transgender women are three times more likely than others to experience stalking, financial abuse, and sexual harassment.  

In addition to experiencing a higher risk of domestic abuse, LGBTQ survivors face unique barriers to safety. There is a distinct lack or resources designed specifically for survivors of this community. LGBTQ individuals may also be more hesitant to involve law enforcement. In a study of male same sex relationships, only 26% of men called the police for assistance after experiencing near-lethal violence. 

At DASH we believe that survivors should not have to consider the impacts of homophobia and transphobia when seeking safety from domestic violence. We provide safe housing and support for ALL survivors. 

To all LGBTQ survivors – we see you, we believe you, and we join you in celebrating Pride Month.  

DASH is thrilled to announce its most recent partnership with DC Wise (Women in Solidarity for Empowerment). 

Who is DC Wise?  

DC Wise is an organization committed to investing in, and enhancing organizations, that positively impact the lives of women and children in the DMV region. Specifically, they provide general operating funds to organizations like DASH who provide essential services and opportunities to women and children in the DC area who are homeless, low-income, or otherwise at-risk.  

DC WISE has chosen to provide three years of general operating support to DASH because of our innovation in providing access to safe housing and critical services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families as they rebuild their lives on their own terms. 

“DC Wise is proud to support an organization whose core belief is that survivors are the experts in their situations.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the deeply insidious inequities in our community. DASH has been called upon more than ever during the pandemic as emergency shelters reach capacity and cannot accommodate stays past 30 days. DASH’s Cornerstone program has been a lifeline for survivors for immediate access to safety as well as longer-term housing to recover and rebuild.  

“The deep impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to unfold across the DC region but the survivors in our programs will have a safe haven at DASH thanks to general operating support from DC Wise.” 

Koube Ngaaje, DASH Executive Director

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and this year the theme is all about building safe online spaces.

While the intention of this month is to spread awareness, raise visibility, and provide resources — sometimes this month long campaign meant to center survivors can in fact be painful for survivors. Without social media or other online spaces to “escape” the reminders of sexual assault, this can be an even more challenging time for survivors.

With that in mind, DASH wanted to share a few tips on how to support survivors during #SAAM (and beyond).

• Recognize how the pandemic has impacted survivors: for those in immediate crisis, many organizations are stretched beyond capacity and limited resources are available. In addition, the sense of isolation that has been perpetuated by the pandemic can be even more challenging for someone dealing with trauma.
• Hold space: take the time to have a conversation with someone who may be recovering and healing from an assault, but also ensure that you’re respecting their boundaries if they’re not ready to talk.
• Offer respite: sometimes talking about it is too much for a survivor and what they need is a break — a break from social media, from work, or from thinking about their experience. If it seems like they’re not wanting to talk, offer to do an activity with them that they enjoy (safely) be it a socially distanced walk, workout, or other activity.
• Honor the healing: it is important to acknowledge the pain and reality of assault, but it is equally important to recognize the hope in the healing. Talk with the survivor about the future and what they would like that to look like so that you can work together to achieve it.

This post is an adaptation of this article. Please read further if you are interested in learning more about how to support loved ones who have experienced sexual assault.

If you’d like to get involved in the #SAAM campaign or are looking for additional resources, please visit nsvrc.org/saam.

DASH is thrilled to announce its newest partnership with Uber who is donating 1,000 free rides to help transport survivors of domestic and sexual violence in DASH’s care to and from vaccination sites to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.

We are so thankful to Uber for their commitment to “eliminating transportation barriers for vulnerable populations to receive their COVID-19 shots,” said Michele Blackwell, Uber’s Public Affairs Manager.

This past year has highlighted the increased hardships that survivors and their children face in navigating resources to heal and rebuild their lives and we value this move toward mitigating yet another barrier for safety.

DASH’s doors have remained open to welcome survivors and children in need of a safe home during the pandemic. Our services have been called upon more than ever due to increases in domestic and sexual violence cases in our community. We are grateful for the partnership with Uber to ensure that survivors in our programs have safe and reliable transportation to access the vaccine.

Koube Ngaaje, DASH Executive Director

Learn more about the ways that Uber has helped Move What Matters in the DMV since the outset of the pandemic.

