Read on to find out what some of our grantees will be doing for our region in 2012 and tell us in the comments below what you envision for women and girls this year.  Washington Area Women’s Foundation will be sharing our own list of resolutions later this month in a special e-mail message from Foundation President Nicky Goren.  Make sure you learn what we’re planning for 2012 by signing up to get monthly e-mails today!

IWPR’s 2012 Resolutions

• During this election year, get people talking about the issues that affect women, such as jobs and the economy, the gender wage gap and workplace discrimination, STEM education, Social Security and retirement, work/family balance, and maternal and child health.
• Celebrate our 25^th anniversary by marking the progress that women have made while highlighting areas where policy changes could make a huge difference in advancing women, families, and communities.
• Illustrate the current status of women displaced by Hurricane Katrina through an upcoming report that also identifies their specific needs.
• Improve success rates for student parents by sharing best practices and forging strong partnerships with administrators, practitioners, advocates, and policymakers within the worlds of higher education, youth development, and early care and education.
• Give young women opportunities to gain career experience while expanding their knowledge of research and policy issues through our internship and fellowship programs.

Goodwill of Greater Washington’s 2012 Resolutions

• In 2012, Goodwill of Greater Washington resolves to train, equip and place nearly 200 people into local jobs that support the local economy. We anticipate that these 200 jobs will come through the continued expansion of Goodwill’s retail stores, as well as the placement efforts from our intensive job training programs;
• Goodwill of Greater Washington also resolves to continue providing 600+ jobs to local residents through our retail stores, janitorial contracts, and administrative and support divisions, many of which are filled by people who face significant disabilities or other barriers to employment.

NOVACO’s 2012 Resolutions

At a client Life Skills meeting at NOVACO in January, several clients set goals and made resolutions.  They included:

• believing in themselves so that they could achieve their goals;
• being better parents; and
• setting small goals and telling themselves that they could accomplish those goals.

One mother, Kay, reflected on how much she’s achieved so far.  She earned her high school diploma through night classes, learned to drive and got her driver’s license, and worked with lawyers to get a work permit.  She also improved her parenting skills while she worked full-time at a restaurant and was offered a management position after just one year.  She volunteered her free time as a pen pal and greeter for the USO.

DCVLP’s 2012 Resolution

The DC Volunteer Lawyers Project resolution is that every victim of domestic violence in DC seeking a civil protection order who wants representation by an attorney will have one this year.

SMYAL’s Women’s Leadership Institute’s 2012 Resolutions

• Provide a much-needed free space for young women to gather and form community.
• Using that space, build our community of women and strengthen our bonds through discussion and shared service.
• Promote further discussion about maintaining healthy relationships, recognizing unhealthy relationships, and combating domestic violence.
• Develop connections to extend our diverse community deeper into the DC metro area and beyond.
• Seek out community partners and collaborate on at least four service projects.
• Connect more young women to mentorship opportunities with local volunteers.
• Long-term resolution: Create a community of confident, empowered women through opportunities for leadership development and civic engagement.

FAIR Girls’ 2012 Resolutions

We, FAIR Girls, resolve to work as hard as we can to make sure that by the end of 2012…

• 200 teen girl survivors of exploitation have received compassionate care, including counseling, emergency housing, assistance in finding legal and medical support, resume building and job placement, educational attainment support, and a sense of family and community at FAIR Girls.
• 1000 teen girls and boys in high schools and youth shelters have participated in our Tell Your Friends workshop and have learned how to keep themselves safe from sexual exploitation and trafficking.
• 1000 law enforcement officers, teachers, and social workers are better able to identify and assist victims of trafficking having attending a FAIR Girls training.
• A law, inspired by Daisy, will have passed in Washington, D.C. ensuring that all missing teenage girls are considered “critical missing” and have access to FAIR Girls and our partners’ services when they are found.
• 2000 hours of art therapy and economic empowerment workshops will have helped inspire and restore more than 125 girls.

Thank you to the Grantee Partners who shared their resolutions with us!  You can share your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to register for our e-newsletter to learn more about The Women’s Foundation’s plans for 2012.

Tags: 2012, resolutions, women, girls, unemployment, jobs, economy, trafficking, domestic, violence, education

– Amanda Hess at TBD.com takes a look at how sexual assault and domestic violence services will be affected by a budget shortfall in D.C.  Hess quotes executive directors from Women Empowered Against Violence and My Sister’s Place, two Women’s Foundation Grantee Partners.

