Washington

Stepping Stones Research Update – May 2009

Posted on by Liza Getsinger

As part of our ongoing commitment – in partnership with The Urban Institute – to providing information and resources related to the goals of Stepping Stones, please find below a summary of recent research on issues of economic security and financial independence for women and their families.

This research is summarized and complied for The Women’s Foundation by Liza Getsinger of The Urban Institute, NeighborhoodInfo DC.

Financial Education and Wealth Creation News
The Urban Institute looks at the likelihood that nonelderly individuals in families with children experience substantial drops in family income and recoveries from such drops. (Intro) (Full Text)

Jobs and Business Ownership News
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research looks at wage differences between men and women across several different occupations. (Full Text)

Child Care and Early Education News
ChildTrends shows research findings on the link between program quality and children’s outcomes among state and federal government invested programs in early care and education. (Intro) (Full Text)

Health and Safety News
The Kaiser Family Foundation explores how problems obtaining oral health and dental care disproportionately affect low-income and minority children. (Intro) (Full Text)

Other News and Research
The Urban Institute documents the extent to which foreclosures in Washington D.C. have occurred in renter-occupied homes and apartments, and outlines several policy options for helping renters during this difficult period. (Abstract) (Full Text)

We're celebrating $1.1 million in grantmaking this year!

Posted on by Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat

As school lets out for the summer, there are many proud moments to celebrate, whether it’s a graduation milestone, a decent report card or the beginning of something new.

Here at The Women’s Foundation, we’re celebrating meeting an ambitious goal: maintaining our grantmaking as we close out the fiscal year!  With our most recent approval of grants, we hit our goal of granting $1.1 million to nonprofits working to improve the lives of women and girls in our region.

Our Stepping Stones grants support critical work in the areas of financial education, job training and early care and education, all of which provide the essential tools and support needed to assist low-income women and their families during these tough economic times.

Organizations like Community Tax Aid, Doorways for Women and Families, and Manna, Inc. will continue their work with low-income, women-headed families by providing them with the financial education and tax prep assistance needed to start them on a path of economic success.

SOME and Year Up are providing the job training that is essential to putting women on a career pathway.

Food stamps are an important work support and play a critical role in moving a women and her family out of poverty.  DC Hunger Solutions will continue its advocacy work to ensure that eligible women and their children are receiving food stamps.

Another key work support is access to quality child care. Montgomery College Foundation, Prince George’s Child Resource Center and WETA will work to improve the quality of early care and education.

Now more than ever, nonprofit organizations face a myriad of challenges and navigating complex systems can be overwhelming. The Human Services Coalition of Prince George’s County will work to improve public policies so they enhance, rather than hinder, the effectiveness of the work nonprofits do on behalf of low-income, women-headed families in Prince George’s County.

Through our Open Door Capacity Fund, we’re funding capacity building work that aims to shore up the long-term sustainability of organizations. This work is essential to ensuring that these organizations have the necessary resources to address key organizational and operational improvements, while maintaining the much-needed services they provide to our region’s at-risk women and girls.

Please take a moment to review our most recent grants and take pride knowing that together we’re making a difference in the lives of women and girls in our community.

Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat is the Vice President, Programs at The Women’s Foundation.

Congratulations to the Catalogue for Philanthropy Greater Washington's 2009-2010 Class!

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Every year, the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington chooses our region’s best, brightest and most promising nonprofits to feature. 

The list is a prestigious one given that organizations are vetted by a diverse, knowledgeable group of stakeholders throughout the community who know our region, its issues and the organizations and work that is making a difference–much like the volunteer committees and giving circles that participate in The Women’s Foundation’s grantmaking processes.

Not only is The Women’s Foundation proud to have a number of staff members who volunteer on the review committee, but each year, we are always thrilled to see our own Grantee Partners make the list!

