The District of Columbia is set to invest around $4 million to create 10 “Family Success Centers” east of the Anacostia River in order to provide better support to families living in Wards 7 and 8.
The new initiative titled “Families First D.C.” was announced on December 16 by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and will be implemented through community-based organizations which partners with the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA).
Bowser first proposed the idea in her Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
“When we put families first and support the needs of children and parents, the whole community benefits. Through Families First D.C., we can hear directly from families about the challenges they’re facing and connect them to a wide range of services and programs,” Mayor Bowser said.
“These 10 Family Success Centers represent our commitment to making every neighborhood in D.C. a place where families and children can thrive.”
Through @FamiliesFirstDC, we will create ten Family Success Centers to hear directly about the challenges families face while helping them overcome these challenges.
If you or a family you know needs help, visit https://t.co/qIVNY1iBUZ.#EveryOpportunityToRise pic.twitter.com/RaoVJtiIDM
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) December 16, 2019
According to Bowser’s statement, the main focus of Families First D.C. will be primary prevention services and neighborhood-driven resources for families in the area, expanding protective factors and mitigating trauma so that they can thrive.
The communities that will receive help were chosen based on “social determinants of health data, violence prevention priority areas, and substantiated reports on child abuse and neglect.”
The family success centers are slated to open in October 2020. And their locations are as follows:
Ward 7:
Benning Terrace/Benning Park: East River Family Strengthening Collaborative
Clay Terrace: Sasha Bruce
Mayfair/Paradise: North Capital Collaborative (Project Uplift)
Stoddart Terrace/37th Street: Life Deeds
Benning Road & Minnesota Avenue: East River Family Strengthening Collaborative
Ward 8:
Woodland Terrace: Smart from the Start
Anacostia: Martha’s Table
Congress Heights: Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative
Washington Highlands: A Wider Circle
Bellevue: Community of Hope