Social Services
What is Subsidized Housing?
Subsidized housing is permanent housing in an apartment building where the tenant pays 30% of their income towards rent and the government pays (subsidizes) the rest. There are about 100 buildings in DC with this subsidy, but these buildings are all full to capacity, and each of the buildings maintains a waiting list. Some wait lists are so long that the building is not accepting any new applications. In addition to subsidized housing, other names for these buildings include “Site Based Section 8,” “Project Based Section 8,” or “In House Section 8.”
Who is Eligible?
Any low-income individual or family is eligible to apply for subsidized housing. Each building has its own eligibility criteria:
• Some buildings are open to anyone.
• Senior buildings require a minimum age of 62.
• Some senior buildings allow younger people to apply if they have a disabling condition, but they also require that all household members be at least 18.
How Do I Get On The Wait Lists?
At this time, the only way to get your name on a housing wait list is to complete and submit an application to each apartment building. There is no centralized process to apply. Each building has its own application, its own criteria, and its own wait list. You must apply separately at each building in which you are interested. Building wait lists open and close on individual schedules and are not coordinated with other buildings.
• List of HUD Subsidized Apartment Buildings
Social Services Documents 
RPP Directory 
Pre-Employment Program (PEP)
Bread for the City’s Pre-Employment program (PEP) 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.
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.
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
PEP 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 PEP 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 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.
PEP 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.
Women Empowered
Women 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 and Thursdays
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
2:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Bread for the City distributes diapers each month. In addition, our baby pantry often stocks pull-ups, cereal, bottles, baby wipes, formula, hygiene packets, and other items that support new parents. At this time, diaper sizes 4, 5, and 6 are running low mid-month, and there is a significant need for additional in-kind donation support.
For additional information, contact Shalonda Carr, scarr[at]breadforthecity.org or 202-561-8587 ext.5346.