Category: Events

Georgetown 5k Race Against Homelessness

Registration is now open for the Georgetown 5k Race Against Homelessness! Join us and the Center for Social Justice at Georgetown University for a 2k walk or 5k run, followed by a cookout, music, and lawn games. There will be prizes, food, and fun!

Walk or run by yourself or get your family, coworkers, or friends together to create a team. Registration allows you to participate in the walk/race, receive a swag bag, and t-shirt. If you can’t make the event, we hope you’ll consider supporting a friend who can come or donating to support the important work that we do.

Our New Donations Policy

Due to changes we are making to our clothes closet, we are no longer able to accept general clothing donations. Please see our post about our new donation policy to learn more.

We have three announcements to share with you this week:

Summer Homeless Census in Georgetown

Every winter, there is a nationwide count of homeless persons called the Point in Time survey. The Georgetown BID and GMC are working together to conduct a summer version of the Point in Time survey in Georgetown, and we need your help!

We are looking for volunteers to help us with the count that is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 24 at 9pm. Volunteers will receive a brief training before breaking up into teams to cover certain areas of Georgetown and Foggy Bottom. The night usually takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours.

Volunteers should be 16 years or older and able to walk at least a mile. If they have one, volunteers should also bring a flashlight. If you are interested, please email Stephanie Chan at stephanie@gmcgt.org

Clothing Closet Changes

A few days ago, we announced on our blog some upcoming changes to our clothing closet. Just as a reminder, we are moving our clothing closet to a smaller space and can no longer accept general clothing donations. Instead, we have updated our wish list on our website and are encouraging people to take a look at our Amazon.com Wishlist.

Supplies Needed

We have a fabulous volunteer, Kirsten, who is a psychologist and hoping to start an art therapy group in our center. Please help us get this off the ground by donating crayons and newsprint pads! You can find more details on our Amazon Wishlist.

Update your Spring wardrobe

Enjoy light refreshments

and HELP Georgetown Ministry Center!

Looking for an easy and fun way to treat yourself and help GMC? Next Wednesday, April 9, enjoy refreshments while you shop at J. McLaughlin in Georgetown (3278 M Street NW). Our 2013 Spirit of Georgetown honoree, Page Evans, will be there, and 15% of sales will benefit Georgetown Ministry Center!

Where have all the patients gone? 

Representative Tim Murphy opened yesterday’s House subcommittee hearing on the shortage of psychiatric beds with this question. A panel of experts, including GMC’s own Gunther Stern, spoke for over two hours about the lack of adequate mental health care and the impact it has on families, taxpayers’ dollars, and our society.

This hearing, held by The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, is part of the Committee’s ongoing oversight of Federal spending on research and treatments for mental illness. The hearing, as described in the hearing’s memo,  examined “the strain that this shortage exerts on the seriously mentally ill throughout our communities in the form of homelessness as well as increased contact with law enforcement and the criminal justice system, more generally.”

Keep reading for a few excerpts from panelists’ testimonies.

Read more…

This has been a brutally winter. The entire city has been working extremely hard to make sure no one dies from exposure this season. In addition to the hypothermia vans and shelters, this year the city started stationing warming buses throughout the city, where the homeless can board and warm up for 30 minutes, 3 hours, the entire night… however long they need. We have heard great feedback from our homeless guests and other providers about the success of these buses.

Still, there are people who are sleeping outside, whose mental illness prevents them from coming inside, or who think they are strong enough to brave the cold, wind, and snow. During the day, GMC staff and our medical team checks on these individuals. However, we can’t often do outreach at night, when people are most vulnerable.

And so, we decided to create a group of volunteers to do street outreach for us when it gets cold and when the weather’s supposed to be bad.

Read more…