Don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience an evening of inspiring conversation & connection at Living in the City 2025 on 10.8! We’ll be celebrating at Canvas Event Space (1418 W St NW; entrance in the alley – see map) to honor the Housing Up community, including the more than 900 families we serve. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should support our largest and most important fundraiser of the year:

1. Get inspired by the journeys of Housing Up clients & staff 

Listen to Ms. Mack, a Housing Up permanent supportive housing (PSH) client, about her journey to safe and stable housing. Learn how quality, affordable housing helped her transform her life and achieve her goals. Her story shows the incredible impact our case managers have on the families we serve. See also how our community engagement manager, Shahidah, engages with the community to help Housing Up build essential partnerships.

2. 2025 is a pivotal year for Housing Up 

Your support as a community member helped lay the groundwork for so much of what Housing Up has achieved over the past 35 years. Because of your dedication, Housing Up is one of the largest providers of housing and services for unhoused families in Washington, DC. However, we now face challenges to our ability to carry on our mission. Local DC and federal funding and programs for vulnerable communities are increasingly endangered. But, we know that families will continue to need organizations like Housing Up to provide critical resources and support. Living in the City helps secure the funding that allows us to continue our mission of housing families and transforming lives.

3. Dive into hope & the challenges we face with our new community conversation

After our community has had a chance to connect over bites & refreshments, we’ll move into our event program, which will include a community conversation featuring local community leaders. We’ll discuss current housing challenges across the DMV, how homelessness intersects with public health and access to resources, and we’ll end with glimmers of hope.

4. Meet our new President & CEO, Mercedes Lemp

Housing Up’s new President & CEO, Mercedes Lemp, started her role a few weeks ago on September 8, and we are so excited to introduce her to our community. You’ll have a chance to meet Mercedes and hear her thoughts on leading Housing Up into its next chapter.

5. Make your mark on our city 

Have a direct impact on the families we serve by contributing to our auction! You’ll have the chance to provide tangible support for our clients. Your contributions not only cover move-in fees for a family’s new apartment but will also support our case managers as they walk alongside their clients in their journeys to stability. And, thanks to the generosity of two donors, all auction donations made during Living in the City will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000!

We look forward to hosting an enriching and powerful evening on Wednesday, October 8!