You Made Living in the City an Evening to Remember! 

Community Conversation Speakers at Living in the City 

All of us at Housing Up would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to those who joined us for Living in the City 2025. Because of your generosity, we were able to raise close to $70,000, which will directly support the more than 900 families we serve. Your donations will help families stay safely housed, pay their utilities, put nourishing food on the table, and access essential services, including our resident services and youth enrichment programming.

If you didn’t have a chance to attend Living in the City, we invite you to see the powerful difference your support makes. Watch our client spotlight video featuring Ms. Mack, whose life has been transformed through safe and affordable housing thanks to donors like you. You can also hear from Housing Up’s Community Engagement Manager, Shahidah Abdul-Lateef, in our community partnerships video, and learn about how she fosters meaningful connections that help build a stronger, more supportive community for the families we serve.

Housing is Healing: Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Housing Up President & CEO, Mercedes Lemp, speaks about domestic violence and housing insecurity.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and at Housing Up, we honored survivors and their stories by providing local resources and examining the link between housing insecurity and domestic violence. Domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and families in the United States, with 38 percent of all domestic violence survivors experiencing homelessness at some point in their lives. At Housing Up, over 30 percent of the families we serve have experienced domestic violence. In our blog post “Turning Housing into Freedom: How Affordable Housing can Empower Survivors of Domestic Violence,” we discuss how the cycle of housing insecurity and domestic violence can be disrupted when survivors are given access to affordable housing. Read the full blog post here.

We sat down with Housing Up’s new President & CEO, Mercedes Lemp, to hear her unique perspective on how housing insecurity and domestic violence are deeply connected. Before starting her role at Housing Up, Mercedes served as the executive director of My Sister’s Place, a DC nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic violence. Read our latest blog post here and watch this video on our Instagram to hear Mercedes’s perspective on how domestic violence and housing insecurity intersect.

The Government Shutdown & Threats to Critical Programs

As the government shutdown approaches one month, lapses in federal funding and proposed changes to Medicaid target the most vulnerable populations, including low-income people and individuals with disabilities. The catalyst of the government shutdown stems from significant changes to Medicaid, primarily the end of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, which have made healthcare affordable to millions of Americans since the COVID-19 pandemic. Republican Congressional leaders are refusing to extend these subsidies into next year, a move that is estimated to more than double enrollees’ premiums.

With no end in sight to the shutdown, funding for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) will cease on November 1st, right as we enter winter and the holiday season. The Trump administration has announced it will not be refilling EBT cards, which are reloaded monthly with federal funds for food. As of 2024, 137,500 DC residents used SNAP, and 271,400 DC residents were enrolled in Medicaid, 20 percent and 38.9 percent of the District’s population, respectively. As these federal programs become increasingly endangered, low-income families in DC will need the support of organizations like Housing Up more than ever. Help Housing Up’s families during these challenging times. Your donation of $150 today can help a family buy groceries for this upcoming week.