We created our Economic Security team 2021 in direct response to the disproportionate economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community members living with low incomes and/or who are excluded from unemployment benefits or federal stimulus payments. Since beginning this program, we have transferred over $55 million to members of our community. In addition to partnerships in cash transfer projects such as THRIVE, DC Cares, and Let’s GO DMV!, the team has presented their work to various panels across the country, is exploring policy advocacy opportunities for guaranteed basic income programs– and was an organizer for the first annual DC Basic Income March in collaboration with the DC Guaranteed Basic Income Coalition.
According to Mayor’s for a Guaranteed Income, guaranteed income is defined as “a monthly, cash payment given directly to individuals. It is unconditional, with no strings attached and no work requirements. A guaranteed income is meant to supplement, rather than replace, the existing social safety net and can be a tool for racial and gender equity.”
DC CARES – Bread for the City along with CARECEN, CentroNia, Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, Latin American Youth Center, and Mary’s Center, was selected as a core agency to manage applications and distribute funds through the DC Cares Program. Created in response to COVID-19, this program provides financial assistance to workers in the District of Columbia who have been excluded from COVID-19 related unemployment benefits and federal stimulus efforts.
- 3 rounds so far (most recent round closed in July 2022)
- $49.6M disbursed
THRIVE East of the River was an innovative direct cash assistance project. Bread for the City worked together with 11th Street Bridge Park, Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, and Martha’s Table to provide more than 600 Ward 7 and 8 households impacted by COVID-19 shutdowns with $5,500 in cash, groceries, diapers, and other dry goods; and assistance with financial counseling and job readiness. The project demonstrated an innovative model of direct service: one that is immediately responsive to community needs and helps families stay housed, stable, and fully resourced even during times of job loss, unemployment, and healthcare stress. THRIVE disbursed over $3.3 million in cash relief to 605 families.
- Link to THRIVE report and field guide from Urban:
Let’s GO DMV! – Let’s Guarantee Opportunity (GO) DMV! is a 5-year, double bottom-line guaranteed income (GI) pilot in the DC region that provides:
- $1,000 per month–no strings attached– to 75 hospitality workers who lost their jobs due to COVID
- Rallies foundations to raise and deploy capital for local impact investments that will generate the income needed to sustain the GI payments to the workers
- Makes the case for government-supported programs and policies that advance economic justice
The pilot grew from the vision of Venorica “Vee” Tucker, a longtime hospitality worker, organizer with Restaurant Opportunities Centers of Washington DC (ROC-DC) and community member in if, A Foundation for Radical Possibility’s network.
Project partners include if, Amalgamated Bank, Amalgamated Foundation, Bread for the City, DC Guaranteed Income Coalition, Greater Washington Community Foundation, ROC-DC, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers and Whitman-Walker Health.
DC Guaranteed Basic Income Coalition – Bread for the City is a partner in the DC GBI Coalition, which mission encompasses two primary overarching goals:
- Pass a permanent guaranteed income for all in Washington, D.C., enabling all marginalized individuals and communities to meet their basic needs and live with dignity and joy.
- Protect and strengthen the current social safety net through policies that advance economic mobility.
Many guaranteed income participants face an issue called the benefits cliff effect. According to the DC GBI Coalition, the benefits cliff effect refers to an increase in a public benefits recipient’s income which can negatively impact or reduce the amount of their benefits. TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, and housing subsidies are examples of benefits that are impacted by the benefits cliff effect. DC Guaranteed Income Coalition is working with allies, local and national, to explore and support measures and policies to mitigate and indeed eliminate negative impacts on their social safety net benefits. Community members are welcome to join the Coalition’s meetings virtually or in person on the third Thursday of each month at 5 pm EST. Follow the DCGI Coalition on Twitter or head to their website to register for their next meeting.
Social Services
Social Services Documents 
RPP Directory 
Economic Security Program
We created our Economic Security team 2021 in direct response to the disproportionate economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community members living with low incomes and/or who are excluded from unemployment benefits or federal stimulus payments. Since beginning this program, we have transferred over $55 million to members of our community. In addition to partnerships in cash transfer projects such as THRIVE, DC Cares, and Let’s GO DMV!, the team has presented their work to various panels across the country, is exploring policy advocacy opportunities for guaranteed basic income programs– and was an organizer for the first annual DC Basic Income March in collaboration with the DC Guaranteed Basic Income Coalition.
