Blog / Social Services

Bread for the City, a direct services agency in Washington, DC, that serves over 32,000 DC residents living on low incomes, has received $750,000 in immediate support of its Legal Clinic’s housing law efforts. Bread for the City’s attorneys work to increase access to affordable and stable housing for residents of Washington, DC in the face of redevelopment, displacement, and discrimination. They prevent or delay eviction, prevent termination from critically-needed subsidy programs, and represent tenants and tenant associations.

The DC Council recently passed a few laws that give DC renters new rights. For example, no landlord can serve a 30-Day Notice on a tenant until at least 60 days after the end of the Public Health Emergency. In DC, the 30-Day Notice generally has to come before the filing of an eviction case, so this added protection will give folks a little more time before their landlords begin the process to evict them.

It’s against this backdrop that we issue this statement expressing our deep disappointment in the agreement recently signed by the Office of the Attorney General and the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) settling a lawsuit filed against DCHA for their failure to abate nuisances at 10 of their properties.

2020 has delivered one blow after another, now we have received a real gut punch with the heartbreaking news that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lost her courageous battle with cancer.

Before our hours of operation changed due to COVID-19, Bread for the City’s Intern Fatima Bravo shadowed our Care Management Specialist, Brittany Ferreras, as she worked with patients to address their physical and emotional health in our Health Resource Room.

All throughout the month of March, Bread for the City is celebrating Social Work Month by hearing directly from our social services staff. Read on to see how Ashley Moore, our Associate Director of Care Management, works with national and community groups to improve the SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) process.

The Bread for the City family would like to congratulate the 19 new graduates of our Pre-Employment Program!

PEP helps BFC clients develop the skills necessary to secure and retain employment. PEP accomplishes through a four-tiered approach: job readiness workshops, case management, life skills coaching, and job placement.

Once our PEP clients reach graduation, they enter our workforce development program to put their new skills into action. We help connect graduates with job opportunities, and we even offer paid internships for graduates right here at Bread for the City. Last year, 71% of PEP graduates found work, or entered an educational/job training program.

Six of our new grads have found employment with another headed to school to become an electrician.