NBC4/T44 – Black History Month Reception Honoring Local Community Heroes

Koube Ngaaje, Executive Director of DASH, was nominated and selected as an honoree of the event, receiving the “Working for the Community” Award, along with three other honorees.

Each honoree was selected for this recognition because of their professional presence and leadership in the non-profit sector; a firm commitment to advancing the African-American community and to making a difference in the lives of countless individuals and families in our region. Hosted by Leon Harris & Molette Green, NBC4 Washington, the evening of celebration and recognition took place Tuesday, Feb 25th @ 6:30 pm and included a vignette that highlights the work of each leader and their organizations. 

“As an immigrant who is both African and African-American, I am truly humbled to lead an organization that primarily serves people and families of color. This honor is a powerful reminder of why DASH exists and why I wake up each day, fully committed to advancing our mission by empowering survivors, strengthening communities, bridging barriers, and creating solutions to social problems.” – Koube Ngaaje, DASH Executive Director

DASH Staff and Board members were in attendance to support and congratulate DASH’s leader on this meaningful award.

Honorees

Chris Bradshaw – Founder & Executive Director, Dreaming Out Loud

Elizabeth Lindsey – Chief Executive Officer, ByteBack

Koube Ngaaje – Executive Director, District Alliance for Safe Housing, Inc (DASH)

Jeffrey Tribble – Executive Director, The MusicianShip

Learn more about Koube’s work at DASH and how you can get involved!

What is TDAVM?  

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month – TDVAM. This month is dedicated to a national effort to raise awareness to teen dating violence. Dating violence or abuse can look different in different relationships, but at its core, it is a pattern of destructive behaviors used to exert power and control over a dating partner.  

Why is TDVAM important?  

Like domestic violence, dating violence is all too common. One in three teens in the United States will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by someone they are in a relationship with. And nearly half (43%) of college women report experiencing violent and abusive dating behaviors. Dating violence is so pervasive that it’s imperative to promote awareness and educate to prevent it from happening in the first place. 

#1Thing  

Loveisrespect.org is the hub of resources around empowering youth and preventing dating violence. This year, their theme for TDVAM is #1Thing – what is one thing you can do to get involved and help raise awareness about teen dating violence and stop the cycles of power and control? Visit their website to learn more! 

We are thrilled to announce the release of the NowThis video. The video features the band Bon Iver and their 2 A Billion Campaign and an interview with DASH as one of its partners! 

The Bon Iver team reached out to DASH to become one of their non-profit partners on their 2 A Billion Campaign back in the summer of 2019. They explained that the campaign – an effort “to raise support, awareness, and person-to-person connections in an effort to end gender inequality, domestic violence, and sexual abuse” – is close to the band’s heart.  

We were proud to be one of the feature non-profits while Bon Iver went on tour and at their performance at The Anthem in DC. This opportunity allowed us to put DASH and the work we do at the intersection of domestic violence and homelessness on the radar of 6,000 concert-goers.

This video has an even broader reach to help elevate DASH’s platform to national and international levels, and most importantly the awareness that this campaign brings to end gender inequality, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.  

DASH is grateful to be a part of such an important campaign and can’t wait to see how it grows! Learn more by watching the video and checking out the campaign here: https://2abillion.org/ 

Stalking is a prevalent crime that often co-occurs with domestic violence. Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that causes fear. Stalking can be an extension of power and control in an abusive relationship, and many abusers stalk their partners both during the relationship and after the relationship has ended.

On average, intimate partner stalkers are the 3 most persistent and dangerous to their victims. Stalking is a terrifying and psychologically harmful crime in its own right as well as a predictor of lethality: in 85% of cases where an intimate partner attempted to murder his partner, stalking occurred the year prior to the attack.

Though millions of men and women are stalked every year in the United States – with a frequent co-occurrence of domestic violence — the crime of stalking is often misunderstood, minimized and/or ignored.

We all have a role to play in identifying stalking and supporting victims and survivors. Learn more at www.stalkingawareness.org about stalking and how you can help stop it!

In support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, The Mary Kay Foundation awarded $2 million in grants to 100 domestic violence shelters across the country.

