Celebrating DC Values

Throughout the month of June, DC Government agencies and community members have come together to celebrate DC values! Mayor Bowser kicked the month off by proclaiming June 2022 as Immigrant Heritage Month, recognizing the rich heritage and contributions of the District’s immigrant community. We were also thrilled to welcome Natalee S. Snider as the new Director of the Mayor’s Office on Caribbean Community Affairs (MOCCA). The work continued as the Mayor announced the appointment of Kari Cooke as the inaugural Director of the Office of Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing. In recognition of Gun Violence Prevention Month, Mayor Bowser and the Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) Director Linda Harllee Harper announced that 20 residents are receiving up to $5,000 each in Building Blocks DC grant funding as part of the Administration’s comprehensive approach to reducing gun violence. This $100,000 funding adds to Mayor Bowser’s $1.2 million cumulative investment in supporting residents who offer gun violence prevention work in their communities. These bold investments are a demonstration of DC values at work, and we are excited about how they will help to advance equity for every Washingtonian.

Mayor Bowser Launches Black Homeownership Strike Force to Combat Racial Wealth Gap

Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) kicked off the Black Homeownership Strike Force (BHSF) by announcing the members who will serve on the committee and work to identify actionable recommendations to increase and support homeownership for Black residents of the District of Columbia. We are excited that Dr. Amber A. Hewitt, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Racial Equity (ORE) has been appointed to the Strike Force. The announcement took place on land that Mayor Bowser fought to reclaim as ANC Commissioner and Councilmember during the ribbon cutting for Riggs Park Place, a 183-unit housing community of townhomes, apartments, and retail located at the intersection of Riggs Road and South Dakota Ave, NE in Ft. Totten. The strike force held its kickoff and first meeting on Thursday, June 23rd to begin addressing the racial disparities in homeownership. If you would like to provide feedback or suggestions for the Black Homeownership Strike Force to consider, please fill out the Black Homeownership Feedback Form. Questions can be emailed to Homeownership@dc.gov. To find existing resources for homeownership, visit frontdoor.dc.gov.

Meet our Policy and Data Analyst

Emily Ruskin is the Office of Racial Equity’s Data & Policy Analyst. She brings more than twelve years of experience in domestic and international immigrant rights and child wellbeing policy to the Mayor’s Office. Most recently she served as the immigration Sr. Policy Analyst at UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza), the nation’s largest Hispanic serving civil rights organization, where she led a research agenda and academic partnership with Brandeis University’s Institute for Child, Youth, and Family Policy. Prior to UnidosUS, Emily served as a policy advisor in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs where she built and led a coalition of international cities to advocate for local government inclusion in the U.N.’s first ever migration accords. She started her career internationally, working primarily in East and Southeast Asia. Emily holds a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs and is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. Fun fact: Emily was a regular on a children’s TV show in Taiwan.

Community Corner

APACC Equity Tour: Friends of Oxon Run

In partnership with Anacostia Parks and Community Collaborative (APACC), ORE is proud to continue our series of equity tours throughout Wards 7 and 8. This month we joined Friends of Oxon Run (FOR), whose mission is to, “address the needs of conservation of natural resources and preservation of green space in Ward 8.” FOR works collaboratively with representatives from the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) in an effort to increase community centered programming, improve safety, preserve green space and make the park a viable destination. For more information and to get involved, visit Friends of Oxon Run online.

Upcoming Community Events

6/28: Summer Fest Columbia Heights

6/29: End Gun Violence Citywide Conference

6/30: 202 for Peace Walk and Community Resource Pop-Up Fair

7/7: Jobs Not Guns Ward 1 Summit and Recruitment Fair

7/9: Northwest Peace Picnic

ORE in Action

Capital Pride 2022

The month of June also marks Pride month which is an annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. Across government, the Mayor invests more than $20 million annually to support programming and services for members of the LGBTQ+ community. This year, DC Government created additional support systems that help build on the public safety ecosystem through initiatives such as a violence prevention and response team to review hate bias incidents identified by the Metropolitan Police Department; programming to help connect returning LGBTQ+ residents to resources; and therapy services and case management for individuals experiencing domestic violence/intimate partner violence.Under Mayor Bowser’s leadership, the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs has expanded to become one of the most robustly resourced offices of its type in the nation. After a two-year hiatus, we joined Mayor Bowser for the return of the Capital Pride Parade!

D.C. Bar Communities Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit

This month, Dr. Amber Hewitt, the District’s Chief Equity Officer and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Racial Equity, participated in a Fireside Chat during this year’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit. The D.C. Bar Communities Office, and the D.C. Bar, have committed continued support to exploring and creating opportunities to increase diversity and address equity issues within the legal profession. The theme for this year’s summit is Putting Best Intentions into Action and aimed to elevate awareness, encourage greater community engagement, as well as cause increased individual reflection. Click here for more information.