According to Mayor’s for a Guaranteed Income, guaranteed income is defined as “a monthly, cash payment given directly to individuals. It is unconditional, with no strings attached and no work requirements. A guaranteed income is meant to supplement, rather than replace, the existing social safety net and can be a tool for racial and gender equity.”
DC CARES – Bread for the City along with CARECEN, CentroNia, Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, Latin American Youth Center, and Mary’s Center, was selected as a core agency to manage applications and distribute funds through the DC Cares Program. Created in response to COVID-19, this program provides financial assistance to workers in the District of Columbia who have been excluded from COVID-19 related unemployment benefits and federal stimulus efforts.
THRIVE East of the River was an innovative direct cash assistance project. Bread for the City worked together with 11th Street Bridge Park, Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, and Martha’s Table to provide more than 600 Ward 7 and 8 households impacted by COVID-19 shutdowns with $5,500 in cash, groceries, diapers, and other dry goods; and assistance with financial counseling and job readiness. The project demonstrated an innovative model of direct service: one that is immediately responsive to community needs and helps families stay housed, stable, and fully resourced even during times of job loss, unemployment, and healthcare stress. THRIVE disbursed over $3.3 million in cash relief to 605 families.
Let’s GO DMV! – Let’s Guarantee Opportunity (GO) DMV! is a 5-year, double bottom-line guaranteed income (GI) pilot in the DC region that provides:
The pilot grew from the vision of Venorica “Vee” Tucker, a longtime hospitality worker, organizer with Restaurant Opportunities Centers of Washington DC (ROC-DC) and community member in if, A Foundation for Radical Possibility’s network.
Project partners include if, Amalgamated Bank, Amalgamated Foundation, Bread for the City, DC Guaranteed Income Coalition, Greater Washington Community Foundation, ROC-DC, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers and Whitman-Walker Health.
DC Guaranteed Basic Income Coalition – Bread for the City is a partner in the DC GBI Coalition, which mission encompasses two primary overarching goals:
Many guaranteed income participants face an issue called the benefits cliff effect. According to the DC GBI Coalition, the benefits cliff effect refers to an increase in a public benefits recipient’s income which can negatively impact or reduce the amount of their benefits. TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, and housing subsidies are examples of benefits that are impacted by the benefits cliff effect. DC Guaranteed Income Coalition is working with allies, local and national, to explore and support measures and policies to mitigate and indeed eliminate negative impacts on their social safety net benefits. Community members are welcome to join the Coalition’s meetings virtually or in person on the third Thursday of each month at 5 pm EST. Follow the DCGI Coalition on Twitter or head to their website to register for their next meeting.
Workforce Development Program
Bread for the City’s Workforce Development Program works closely with unemployed and underemployed clients by providing a continuum of life management and job readiness training services that are individualized, holistic and goal specific.
The program helps BFC clients develop the skills necessary to secure and retain employment through a four-tiered approach: job readiness workshops, case management, life skills coaching, and job placement.
Job Readiness Workshops
Job Readiness Workshops operate for five-week sessions, with classes held twice weekly. Workshop topics include: resume and cover letter writing, job search strategies, interviewing skills, work ethics, time management, interpersonal and communication skills, and job retention.
Case Management
Case Managers conduct initial assessments for clients new to the program. They lead clients in individualized goal setting and in the development of clients’ individual life skills/work readiness plans. Case Managers provide direct weekly support to clients. In addition, they provide information and referrals to appropriate programs to help clients achieve goals. Case Managers also meet with prospective employers and job training/placement programs in support of participants’ progress toward successful employment.
Life Skills Coaching
Volunteer mentors, called Life Skills Coaches, work individually with each client via telephone, email, and meetings at BFC’s Southeast Center. They help clients develop the skills they are learning in class and reinforce the support and direction that clients receive from their case managers. Life Skills Coaches edit resumes and cover letters, teach clients how to conduct Internet job searches, conduct mock interviews and more. Most importantly, coaches provide our clients with the sense of support and confidence they need to truly enter the workforce.