With more than 1,100 domestic violence shelters from across the country applying for The Mary Kay Foundation shelter grants this year, DASH has been named a 2019 recipient!

DASH will receive a $20,000 unrestricted grant to further the organization’s efforts to combat domestic violence and provide services throughout Washington, DCthat will allow DASH to continue its transformational work throughout the region.

The Mary Kay Foundation was established in 1996 with the overarching purpose of supporting issues impacting women. In 2000, The Foundation expanded to include ending domestic violence as part of its mission. The Foundation is committed to funding the life-saving work of women’s shelters, and the annual shelter grant program has helped finance critical needs including emergency shelter, transitional housing, counseling and legal aid. All of these resources support women and children as they seek refuge and relief on their journey to an abuse-free life.

We are proud to announce that DASH was selected as one of Lyft’s community grant winners this year!

DASH was one of three organizations in DC to be selected to help reduce the barriers that the costs of transportation can impose on survivors of domestic violence.

The Lyft transportation credits will ensure that survivors in our programs have the means to travel and access to travel safely. For one survivor, she fears that her abuser knows her current public transportation route and needs assistance to get to work and her children’s school. For another survivor, the comfort of having staff attend court hearings or medical appointments with her makes her feel safe and the transportation credit can support our staff and survivors traveling safely.

Thanks to Lyft for easing barriers to transportation for survivors in our safe housing programs!

Read more, here.

We are very pleased to announce a decision that marks the next step for DASH. This summer, we welcomed a new Board Chair, Patti DeBow!

Patti has served on DASH’s Board of Directors since 2018. During this time, she has demonstrated an impressive and deep commitment to DASH’s mission and values.

Patti brings a broad set of experience and expertise, including strategic and operational planning, product and service innovation, customer engagement, and data analytics. Most recently, she spent 10 years at Accenture, where she led engagements with government, nonprofit, and commercial organizations.

Patti also has a passion for bringing the best of the commercial sector to nonprofit and public sector organizations – she was perhaps one of the only people to attend the Wharton School of Business and major in Public Policy. She has helped forward-thinking government agencies drive change across their organization, and helped nonprofit executives find ways to operate more efficiently within limited resources.

In addition to her consulting work, Patti has also served on nonprofit boards including the Human Rights Campaign and Arcadia University.  

Please join DASH in welcoming Patti to the DASH Board!

This Spring, DASH was selected to partner with the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) Northern Virginia Chapter and their REstart program.

The REstart program is empowering individuals through education and career opportunities in real estate management. It offers training, mentoring and job placement assistance for participants whose lives have been affected by unemployment, homelessness and domestic violence.

“REstart gave me the belief that it’s never too late for new beginnings.”

We are so proud of our graduates from our Cornerstone and Empowerment Project programs who participated in REstart – 100% participation and graduation! Participants were trained in residential property management and are moving on to internships with the goal of permanent placement in long-term positions in the residential industry.

“My takeaway is being grateful, not only for this opportunity but for the wonderful peers I met. I realized I am not alone in my struggle and everyone deserves a REstart.”

Thanks to the IREM Committee for selecting DASH for this program and to the IREM mentors, hosts and sponsors for supporting the participants from DASH!

This March, we are celebrating the women of DASH — what moves us, what drives us, what inspires us. It is this that fuels our work to ensure that no woman has to choose between staying in an abusive relationship and becoming homeless.

DASH is an organization founded by women, run by women, to keep survivors safe. We are the only domestic violence housing program in DC that welcomes all survivors – regardless of gender identity, however, 95% of survivors in our programs identify as women.

As a safe housing organization, our Building Monitors do invaluable work ensuring that our Cornerstone residence is secure. Their constant vigilance can go unnoticed, but it is their attentiveness that keeps every survivor feeling safe at Cornerstone.

This week, we are featuring our Building Monitor, Linda!

Linda has worked at DASH since 2017. Jessy, our Development & Volunteer Coordinator, sat down with Linda to hear stories about Linda’s experience at DASH and what she values about this work.

Let’s celebrate together this month of March!

#WomensHistoryMonth #WHM2019 #dashdc #womenofdash