We are pleased to announce that Housing Up is the recipient of a $250,000 grant from Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The donation will support the renovation of our Partner Arms 2 building in Northwest, DC. We are currently in the process of converting Partner Arms 2 from transitional housing to Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), which serves chronically homeless families with mental or physical health disabilities.

Our PSH program is based on the Housing First model, which focuses on quickly moving families experiencing homelessness into permanent housing with leases in their own names, and then providing support services. The conversion of Partner Arms 2 aligns with the federal government’s priority for PSH programs based on Housing First. We are excited to provide this evidence-based, best-practice program to more families with the help of Holy Trinity.

For more than three decades Holy Trinity Parish has supported organizations that address homelessness in the District of Columbia. This support has been multifaceted, including rehabilitation and repair of homes, advocacy, and direct service to homeless men, women and children. With this grant to support the conversion of Partner Arms 2, Holy Trinity is deepening its commitment to ending homelessness in the District.

According to the 2016 Annual Report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the number of families experiencing homelessness declined in most states, with the notable exception of Washington, DC. The number of homeless families in DC increased by 34% — the largest percentage increase in the entire country. The work that we do — housing families and transforming lives — is more important than ever. We thank Holy Trinity for its support of our work and its commitment to providing housing stability to District families.

You can view HUD’s complete report here. For more information on Holy Trinity, visit its website.