Last year, there was a lot of overlap, and this year is no different.  Today, when the Catalogue of Philanthropy: Greater Washington Class of 2009-2010 was announced, we were proud to note the following Grantee Partners listed:

Centro Familia, which engages immigrant families in early care and education
Urban Alliance Foundation, which facilitates year-long professional internship opportunities for at-risk youth
ASHA for Women, which empowers South Asian women to live free of abuse
Through the Kitchen Door International, which provides life and employment skills training that changes trainees’ lives
Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE), which provides legal, economic, counseling and educational services for domestic violence victims
Pregnancy Aid Center, which provides prenatal and health care for women and newborns in need
Doorways for Women and Families, which provides shelter and services for homeless families and domestic violence survivors
Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition, a transitional and supportive housing program serving homeless and low-income people
Tahirih Justice Center, which protects immigrant women and girls who are fleeing gender-based violence
Computer C.O.R.E., which provides job-readiness training in computer and life skills for low-income adults
Jubilee Jobs, which provides compassionate, skilled job placement and ongoing support
STRIVE DC, an employment program transforming the lives of disadvantaged people in Washington, D.C.

The Women’s Foundation is proud to partner with these organizations doing outstanding work on behalf of our region’s women and girls, and congratulates them and all of the 2009-2010 Catalogue Class, which represents the effective, innovative work The Women’s Foundation is proud to support throughout the Washington metropolitan area.

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.

Financial literacy for girls is more important than ever.

Posted on by Monica Byrd

As we wind down another school year and prepare for the summer, I’m reminded of the importance of mentoring and providing guidance to girls in all areas of life, especially financial literacy.  I feel encouraged to research and find information that is vital to the resources and images our girls and teen daughters receive and how they really feel about themselves and their financial future.

The recession is hard.  It is hard on parents and it is even harder on kids.  It’s a critical time and our girls need to be pointed in the right direction.

Parents may be struggling and may feel out of control, but at least they have some knowledge of their financial situation, some understanding of why all of this is happening. The kids are often left in the dark, with no explanation, confused and wondering why their family can’t afford the things that they want, the things that they need.

We have a responsibility to our children, to help them understand what is happening, to help them be more financially astute than our generation was, to get them on a better path.

Fortunately, there is a resource to help do this.  Girls, Inc of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area., a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation, has created “Money Talks”, a financial literacy workshop that supplies girls with fun and engaging financial tools.

There will be a free "Money Talks" workshop in Washington, D.C. on June 27th from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. for girls age 10-15 and their parent/guardian.  The workshop is open to the public, with priority given to residents in Wards 1,5 and 7.  Registration is required.  To register or for more information, please contact Maryan at 202-806-1174 or maryan@girlsincdc.org by June 19th.

Please share this widely with your daughter, your sister, or any female youth in your family so that she can understand her true worth and be on her way to financial stability!

Monica Byrd has been a volunteer with Girls’, Inc. for the past two years.  In her professional life, she is a fashion and style professional.

I'm proud to be helping make sure young women don't inherit a "place by the window."

Posted on by Lauren Yothers

“She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn’t be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window.”

The above is from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
 
I remember reading The House on Mango Street in high school.  It was required, but it turned out to be one of the books that has stuck with me over the years. I find Esperanza’s story to resonate with growing up as a women in the Washington D.C. metro area.  She describes many of the challenges that continue to face young women – discrimination, violence, isolation, and sexuality.

I think of this quote in particular because I, too, am looking out of the window.  Although it is a gray day, I’m neither sad nor anxious.

In fact, I am quite excited to be looking out this window here at Washington Area Women’s Foundation. My “place by the window” is actually a desk in an organization that is helping women overcome challenges and empower themselves.

As I think of Esperanza, a name which means “hope,” I read some of the stories of women who have been helped by The Women’s Foundation.  I read about SECRETS, a program run by DAARA that provides a safe place and counseling for young girls much like Esperanza.

I read about women who, thanks to programs that The Women’s Foundation helps fund, are able to become what they want to be.

I am a new intern at The Women’s Foundation and I am excited to be helping to ensure that young women do not inherit a “place by the window.”

Lauren Yothers is a summer intern at The Women’s Foundation.  A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Lauren is a senior at the University of Miami majoring in Latin American studies and minoring in Spanish, Portuguese and environmental science.  Her career interests include nongovernmental organizations, socio-environmental problems, and human rights issues.

DCAF honors the memory of Dr. Tiller, a trusted partner and ally in supporting women.

Posted on by Elisabeth Sowecke

The DC Abortion Fund (DCAF) is devastated and appalled to know that our most skilled and intensely dedicated late-term abortion provider, a beloved partner to DCAF, Dr. George Tiller, was fatally shot in the lobby of his church in Wichita, Kansas on Sunday morning, May 31, 2009.