Government Partners

Climate Ready DC calls for the District Government to create Community Resilience Hubs. Community Resilience Hubs are community-serving facilities that provide information and services to build resilient communities before, during, and after emergency events.  As climate change brings more flooding, heat waves, and severe storms, Community Resilience Hubs will complement our existing emergency response services and, critically, serve DC communities year-round by promoting health, providing meeting spaces, educating the community about risks and emergency preparedness, and supporting workforce development. Resilient power systems are a critical feature of Community Resilience Hubs since they will need to operate and provide services such as refrigeration, cell phone charging, and communications during outages. Learn more about Community Resilience Hubs and DOEE’s ongoing efforts here.

DC Government Resources

DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)

Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) launched a new $50 million homeownership program to provide financial assistance to residents struggling to make housing related payments. Through the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF), beginning on June 22, 2022 , eligible homeowners can go to haf.dc.gov to apply for grant funding to cover mortgage payments and other property or housing expenses, including utilities, insurance, internet assistance and housing association fees, among other benefits. The HAF program adds to the robust toolkit of resources available in the District of Columbia to support obtaining and maintaining homeownership, particularly for low- to moderate-income residents. Frontdoor.dc.gov, a DC government site launched in 2021, provides a searchable inventory of these programs.  

More information, including eligibility requirements, can be found at haf.dc.gov. Interested applicants may also call (202) 540-7407 Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm if they have questions or want to connect with a housing counselor for a virtual or in-person appointment. 

DC Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE)

Request for Applicants for the Chesapeake Bay Program Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Coordination Grant

DOEE seeks eligible entities to field a person(s) who will facilitate and coordinate the implementation of key elements of the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Implementation Plan. The DOEE-CBP partnership seeks to advance a vision of clean water, abundant life, conserved lands, public access to water, a vibrant cultural heritage, and a diversity of engaged citizens and stakeholders. The deadline to apply is July 22 at 11:59 p.m.For more information and to apply, visit this webpage.

The 2022-23 DC Futures Program

The DC Futures Program aims to help District college students complete their first associate or bachelor’s degree. The program offers last-dollar scholarships (tuition, fees, and cost of attendance) at three local universities in addition to college coaching, as well as personal and financial support services for all participants. One of the eligible majors is a B.A. in Urban Sustainability from the University of the District of Columbia. The application for the 2022-23 school year closes on August 19. Interested individuals are invited to review the student information and submit a DC Futures Program Application.

Request for Proposals for The Environmental Justice Data Fund

The Environmental Justice Data Fund aims to help frontline communities that have been historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental injustice. The Fund will enable frontline communities in the United States to use data to unlock resources, increase their access to Justice40 benefits and federal infrastructure funding, and advocate for new policies that empower communities to address past environmental harm and pave the way to a more sustainable, climate-resilient future. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and will close on September 16. For more information and to apply, visit this webpage.

DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB)

Financial Empowerment Center

Mayor Bowser announced the grand opening of a new Financial Empowerment Center in Ward 8 to help District residents in all eight Wards manage inflationary pressures and increase their financial literacy through free, professional, one-on-one counseling. The Financial Empowerment Center is a key program of DISB’s Office of Financial Empowerment and Education. The center will also highlight other DISB programs such as:

• The Bank on DC Program, which provides mainstream access to financial services, products and financial education to unbanked and under-banked households.
• Financially Fit DC,  which helps residents make budgets and set plans to reach long-term goals with an online financial platform and curated workshops.
• The Opportunity Accounts Program, a matched savings program that allows qualified residents to save up to $1,500 with up to a 4:1 match of $6,000, growing their Opportunity Account contribution up to $7,500.
• The Financial Navigators Program, which helps residents identify and prioritize to manage income disruptions and other financial concerns resulting from the pandemic.

For more information about DISB programs and services, visit disb.dc.gov.

Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes

OST Office Youth Mentorship RFA

The Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes (The OST Office), the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), and the Bowser Administration is excited to release a new grant competition to fund one nonprofit with a history of supporting mentoring programs to manage the Out of School Time (OST) Youth Mentorship Program. The OST Youth Mentorship Program is a new program with the goal of increasing access to college and career mentoring programs for youth ages 11-18 in grades 6-12. The deadline to apply is Monday, July 11, 2022 at 5:00 pm. 

View the complete RFA here. Applications must be submitted here.

Fair Chance Pathways Capacity Building Program

Fair Chance's FREE Pathways Partnership is an 8-month program that aligns leadership and organizational practices to build stronger nonprofits. It is a relationship-based, customized, and intensive program that can help an strengthen their leadership and build the systems, policies, procedures, and tools nonprofit needs. The deadline for applications is Friday, July 1, 2022 at 5:00 pm. More information can be found here.

Events DC Community Grant Program

The Events DC Community Grant Program provides financial support to qualified nonprofit organizations dedicated to supporting children through sports, performing arts, or cultural arts in the District of Columbia. The maximum grant amount is $25,000. Applications must be received by Monday, August  1, 2022. Apply here.

Connect with ORE

ORE is always looking for ways to work with, learn from, and collaborate in our effort to advance racial equity for all Washingtonians