BFC In the News

“The goal of our harm-reduction program — including the vending machines — is to provide easy, low-barrier access to medical supplies and wellness supplies to people that need it the most.”

A group of six nonprofit legal service organizations and 19 law firms are reviving a pilot program that matches some tenants facing eviction with free legal assistance, reviving a pre-pandemic effort that helped dozens of families stay in their homes.

Attorneys at Bread for the City are representing residents of the Kenilworth Courts, a public housing complex in DC. Kenilworth was once a model of government-funded housing, but it fell into extreme disrepair. In 2012, a redevelopment plan was initiated, aiming to raze and rebuild the complex in three phases. The plan included promises of job opportunities for residents and the ability to move back without reapplying for public housing. However, delays, broken promises, and a lack of transparency have left residents frustrated.

Bread for the City, a D.C.-based nonprofit supporting underserved communities, filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the District of Columbia’s practice of sending police officers rather than mental health providers to respond to mental health emergencies. Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of D.C., and the law firm of Sheppard Mullin, the community organization alleges that the disparity in how the District responds to physical and mental health emergencies violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.

George Jones is the CEO of Washington, DC-based Bread for the City, which supports people living with low incomes to develop their power to determine the future of their own communities. They provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. And in working to solve some of the cities most pressing challenges, George Jones is one of the very best.

That’s what you get when you discover your calling at 12 years old, as George did, realizing early on that his journey was one rooted in justice and equity. Today, he lives at the intersection of race, racism, and poverty, and through Bread for the City and his work as an evangelist for equity, he carries he believe that DC can be not just an antiracist city, but a beloved city of peace and equity.

Today, George sits down with Carrie to talk about the root causes that exist around poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity in DC, but we hope you learn, too, that missions can come from anywhere, at any age, and he is a model and inspiration for us all. Our great thanks to George Jones for his wisdom this week.