Welcome friend! Check out TNW's upcoming events, features, and more!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Come enjoy spoken word, raffles, music, art, light fare, and refreshments all while helping raise funds to support our homeless and unstably-housed neighbors and to help us bring the first mobile shower program to the D.C. Metropolitan Area!!
We will have a silent auction showcasing local businesses. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to our mobile shower fund!
Community support matters! Invite your friends, family, and neighbors for a great evening supporting a great cause!
In order to ensure that the TNW Mobile Shower Program is meeting the direct needs of our homeless neighbors, we are conducting surveys with them and other community members in potential program locations throughout D.C. and Maryland. We need your assistance with this very necessary task! If you have questions or are available weekends and/or weekdays to volunteer, please email us at info@theneighborhoodwell.org with the subject line "SURVEY VOLUNTEERING."
Check out this short video about our Mobile Shower Program!
November Outreach
We will be serving our homeless and unstably housed neighbors in Maryland at Valencia Motel and Transition Center at Prince George's House Capitol Heights. We will be providing blessing bags filled with socks, combs, water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower caps, and feminine pads.
TNW OUTREACH
Thank you to all of our donors and volunteers for all your support!With your help we were able to serve over 800 neighbors in more than 10 communities within the DMV this year!
Let's keep it going!
We continue to ask for your support as we work towards obtaining and renovating a trailer for our mobile shower program, set to launch in 2019! #yoursupportmatters
TNW Volunteer Shares His Story About Being Homeless:
One of the many unfortunate statistics about homelessness within the US, is the high amount of foster care aged out individuals who end up homeless. My journey from group home to adult shelter wasn’t linear. As a recipient of special education and the foster care system, I was given a scholarship for college. While many of my classmates moved home after college in 2004, I went to a small seminary in VA. Due to a combination of things, I left seminary on Dec 31, 2005 and moved back to NYC to live with a friend, his wife, and 5yr old daughter in his mom’s 1-bedroom basement. Though my friend was gracious, I was understandably asked to leave by April. And I ended up in my first of two shelters.
My first shelter was an in-take shelter in Brooklyn and my second was a permanent shelter on Randalls and Wards Islands. My overall experience was mixed. I got 3 hot meals a day, on site medical service, free laundry service, a locker for my stuff, assistance with signing up for welfare, and access to a shower and bed. I was asked to be home by 10pm, be searched at any time, give up privacy, stay out of trouble, keep my appointments, and call the staff Mr. or Ms. For me, this was no different than my experience in the group homes. So, I understood what I needed to do to survive. Eventually, I was able to get my first job in Dec and moved into an adult independent living home in early 2007.
I do not want to generalize nor oversimplify my experience within the shelter system. This is my unique experience. I am not implying this is for everyone. Parts of the shelter (and welfare) system was design to control you, disrespect you, and dehumanize you. The shelter automatically took part of my pay check because they felt that I won’t be responsible with my money. If offered, I was obligated to take a job that could pay less than my welfare. My 3/4 housing landlord charged $300 a month for rent from me even though welfare was paying my rent. I was making $6/hr at 20hrs. So, I understand why some turn down shelter and welfare.
In many ways I am still struggling with affordable housing. Since moving to DC in 2007, I have experienced extended unemployment 4 times. The difference now is that I have a credit card. Nevertheless, despite it all, I thank the Lord for my experience. I am not implying that God caused or allowed it or that I want to experience it again, but that I praise the Lord for supporting me as I overcome my homelessness. I am regularly reminded of John 9, where the disciples equate misfortunate to sin and punishment from God. We see this same thinking among Job’s friends. A lot of us still have this same belief about the homeless. Clearly, they did something wrong! But Jesus rejected that logic. Instead, he called us to support those who are in need so that we can glorify God.
P.s. I am still friends with my NYC friend
-Rohan Mayers
LITTLE REMINDERS
Our 2nd Annual Holiday Fundraiser will be Saturday, December 8th!
Giving Tuesday is November 27, 2018!
Next month's outreach is December 29, 2018.
All support matters, whether you are praying for us, donating, volunteering, or spreading the word about our mission- WE APPRECIATE YOU!
A simple "hello" and a smile can make someone's day!
"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me"
