Help UPO Help the DC Homeless

On Friday January 24^th UPO celebrated the groundbreaking for a new, 100% affordable housing development at 1550 1st St. SW DC, between Nationals Park and Audi Field. It’s the first new affordable building in this Ward 6 neighborhood in over a decade. Previously 2 stores were on the property; so no existing homes were displaced. In anticipation of this day, UPO became a certified provider of Permanent Supportive Housing services for DC residents. On the ground, this means that UPO will be the onsite case manager, helping residents who earn 30% or less of the area’s median income.

We cemented our partnership with TM Associates, the developer of this property. Our deepest thanks go to Dana Jones, UPO’s immediate past President and CEO, whose 40-year relationship with Bob Margolis, the CEO of TM Associates, was the spark that lit this flame. By taking this bold approach—homes of market-rate quality, exclusively for people who earn 50% or less of the area’s median income—UPO has made the first ripple in the pond. Sheila Miller, Deputy Director for Programs at DC’s Dept. of Housing and Community Development, called it “unprecedented” for the city. Our hope is that it becomes a model for how such projects are done across the District and beyond.

UPO's mission is Uniting People with Opportunities. As the designated community action agency for DC, UPO serves DC homeless through our programs. UPO Shelter Hotline vans transported 186,416 people to shelters last year. As we help the homeless to self-sufficiency, we believe that they deserve the decency of basic comfort items that we can take for granted.We provide comfort items for the homeless people we assist, from feminine items to care packages, water, food trays and protective clothing when we transport them to shelters during hypothermia alerts and inclement weather.

UPO’s Office of Early Learning provides children of homeless families with free education and family support. Adult Education & Training, Building Careers Academy and Workforce Development provide free job training. We are excited that our new Affordable Housing Division will provide an essential additional option in our services provided to the 6,500 DC homeless Shelter Hotline currently serves.

Please join us in our ongoing efforts on behalf of the DC homeless by making a generous gift to Help UPO Help the DC Homeless. Your support will provide funding for the much needed care packages, water, food trays and protective clothing we distribute, so greatly appreciated by our Homeless DC residents when we transport them to shelters.