We work for the day when survivors are respected and can live with independence, are provided the resources for their journey out of abuse, and are given understanding and support instead of blame and judgment.

Our commitment to centering survivors still stands, despite the challenges thrown our way over the last year, and we continue to eliminate barriers for survivors of color.

As a testament to this commitment, DASH received a $20,000 Safety and Violence Prevention grant from the Washington Area Women’s Foundation! 

DASH was one of 15 grantees to receive this new grant award. With this flexible support, we can ensure that women and girls of color have a path to safety and independence. We are honored to receive this grant along with many of our incredible peer partners.  

 Together, we can ensure safe housing is a basic right shared by all.

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and in honor of #TDVAM, DASHers wore orange to show solidarity & to raise awareness about dating violence.

This year’s theme is #KnowYourWorth

Wear Orange Day is an annual effort to show teens that they’re deserving of love. By sharing on social media, we’re helping spread the message that everyone deserves a healthy relationship.

This has been a year like I’ve never seen. I’m sure I’m not alone in that. There have been sad moments and scary moments and moments that I find difficult to put into words. But there have also been so many grateful moments. So many.

I’m grateful that the survivors and families at DASH are healthy and housed.

I’m grateful for my staff, who continue to show amazing creativity, responsiveness, and grace in the face of unprecedented challenges.

I’m grateful to you for keeping DASH open and agile when everything was shutting down and all was uncertain. 

I understand that DASH is only possible because of our community of supporters — each and every one of you — who step up time and time again to extend generosity and love to individuals and families you will never meet.

Housing means safety. And at a time when it has never been riskier to be unhoused or unsafely housed, thank you for digging deep and doing more than ever before. 

For you, I’m am grateful.

With our thanks for all you have done for us,

The DASH Family

There are so many different ways to support DASH this holiday season that we often get asked: What is the BEST way to help? What do you need the most?

The simple answer is: The best way to help is to make a cash (or gift card) donation.

But why?

Because the best gift you can give a survivor is the control to make their own decisions.

One of the principles our organization is founded on is sovereignty: having the freedom and responsibility to determine what is right for yourself and to be self-governing. We believe that each survivor who comes to us for help deserves the right to choose for themselves what help is best for them, and in fact, is best equipped to know what they need most.

The gift of cash (or, as we are requesting this year, gift cards for our residents) gives DASH residents the gift of choice. They can decide where and how to spend that money to best benefit themselves and their family members this holiday season.

Because donations of goods often come with unexpected costs.

Many of our generous supporters have made amazing in-kind donations of goods to DASH and we are forever grateful. However, right now our manpower and resources are already stretched thin, dedicated to keeping our survivors and our staff safe during the pandemic and keeping our doors open, and we have had to pause most of our volunteer support. Managing the influx of donated goods creates additional strains on our staff time, and safety issues as we try to avoid spreading infection.

Because in an emergency, money pays the bills and keeps the lights on and the doors open. And COVID-19 is nothing short of an emergency.

We are committed to keeping our doors open to survivors in need 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are glad to report we have maintained this access to our safe housing throughout the last nine months. Every gift made this December will help us continue that commitment.  

Because we KNOW what needs to be done, and we are committed to doing it well.

The gift of money allows DASH to use our immense expertise on the subject of safe housing and domestic and sexual violence to decide where funds are needed most, what programs would be the most beneficial, and where the need is the greatest.

On top of that, DASH believes in transparency and integrity. We provide our donors with access to all of our financial records, and we have an impeccable reputation, so you can trust that when we choose how to use your donor dollars, we will make sure they are used wisely, and for the maximum benefit of the survivors we serve.

Want to do even more? Engage more people to help!

Our supporters often organize goods collection points in their office – everyone brings in an unwrapped gift or something similar – to donate to DASH during the holidays. This year, most offices are working virtually, but that doesn’t mean you can’t engage your co-workers to help survivors during a time that can be especially challenging for them.

Consider hosting a virtual crowdfunding campaign and collecting donations for DASH this holiday season. We have all the tools and tips to make this easy and fun for you and your friends. Just email JMurgel@dashdc.org to get started!

Please consider making a donation to DASH before the end of the year or donating a gift card to help a survivor and their family celebrate the holidays. Thank you for your support!