– “Fair pay is a bread-and-butter issue,” writes AAUW’s Lisa Maatz in The Hill. Maatz writes about how passing the Paycheck Fairness Act would go a long way in ensuring pay equity.

– In honor of Passover, the Citrus County Chronicle’s Judi Siegal takes a look at five women associated with the Passover story.

Tags: women empowered against violence, my sister's place, washington, dc, domestic, violence, assault, budget, passover, lisa maatz, paycheck, fairness, act, equal, pay

I am proud to say that the District of Columbia has consistently sought to protect and enhance opportunities for women of all ages and backgrounds.  In my role as a legislator, I have always tried to recognize the work of organizations and individuals that push for women’s empowerment and continue to work with my colleagues to enact common-sense policies that help women.

Last week, I had the distinct honor of presenting a resolution to Washington Area Women’s Foundation, recognizing 13 years of prodigious work helping women help themselves.  Since its inception, the Foundation has provided financial assistance to local organizations that emphasized gender equality, pushed for greater health and financial literacy amongst women of lower socioeconomic status, and highlighted some of the policy choices that predominantly affect women.  Their advocacy helps ensure that public officials stay focused on the issues that impact a majority of our city’s residents.

One such issue is health care.  We all know that in the United States, affordable health coverage can be difficult to obtain, even for a working person.  In the District, health care was an especially challenging area for women, because the law previously allowed for insurance companies to treat gender as a pre-existing condition.  Women of all ages were paying higher premiums than their male counterparts, and, to make matters worse, women who were victims of domestic violence were forced to pay even more, effectively victimizing them twice.  I am proud to say that in 2010 I authored bills that banned insurance companies from engaging in either practice, and both bills are now law.

Another issue that is central for the push to empowerment is educational opportunity.  Without education, it is almost impossible to engage in effective activism.  In the same week that I presented the resolution to Washington Area Women’s Foundation, I also had the joy of recognizing a young Ward 4 resident named Yasmine Arrington.  Yasmine is a decorated girl scout, a published poet, a graduating senior at the prestigious Banneker Academic High School, and the founder of a scholarship fund called ScholarCHIPS that provides money for high education to students whose parents are incarcerated.  Yasmine should be an inspiration to us all, and is certainly a role model for young girls all across our city.  Her story is yet another reminder of the importance of education to the success of future generations, and of how we must strive to ensure that monetary considerations do not deter our best and brightest, regardless of gender, from pursuing higher education.

Government has a significant role to play in creating positive outcomes for women.  However, the stories of Washington Area Women’s Foundation and Yasmine Arrington make clear that all of us, both public officials and private citizens, must come together for change, because no movement for social justice can ever succeed without collective will.  I look forward to a day when equal rights for all have been fully recognized, and we can marvel at the progress we have made.  In the meantime, I stand ready to do my part, and hope that you will lend a helping hand.  This cause is too important for anyone, gender notwithstanding, to sit on the sidelines.

Muriel Bowser is the Ward 4 representative of the Council of the District of Columbia.

Photo: Councilmember Muriel Bowser presents the resolution in D.C. Council chambers.  She’s joined by the other two women on the Council, Ward 7’s Yvette Alexander and Ward 3’s Mary Cheh.  They’re also joined by members of The Women’s Foundation staff (from the left): Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat, Nicky Goren and Donna Wiedeman. Photo credit: Michael Colella Photography.

– In the Washington Examiner, Jonetta Rose Barras takes a look at why some D.C. residents don’t have an adequate education and the impact it’s having on their employment.  The Women’s Foundation’s new report, Portrait Project 2010, found that women in our region with degrees earn three times more than women without a high school diploma ($70,000 vs. $18,000).

– Some members of the D.C. Council are proposing legislation that would give subsidies to markets that carry fruits and vegetables.  The recipients of the subsidies would be in “food deserts,” areas of the city where it’s easier to buy junk food.  Currently, there are only three grocery stores available to the 140,000 residents who live in Wards 7 and 8.

– Is a “jump start” measure needed to ensure that more women serve in Congress?  About.com’s Women’s Issues blog takes a look at addressing the under-representation of women in U.S. politics.

