Category: In the Press

Georgetown University students Ryan Fan and Zohaib Khalid wanted to learn more about the homeless living in Georgetown, so for their Leadership class, they set out to create a video capturing some of their stories, feelings, and thoughts.

Here is what they learned.

We posted this on our Facebook page in early September, but in case you missed it, Street Sense newspaper recently published a fabulous overview of Georgetown Ministry Center. Check it out if you haven’t already, and if you have read it before, read it again! We think it provides a great description of who we are and what we do.

Recently on our Facebook page, we posted an article about Columbia, S.C.’s plan to evict homeless individuals from the streets surrounding Main Street, a hotspot of shops, banks, and restaurants. (Read about it again in the NY Times.) The plan, to be enforced by police, gave homeless residents three choices: go to a shelter, go to jail, or leave the city.

In the NY Times article, Robert Adelman, a sociologist at the University of Buffalo, points out that “[…] all of these ordinances and policies just redistribute homeless persons. They don’t solve the problem of homelessness. You can’t jail people out of homelessness.” We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again: homelessness it not a crime.

The “solution” to homelessness that Columbia’s city councilors have come up with will not solve homelessness. It merely sends the message of “not in my backyard.” If the city wants to improve the lives of its residents, the focus should be on treatment to those on the streets with mental illnesses and making sure that they have the help they need.

Georgetown Ministry Center (GMC) is proud to announce that the Catalogue for Philanthropy will be featuring GMC’s good work in their 2013-14 Catalogue.

A panel of over 100 expert reviewers from area foundations, corporate giving programs, and peer non-profit organizations evaluated over 210 applications, and Georgetown Ministry Center is one of 73 outstanding nonprofits to be featured in print this year.

“Individual donors can continue to make a real difference, keeping great organizations afloat during these challenging times,” says Barbara Harman, President and Editor of the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington. “Charities were selected for excellence, cost-effectiveness, and impact.”

Georgetown Ministry Center has provided crucial social services to the chronically and most service-resistant homeless for the past twenty-five years and has grown to operate a drop-in center, conduct street outreach, and organize a winter congregation-based shelter. A caring support staff that includes a visiting psychiatrist and general practitioner build meaningful relationships with the homeless at all three locations, working seven days a week to end homelessness one person at a time.

Gunther Stern, Executive Director of Georgetown Ministry Center, says that “the Catalogue’s designation assures donors that their money is providing the highest quality services to the people we serve.” In the past two years, Georgetown Ministry Center has more than doubled the operating hours of its drop in center. On top of the critical case management and medical care they provide, the center includes shower and laundry services, a computer lab, counseling and support groups, and a safe, welcoming escape from the street. Stern hopes that being accepted into the Catalogue for Philanthropy will “encourage donors and volunteers to give generously to ensure that GMC can continue to provide high quality services to the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Now in its eleventh year, the Catalogue’s mission is to connect caring citizens with worthy community causes. The online Catalogue connects donors with volunteer opportunities, events, and more. The Catalogue’s 2013 edition will be released on November 1, and we hope you will take the opportunity to check it out!

When we talk about mental illness, we often try to drive home the message that mental illness affects more than just the person who has it; families and friends suffer too. This article from the Washington Post helps paint a picture of how a mother worries about her son and is trying her best to help him.