In the past eight months, DCAF pledged financial assistance to four uniquely challenged women—from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia, as well as in Omaha, NE, to obtain a third-trimester termination from Dr. Tiller at Women’s Health Care Services in Wichita.

Two of the women were taking medications considered harmful to fetal development.  One attempted to self-abort countless times before reaching out—terrified because she came from New Guinea, where abortion is illegal.  One spent 10 weeks trying to raise money to afford her abortion before finding DCAF.
One patient was a fifteen-year-old sexual assault survivor who didn’t know she was pregnant until the beginning of the third trimester.  One of the women had diabetes and a fetal anomaly.

While heartbroken for the women we assisted, we found solace in knowing Dr. Tiller was willing to provide comprehensive care when there was no other option.

DCAF is eternally indebted to the legacy of boundless courage and compassionate health care offered whole-heartedly by this man who gently and faithfully urged us to trust and support women.  He truly exemplified reproductive justice for all by working tirelessly to accommodate struggling families all over the country.

In accordance with our respect for Dr. Tiller’s profound service to women, DCAF is grateful for our partner clinics and heroic providers–true warriors on the front lines, ensuring access to quality abortion care in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

In memory of our angelic and wise doctor and beyond the shadows of opposition, we remain determined in our mission to provide our neighbors with dignified health care regardless of what’s in their wallet.

Elisabeth Sowecke is the lead case manager at the DC Abortion Fund, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Stepping Stones Research Briefing sneak peek: How is the recession impacting the poor in D.C.?

Posted on by Ed Lazere

When I was honored with an invitation to speak at the Stepping Stones Research Briefing, no one told me I’d have to figure out what I was going to talk about a week in advance (so that I could write a preview for this blog).

How unfair is that?

Of course, it was good to push me to start thinking about what I would share from the DC Fiscal Policy Institute’s recent research —what things are likely to be most interesting and relevant to you all.

So here is a preview of what you will hear from me on May 20.

I will start by exploring some recent economic indicators for the District of Columbia, including food stamp caseloads and unemployment. They are rising sharply, of course, which means poverty is on the rise, too.

The bad economic news this year comes on the heels of an “economic recovery,” during which poverty failed to decline in DC.  In fact, the number of poor residents rose through much of the early 2000s, even though the city was gaining jobs and residents and the real estate market was booming.

I will then talk about two pieces of upcoming DCFPI research. 

One focuses on the demographics of poor D.C. residents.  Not surprisingly, women-headed families with children face high poverty rates and represent a large share of D.C.’s low-income population, which means that D.C. cannot tackle poverty successfully without focusing on this group.  Our research finds that many of these single women with children are not working but that even when they have a job — even a full-time job — they earn so little that many remain poor.

A second DCFPI research project is based on focus groups we held last year with DC TANF recipients. Those conversations revealed that DC’s TANF cash benefits are inadequate to meet even the bare necessities, that the program’s employment preparation services or generally poor quality, and that TANF recipients have limited access to services that address personal barriers, despite policies on paper that suggest these services are available.

I look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday at the 2009 Stepping Stones Research Briefing!

Please R.S.V.P. here.

Then help us spread the word. We have an Event, "2009 Stepping Stones Research Briefing," on Facebook. We’re also on Twitter @TheWomensFndtn.

Ed Lazere is the Executive Director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute.

DCAF: Recession nearly doubles requests for abortion assistance as resources dwindle.

Posted on by Elisabeth Sowecke

Less than four years ago, I considered myself pro-choice, but I couldn’t tell you where to obtain an abortion in my northwestern-Ohio, college town.  In fact, the Planned Parenthood in Toledo (the nearest city to offer abortion services) could not offer abortion-care in order to receive state funding.  I naively assumed a woman seeking an abortion could have one at her doctor’s office or community clinic because she had the right to choose.  Period.

Today, I live in Washington, D.C. I am a communications associate at a reproductive health nonprofit, an abortion counselor at a women’s health clinic in Maryland and a case-manager for a local, grassroots abortion fund.

I can discuss the real-life avenues, barriers, freeways and alleyways to abortion-care access throughout this country.  If you have hours, perhaps days, I can lament and exalt in-depth stories of women who have abortions to preserve their health, dignity and the goodness in this world.

