Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (AP Photo)
Continuing the Pathways to the Middle Class Tour, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Brenda Donald hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 26 for a transitional home for young people who need support to live independently and succeed.
The home, located in Congress Heights, would fill a necessary gap for young adults aging out of foster care that could prevent them from entering homeless shelters.
In a partnership between the Child and Family Services Agency and the Department of Behavioral Health, the 18-month program will help young people between the ages of 18-24 – mostly those who are aging out of foster care – who might otherwise be homeless build the skills they need to be self-sufficient.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Youth Transitional Home .(Courtesy of Twitter @ MayorBowser)
“There are property owners in the community in all eight wards that have stepped up and offered to lease the property to the city for such purposes. We want to make sure that young people in vulnerable communities throughout the city also find a pathway to the middle class,” Bowser said.
The event was part of Bowser’s week-long effort leading up to the March 31 State of the District Address to highlight ways the administration is helping to create economic opportunities for District residents.
Bowser and Donald were joined by the Department of Behavioral Health’s Interim Director Barbara J. Bazron, Department of General Services’ Interim Director Jonathan Kayne, DC Child and Family Services Agency’s Deputy Director Debra Porchia Usher and representatives of the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative.