Job Placement
Once our clients reach graduation, 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 graduates found work, or entered an educational/job training program.
Workforce Development clients benefit from additional programs at Bread for the City that are critical to helping students meet their basic human needs while they gain the necessary skills to find employment. In addition to our clothing closet that provides students with appropriate interview apparel, our medical clinic provides free job physicals to enable students to complete job applications.
Representative Payee Program (RPP)
Department Phone Line: 202.386.7016
Bread for the City provides representative payee services to Washington, DC residents who need assistance in managing their personal financial affairs. The Representative Payee Program (RPP) provides payee services, under a contract with the DC Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), to consumers with chronic mental illness who are referred by a case manager of DBH or an affiliated Core Service Agency.
The Representative Payee Program helps DBH clients manage various types of income, including Social Security benefits (retirement or disability), Supplemental Security Income, and Civil Service Pensions.
Forms from our Representative Payee Program may be found in the Social Services Documents.
What is a Representative Payee?
A Representative Payee is an individual or an organization designated to receive disability benefits on a client’s behalf. The Representative Payee then helps the client to budget the money and disburses the funds to pay for current needs, including housing and utilities, food, medical expenses, personal care and clothing. The Representative Payee must keep records of how the client’s money is spent. This information is reported regularly to the Social Security Administration or to the Office of Personnel Management.
How does the Representative Payee Program work?
Clients enrolled in Bread for the City’s Representative Payee Program work with their mental health service providers and Bread for the City staff to make sure that all of their financial needs are met.
The client’s case manager at the DC Department of Behavioral Health or a DBH affiliated Core Service Agency makes an initial referral to Bread for the City for payee services. The client is enrolled at a start-up meeting with the case manager and a Representative Payee Program staff member during which we discuss how the services work.
After enrollment, Bread for the City applies to the Social Security Administration or Office of Personnel Management to become the client’s Representative Payee. The client and his or her mental health case manager meet regularly to set and review the client’s monthly budget and discuss any emergency spending requests. Bread for the City relies on the case manager to be in regular contact with the client and keep Bread for the City informed about changes in the client’s needs that might affect the budget or benefits.
Contacting the Representative Payee Program
The RPP can be reached by phone at 202.386.7016 – the Program Assistant is able to answer many questions about the status of client accounts and requests. The program assigns a RPP Coordinator to work with the clients and staff based on the DBH provider where the client is enrolled.
Please see the RPP Directory in the documents section for further details on how to contact us.
Behavioral Health
Bread for the City’s Behavioral Health Specialists work with the healthcare providers in the medical clinic to help patients with their behavioral health needs. Among other interventions, our specialists teach patients healthy coping skills, exercises that calm the body’s nervous system, and practice cognitive restructuring to challenge negative thinking that could lead to depression and anxiety.
Community Empowered
Community Empowered is a wellness program for BFC clients that seeks to help them to achieve overall wellness of the mind, body, and spirit. Participants are assigned a wellness coordinator and included in a supportive environment offering a wealth of workshops and activities.
For additional information, please contact Donnie Hampton, SE Social Services Supervisor, at 202-587-0530.
Diaper Program
Diaper Program
Southeast Center only
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Please call 202 -301-1657 for detailed information on how to request diapers from the BFC Diaper Program. DC residents can receive free diapers from the BFC Diaper Program once a month. Diapers can be picked up at the Southeast Center located at 1700 Good Hope Rd, SE, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 am – 4 pm. Please note that there are currently limited delivery slots on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Llame al 202-301-1657 para obtener información detallada sobre cómo solicitar pañalesdel Programa de pañales de BFC. Los residentes de DC pueden recibir pañalesgratis solo una vez al mes. Los pañales se pueden recoger en el SE Centerubicado en 1700 Good Hope Rd, SE los martes, miércoles, y jueves de 10 am a 4 pm. Tenga encuenta que hay espacios para entrega muy limitados y será para los primeros quese apunten.
We gladly accept donations of new and unopened diapers and other baby supplies during Bread for the City’s hours of operation.
Here are our biggest diaper program needs at the moment:
We prefer to receive donations at our Southeast Center, but we will also accept donations at our Northwest Center. Thank you!