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Last winter, we met Warren, a quiet, friendly guy, who sat in our center reading or helping staff keep the center clean. We took him in to our winter shelter and began to work with him to help him find work and housing.

Through a community service group we started with the Georgetown BID, Warren proved to be a hard worker. A few weeks after he started volunteering with the BID, he joined the Block by Block Street Cleaning Team as a full-time employee!

Warren wrote GMC a letter of appreciation. We hope it will warm your hearts as much as it did ours.

To Whom It May Concern,

This letter is being written to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to GMC Ministries.  A few months ago, my life had taken a turn for the worse. I had been lay-off and what I once called home, no longer existed.  With no money, no home or a job, I was slowly losing the hope and peace, I had within.  Until, a friend directed me to the GMC Ministries, in hopes of regaining my self-respect and re-building my confidence.  In my heart, I always know and felt that I was a good person, who believed in higher power and that He would not put no more on me than I could bear.  GMC Ministries afforded me the opportunity to get back on my feet and to establish a solid foundation.  Through this ministry, shelter, food and clothing were given not only to me, but to others who participated in the program. This ministry provided physical and mental screening, training sessions where resumes could update and submitted for employment and substance abuse counseling and so on.  In addition, there were volunteering opportunities where I one could be recruited and hired for a full-time position.  As a result, I had been hired by Block By Block Cleaning Company.  Now, I have something to look forward to and to be proud of.

I would like to give a special thanks to the GMC staff members Gunther, Roy, Stephanie and others for trusting and believing me when I did believe in myself.

Thank you for showing so much compassion, love and concern for others who had fallen on hard times.  May God bless and keep you always.

Sincerely,

Warren

The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness just released the results of the 2013 Point in Time survey. Click here to view the survey results.

Some stats from the report:

• Literally homeless persons in 2013: 6,859
• Unsheltered persons in 2013: 512
• Single persons in emergency shelter: 2,459
• Single persons in transitional housing: 725

For single homeless adults:

• 7.8% have limited English proficiency
• 15.3% are U.S. military veterans
• 10.2% have a history of domestic violence
• 66.7% are chronically homeless

The report is presented in an easy-to-read and understand format. It’s not pages and pages of words, so take a look!

And, thank you again to everyone who participated in the 2013 Point in Time survey!

Our current clothes closet wishlist: PANTS!

We receive many requests for pants and do not have many pairs to give away. Most of our requests are for men’s pants, since most of our members are men, but our ladies have also been asking. Most people are asking for jeans or khakis. Men’s sizes: 32-38 waists, Women’s sizes: 6-12.

Other items that are often requested:

• socks and underwear (we have a lot of XL, but no smaller sizes)
• feminine hygiene products (sanitary napkins and tampons)
• XXL or XXXL t-shirts or sweatshirts
• men’s shoes, size 10-14. We’ve also had a request for a size 17 shoe. Can you help us find that tricky size?

Can you help us with other items that we need?

• Washcloths and towel — they always start disappearing at an alarming rate when the weather warms up!
• Pens
• Travel-sized toiletries

Thank you! Donations can be dropped off at GMC between 8am and 4pm any day of the week.

We often host students from out of state for service projects or alternative spring breaks. Last Thursday, we were able to introduce students from Howard University to the issue of homelessness that occurs right in their city. Staying local for their spring break, these students visited various sites in D.C. to learn about an issue that is so prevalent in their backyard.

GMC staff designed a survey for our members to help us develop a better understanding of the population we serve and what they need. Among standard questions such as age, we also wanted to know what benefits people already had versus what they need, as well as what health issues our members have and whether or not they are receiving treatment. We had these students from Howard survey and chat with our members, and then we took them to do street outreach so that they could survey the people we regularly see on the street.

Special thanks to Natalie, a senior at Howard University, for organizing the group!

NPR recently had a segment about health care, aging, and homelessness. We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to listen to the piece and read the short article on the NPR website.

This piece came out right before the first day of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council 2013 conference, which is taking place right here in Washington, D.C. Dr. Catherine Crosland, who visits GMC on Thursdays, is presenting at the conference. We will recap her presentation after the conference. Stay tuned!