Beverly, 61, still doesn’t sleep in her bed. Her bedroom is scattered with knick-knacks and photos she took from her Dad’s house after he died two years ago. She hasn’t even bothered putting sheets on the bed. After 17 years of living on the street, she just feels more comfortable falling asleep in a chair.
“On the street, I couldn’t be myself,” she said. “You don’t know how grateful I am to be somewhere with my own keys.”
Beverly is one of 15 seniors who live in our New Journeys II program in Southeast. At the end of 2021 NEW launched a Capital Campaign to raise $600,000 in order to purchase and renovate the property where Beverly lives. By February, thanks to the generous donation of many supporters, including large donations from BlackRock, Arcana and The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, NEW reached that goal.
“The Community Partnership’s Board, staff & I support NEW because of our long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship,” said Sue Marshall, Executive Director of The Community Partnership. “At the Community Partnership, we have prioritized the preservation of affordable housing as a strategic priority as we pursue our vision of ending homelessness. This opportunity to preserve affordable housing for some of the most vulnerable District residents presented by Tom Knoll’s generosity was too important to miss.”
Tom Knoll, the former President of Trinity Landholding Corporation, sold NEW the property at a deep discount, thus opening up an incredible opportunity, not only for NEW, but for DC where affordable housing is at a premium. This property will remain permanent-supportive housing indefinitely.
“This Capital Campaign was a confluence of perfect events, starting with the generosity of Tom Knoll and continuing with the generosity of The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness,” said NEW Executive Director Wanda Steptoe. “Gifts from the Arcana Foundation and BlackRock helped us maintain momentum throughout the campaign along with gifts from many individual donors. I feel so grateful that our current and future residents will be able to have the supportive housing they need and we can continue to partner with them to create NEW futures.”