Everything I do in the reproductive justice movement is equally a basic human service and an act of privilege.  The women and families I serve deserve more than I, or this movement, can provide. 

Currently, there is no time for condolences and ritualized mourning, for discussing or attempting to prove what I know because women are homeless and jobless and still have children to feed. 

Meanwhile, they are assaulted, abandoned, ignored, denied and judged.

The DC Abortion Fund (DCAF) dedicates explanation, education, emotional support and vital financial assistance to women in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.  A dozen case-managers volunteer their time to field about 60 telephone calls per week, tailoring resources to each individual caller.  While every woman’s situation is unique, the recurring trends among our neighbors are undeniable.

Overwhelmingly, a woman seeking financial assistance for her surgery has less than $0 to her name, at least one child, no employment or a part-time job, and an apathetic man involved.  If her family does support her decision, they are often equally destitute, but contribute about $100 collectively.  She has nothing to sell or already sold it all to buy diapers or baby food a few months ago.  She will need to acquire anywhere from $250 to $7000 to have an abortion in her region.  She may opt to travel to Pennsylvania, New York or Atlanta, Georgia, where significantly lower surgery fees may off-set travel expenses.

In the past year, the need of those who reach out to the abortion fund has nearly doubled, and a modest, dedicated donor-circle replenishes the dwindling bank. 

As a case manager, I have told a crying 17-year-old with no parental support that DCAF will pay for the majority of her $3600 surgery, but I have also told a crying 17-year-old with no parental support that she will have to adjust to having her baby because our funds have been stretched and we have asked our supportive donors too often.

I foresee the situations of our neighbors getting worse in this financial climate before they get better. 

I fear one day she will have $0 and DCAF will have $0 to give her, and her life will grow even more disproportionately complicated.

I believe that when you give to your local abortion fund regularly, you profoundly simplify a potential mother’s life, giving her even the slightest bit more room to breathe, to recognize her potential in this life. 

In recognizing complexity, ambiguity and downright basic rights, you honor life by making reproductive justice a reality for every woman regardless of what’s in her wallet.

Elisabeth Sowecke is the lead case manager at the DC Abortion Fund, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

D.C.'s current child care challenges.

Posted on by Parisa B. Norouzi

“DC Doesn’t WORK Without Child Care!” is more than a slogan for Empower DC’s Child Care for All Campaign, it’s the harsh reality facing thousands of low and moderate income working families who rely on child care assistance to ensure their ability to work.

Unfortunately, recent changes by the Fenty Administration and the Mayor’s proposed budget for FY 2010 are only contributing to the challenges already faced by families working to make ends meet.

Empower DC’s grassroots membership base is raising their voices to educate policy makers that child care is not a luxury, but rather a necessity for all working people, and it must be made a priority.

FY 2010 Child Care Budget
The DC City Council is wrapping up budget hearings this week, and getting down to the business of making changes to the city budget, the final version of which is expected to be voted on May 12th.  DC’s budget is made up of $6.25 billion in local dollars collected from taxes and fees, plus federal money bringing the total budget to $8.97 billion. Revenue projections forecast an $800 million decline in revenue from FY 2009, causing the city to raise fees and cut programs to make up for the budget short fall.

Child care is among many social services and community programs that face cuts.

The Mayor’s budget proposes a 4.8 percent reduction in child care funding from FY 2009.  Despite Adrian Fenty’s support for child care funding when chairman of the Council’s Human Services Committee, since becoming Mayor he has proposed cuts to child care in each budget he has submitted to the Council. The child care budget was cut by over $4 million going into FY 2009, and reduced further mid-year. The number of children being served by child care programs declined by 1,300 from FY 2007 to FY 2009. The Administration has not said how many more slots will be lost due to cuts in the FY 2010 budget, but clearly the number will continue to decline under the Mayor’s proposal.

The FY 2010 Early Care and Education Administration totals $89 million, a reduction of $4.5 million from FY 2009, and a reduction of $12 million when compared to the original FY 2009 budget. After adjusting for inflation, the budget for child care has declined by $20 million, or 20 percent, since 2007.

Additionally, the proposed FY 2010 budget for the Pre-K for All Initiative is only $5.1 million, down from $9.5 million at the start of FY 2009, and will not support an expansion as intended in the Pre-K for All legislation passed by the Council in 2008.

