Friendship Place

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)Friendship Place is a leading DC provider of PSH for highly vulnerable, chronically homeless individuals and families. The PSH programs are based on a low-barrier, Housing First service model and include scattered-site apartments and a site-based apartment building for 40 men. Case managers help participants transition directly from homelessness into housing, and then provide long-term support to address the full range of their needs and empower them to achieve personal goals for recovery, wellness, self-sufficiency, and integration into the community.During the year ended September 30, 2024, 188 PSH families and 352 PSH individuals were served. PSH housing programs ended the fiscal year with a housing retention rate of 95%.

Short Term Family FacilityThe Brooks: The short-term family housing facility was opened in April 2020 as part of the District's efforts to end homelessness among families. With the capacity to serve up to 50 families at a time, The Brooks is designed to address the needs of resident families with wrap-around supportive services, clinical supports, child programming, and housing-solutions with a goal of moving families from shelter to stable housing within 90 days of entry. During the year ended September 30, 2024, 167 families were served (encompassing 535 total persons), and 134 households exited (72% to stable housing and 53% of families exited in less than 90 days).The Aston, a new Bridge Housing program, officially opened in November 2024 with capacity to serve over 100 individuals at a given time.

Outreach ServicesAimHire: Empowers homeless and at-risk adults to secure stable employment and housing, through individualized, person-centered, wraparound services. The program addresses the needs of people with significant barriers to employment and housing, such as criminal records, histories of substance abuse or mental illness, spotty work histories, and poor credit and rental records. During the year ended September 30, 2024, 140 people were placed into jobs, with an average starting wage of $19.59 per hour.Welcome CenterStreet Outreach: Friendship Place conducts Street Outreach to men and women experiencing homelessness in upper Northwest DC, with a special focus on the hardest-to-serve those who have been on the streets for an extended period of time, who have mental health and/or substance abuse issues, and who are disconnected from DC's continuum of care. During the year ended September 30, 2024, 74 individuals were served.Drop-in: Through Friendship Place's Welcome Center, visitors can help themselves to a cup of coffee, a meal, and free necessities such as toiletries, Metro passes, undergarments, and rain ponchos. Visitors can also use the phone or a computer or do laundry, receive mail, and meet with a case manager to take steps to rebuild their lives. During the year ended September 30, 2024, 1,219 individuals received service, including 205 who received assistance to successfully obtain vital documents.Free Clinic: Anyone who comes through the door of Friendship Place's Welcome Center can get free access to a doctor, nurse, or psychiatrist. There are no insurance or even ID requirements, and same-day appointments are available. Services were scaled during the year due to COVID-19 and the availability of practitioners.Access to Housing: Friendship Place's staff can help visitors access housing services anywhere in the District, not just at Friendship Place.Youth ServicesBefore Thirty: Provides individualized, person-centered, and developmentally-informed supportive services and counseling to homeless and at-risk 17- to 29-year-olds. During the year ended September 30, 2024, 80 young people were served. 60% reported progress towards at least one financial, educational, employment, or health goal.Youth Connect: Outreaches to youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who are economically or emotionally detached from their families and are homeless, unstably housed, living in doubled-up circumstances, in transitional housing, in shelter, or on the street. During the year ended September 30, 2024, 256 youth were served.

Volunteer and Community EngagementFriendship Place actively solicits the support of volunteers. During the year ended September 30, 2024, more than 1,055 people provided volunteer service in every program and at every level of the organization, providing over 10,550 volunteer hours. The community engagement program also involves community members in advocacy for positive solutions to homelessness at the Federal and DC levels, and coordinates a speakers' bureau that offers educational presentations to community groups.