Blog

Donate to Bread for the City TODAY, and one of our generous donors will match every donation we receive for our Southeast Center expansion, up to $40,000.

Bread for the City’s CEO George A. Jones provides an overview of the potential impact of our new Southeast Center.

Bread for the City was there for Terri through five daughters and many of life’s ups and downs. “There were times when I got laid off from a job. I’d think, ‘Here we go again.’ But Bread was always there.”

And now, Terri is there for Bread for the City—as a staff member! After going through our community organizers training, she was hired as a community organizer. Today, she helps individuals who are struggling—very much like she was—to find their voices and advocate for their rights. Specifically, Terri is passionate about fighting for affordable housing for residents of the district and has even testified at a District of Columbia Housing Authority commissioners meeting.

Meet Terri and other Southeast Center leaders at the groundbreaking for our new Southeast Center on Thursday, May 17th at 9am. RSVP here: www.breadforthecity.org/groundbreaking.

What a night! Our 2018 Building on Good Hope Gala was truly one for the books. We had a blast celebrating our new Southeast Center, bidding on awesome auction packages, dancing to the Brass Connection Band, and of course, raising money to support our poverty relief services and advocacy programs.

BFC attorney Samantha Beckett questions whether DC’s policy is aligned with DC’s stated values on affordable housing, and she calls for long-term housing solutions for families experiencing homelessness.

BFC Managing Attorney Rebecca Lindhurst testified on Thursday, April 19th to the DC City Council regarding the proposal to sever functions of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and create a new Department of Buildings. Part of the function that will move is the division managing tenant inspections. Advocates are concerned that (even with the severing of the agency) tenants will still face the same problems with getting inspections and having the agency follow through and properly enforce the housing code. Lindhurst’s testimony focuses on a specific Tenant Protection Division.

Tracy Davis is a BFC managing attorney and supervises the family law work of our legal clinic. Her advocacy work was recently recognized by her alma mater, American University’s Washington College of Law., where she was one recipient of the Peter M. Cicchino Public Service Award.

Last week, Advocacy Director Aja Taylor offered testimony at the Department of Human Services budget hearing about the need for anti-racism training within city agencies to root out biases that lead to policies that continue to disadvantage the city’s Black and Brown residents. At Bread for the City, we work with residents living with low incomes to develop the power to determine the future of their own communities. Part of that work is calling out the people and policies that make life harder for those we serve. The following is a portion of Aja’s oral testimony.