Photo Credit: Spirit-Fire via Creative Commons

Tags: women, washington, dc, food, desert, diet, city, council, politics, education, income

Calvary Women’s Services was notified Monday, September 28, by The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (TCP) that contract funding for Calvary would be cut by nearly $75,000 beginning October 1st.  These funds support safe housing and other services for 150 homeless women each year.  TCP is an independent, non-profit corporation that coordinates DC’s Continuum of Care homeless services.

Calvary is one of many social service providers notified of cuts to their existing contracts. Emergency, transitional and supported permanent housing programs were all targeted as the city attempted to close an ever-widening budget gap.  The impact of these cuts on the overall homeless services system is going to be severe, with some housing programs reducing their services and others likely closing programs. 

Although these cuts may provide some immediate relief to the city’s budget problems, the real impact of the cuts will be felt by those in need of safe housing and support services.  Women who have already lost their jobs in this economic crisis will have fewer services and housing options available to them. These cuts will make women who are already at-risk much more likely to end up living on the streets or in unsafe situations.

The women who come to programs like Calvary are survivors of violence, women struggling with mental illness, and women working to overcome addictions.  At Calvary we make sure they have access to all of the services they need to address these challenges – in addition to providing a safe place to live.

We know that programs like ours work.  Every five days a woman moves out of Calvary and into her own home.

We have always relied on the support of both public funding and private donations to make our programs possible.  In the past, supporters have helped us close gaps like this one, and I am hopeful that the community will step up once again.  But I am also concerned that this gap may be too wide for our generous donors to close.

The coming months will be challenging ones for organizations like Calvary, as we try to find ways to continue to provide women in this community with critical, life changing services.  More so, they will be challenging months for women who need services like ours, as they face closed doors and reduced services at programs across the city.

 You can make a difference.  Support Calvary – or another agency facing these cuts – today. 

 Volunteer, donate or learn more at www.calvaryservices.org.

Kris Thompson is the Executive Director of Calvary Women’s Services, recognized as a 2009 Leadership Awardee by The Women’s Foundation.  Learn more about them on their Web site or on Facebook.

Tags: calvary women's services, homeless, women, budget, cuts

The following are excerpts of the research update.  For the full update, including summarized key findings, click here.

Financial Education and Wealth Creation News
The median household income in the District of Columbia rose from $56,400 in 2007 to $57,900 in 2008, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey; however, DC residents with the lowest levels of education saw their incomes fall significantly from 2007 to 2008. (Full text)

Jobs and Business Ownership News
One fifth of all families with children are headed by working single mothers. The families of single mothers have a high poverty rate – 28.3 percent. The persistent gender wage gap continues: in 2007, women who worked full-time, year-round earned only 78 cents for every dollar earned by full-time, year-round male workers. These findings suggest that a number of changes in policy and practice are needed to improve women’s earnings. You can read the details about these findings by clicking here.

Child Care and Early Education News
A new Child Trends research brief explores the issues that judges consider when making decisions about termination of parental rights (TPR) and adoption of foster children. Several judges reported that the absence of TPR limits the adoption recruitment efforts of the child welfare agency. Some judges report a need for more discussions with older children to explore and address their concerns about adoption. (Full text)

Health and Safety News
Today, there are about 1.1 million people with HIV/AIDS living in the U.S., including nearly 280,000 women. Women of color, particularly black women, are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. The impact of HIV on younger women is particularly notable – more than 6 in 10 new HIV infections among women were among those ages 13-39 in 2006. 76% of women with HIV/AIDS who were receiving medical care had children under 18 in their homes, which may complicate their ability to manage their illness. (Full text)

Other News and Research
The Urban Institute surveyed District permanent supportive housing (PSH) agencies and specific PSH projects. The research includes a look at how the District might move forward toward fulfilling its commitment to create 2,500 new units of PSH and eliminate chronic homelessness. (Full text)

Tags: Stepping Stones, Urban Institute

Having a college degree, a home, and savings for retirement and other long-term goals are the building blocks of financial security for all Americans.

That’s why CAAB is joining CFED and 14 states in a policy initiative aimed at expanding wealth-building opportunities for those at the lower end of the income scale.

The Assets & Opportunity Campaign has two goals:

1) Making the case for policies that encourage our most financially vulnerable residents to prioritize saving and investment in assets.

2) Building a strong and diverse network of allies that view these policy proposals as essential to strengthening our local economy and
communities.