More information on the Child Care budget is available here.

Other Child Care Challenges
The child care community is also concerned about other changes affecting DC residents, including:

  • The proposed elimination of child care services at Parks and Recreation sites.  Mayor Fenty abruptly closed four child care programs in December, impacting hundreds of children and workers. The Mayor’s FY 2010 budget proposes to eliminate the remaining 15 programs, displacing more than 100 additional workers and several hundred children. According to Neil Rodgers, staff of Harry Thomas Jr., who chairs the Council Committee on Parks and Recreation, the child care centers proposed to be eliminated are all gold-quality, accredited centers that are funded by federal, not local, dollars. The budget for these programs, $5.1 million, has been directed to cover other child care activities in the Office of the State Superintendent (OSSE) budget.The Administration has not said where they expect impacted families to go to receive this care;
  • The abolishment of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee.  Members of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Early Childhood Development (MACECD) were notified by letter in March that the commission, originally established in 1979, had been dissolved. MACECD had been an active body, working to bring together early childhood professionals, consumers and advocates to draft policy and budget recommendations on numerous topics including accreditation, setting rates, family child care, before and after school care, professional development, and more. Empower DC submitted a sign-on letter to the Mayor and Council calling for the reinstatement of MACECD. Approximately 200 individuals and organizations endorsed the letter and we await a response from the Administration; and,
  • The Child Care Development Block Grant.  The Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is the primary source of federal money provided to states for the provision of child care assistance to support low to moderate income working families. D.C. is required to create a CCDBG State Plan every two years outlining how the state will utilize CCDBG funds.

Upcoming opportunities for residents to weigh-in on the use of CCDBG funds are as follows:

Wednesday, April 22 6-8 PM
Child Care Development Block Grant Informational Meeting
Office of Unified Communications
2720 Martin Luther King Jr., Ave., S.E.
For more information call Diane Paige:  (202) 727-1839 .

Thursday, April 30th 6-8 PM
Child Care Development Block Grant Informational Meeting
Bell Multicultural School
3101 16th Street, NW, 6-8pm
For more information call Diane Paige  (202) 727-1839 .

Monday, May 4th 6:30-8:30 PM
Child Care for All Campaign Meeting
Preparation for Block Grant Hearing
Child Care Provided – call for address and RSVP
Empower DC –  (202) 234-9119 

Saturday, May 16th Noon-2 PM
Child Care Development Block Grant Hearing
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
901 G Street, NW, A-5
For more information or to sign up to testify call  (202) 727-1839 .

Parisa Norouzi is the Co-Director/Organizer of Empower DC’s District of Columbia Grassroots Empowerment Project.  Niccola Reed is the Child Care for All Campaign’s Child Care Organizer.

Empower DC is a city-wide, membership based grassroots organizing project whose mission is to enhance, improve and promote the self-advocacy of low and moderate income residents in the District of Columbia in order to bring about sustained improvements in their quality of life. Empower DC is currently engaged in grassroots advocacy campaigns on the issues of affordable housing, preserving public property, and ensuring quality, affordable and accessible child care for all DC families. For more information contact Parisa Norouzi, CoDirector, at  (202) 234-9119  or Parisa@empowerdc.org, or visit www.Empowerdc.org.

Empower DC is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

For current information on how the issue of child care is being handled in Virginia, click here.

WJLA article highlights impact of local women's construction program.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Many of our readers and community members remember the powerful story of Laceiy and Sharan, and how their lives were changed by a construction job training program, Washington Area Women in the Trades (WAWIT), that is supported by The Women’s Foundation’s Stepping Stones Initiative.

Now, you can learn even more about the program through a WJLA story, "Local Program Expands Career Choices for Women."  The article discusses the success stories of some recent graduates now with exciting careers in construction and other nontraditional fields.

Check it out and learn more about how nontraditional job training for women not only changes the lives of women and their families, but also our community as a whole!

View the WJLA article.
View the video about Laceiy and Sharan’s WAWIT success stories.
Learn more about WAWIT.
Learn more about Stepping Stones.
Learn more about Wider Opportunities for Women and the YWCA of the National Capital Area, two Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation who partner to implement WAWIT.

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.