This press release provides more information on the state of asset ownership in the District of Columbia and opportunities to expand
savings and ownership and close the racial wealth gap that divides our prosperous city.

For more information on the Assets and Opportunities Scorecard or Campaign, visit scorecard.cfed.org.

Colleen Dailey is Executive Director of Capital Area Asset Builders (CAAB), a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Tags: CAAB, Capital Area Asset Builders, Colleen Dailey, CFED, Opportunities and Assets Campaign, Opportunities and Assets Scorecard, economic security, Washington,D.C.

Car Free Day is intended to highlight transit, bicycling, walking and all alternative modes of transportation and take cars off the road so people can think about what their region, city or neighborhood might be like with fewer cars.

I want to propose a different type of car day: Cars for People Who Need Them but Can’t Afford to Buy, Insure or Maintain Them Day.

I know, I know – it’s not as catchy.

It’s not that I’m opposed to Car Free Day. 

I celebrate it nearly every day because I don’t own a car.  I am a big fan of public transportation (I commute by bus) and walking.  But I live and work in parts of town with rich public transportation options.

The frustrating truth is that many low-income residents in our region – especially low-income, women-headed families East of the River and in Prince George’s County – actually need more access to private transportation to be able to work and take care of their families.

According to Census data, nearly half (48%) of all non-elderly poor in the District lived in households without a car.  They participate in Car Free Day every day but not all willingly.

Car ownership programs for low-income families and individuals have demonstrated their effectiveness by producing significant income and asset gains for participants. Programs in our region, like Vehicles for Change, and national programs like Ways to Work and its local partners Northern Virginia Family Service (a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation) and Family Matters of Greater Washington need and deserve support.

I hope we can all agree that our region’s transportation challenges call for multifaceted solutions beyond just “more people should take public transportation.”

Gwen Rubinstein is a Program Officer at The Women’s Foundation.

The report concludes, "Women in DC are in trouble. They disproportionately live in poverty and struggle to live within their incomes without adequate public supports. This analysis demonstrates that important social programs and offices – the Local Rent Supplement Program, Childcare and Education programs, TANF, Domestic Violence programs, and the OWPI – do not receive sufficient funds to support women in DC."

View the full report.

Debbie Billet-Roumell is the coordinator of the DC Women’s Agenda, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation that is a coalition of advocacy organizations, service providers, and individuals working to promote the advancement of equality, safety and well-being for women and girls in the District.  It is chaired by the DC Employment Justice Center and Wider Opportunities for Women.  For more information, please contact Debbie Billet-Roumell, Coordinator, DC Women’s Agenda at DBRoumell@wowonline.org or 202-464-1596.

Tags: women and poverty, D.C. budget, Washington,D.C., Debbie Billet-Roumell, DC Women's Agenda

Alone, scared and with very little means, I made the decision to have my baby; no one could have prepared me more for the journey than my son himself.  He taught me love, patience and strength.  How not to give up, and even how to say I’m sorry when I’m wrong.

Most of our earlier years together were merely trial and error.  We struggled daily and I was constantly worried about food and shelter.  However, through the grace of God, many people were placed in our lives and from these special relationships came a whirlwind of opportunities. 

Fortunately, I took advantage of those opportunities and have broken a cycle that has haunted so many before us.

This week, I am driving to North Carolina Central University, where my son will begin his freshman year.

Not only is this a huge feat for our family (both close and extended), but this marks a milestone in both of our lives: my son’s transition from adolescents to adulthood, as well as my pre-mature transition as a 34-year-old, divorced mom to empty-nester.

My thoughts exactly: I’m way too young to be an empty-nester!

Although the past several weeks have been stressful (good stress, if there is such a thing) with all the planning, purging and packing for college, it’s actually times like this when the impact of being a single parent are most strongly felt. 

However, I am grateful to be “here” in spite of the circumstance.

To my son, I gave every fiber of me and now to the world I give my “love deposit”: a handsome, intelligent, respectful, well-mannered, self-sufficient, self-assured young man. And together we have beaten the odds.

It’s amazing how things come full circle. Years ago, I found it hard to see the end of the week. Today, I can see his future.

I love you son!

Latricia Allen is The Women’s Foundation’s Grants Manager.

Tags: teenage pregnancy, single mom, Latricia Allen