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Homelessness among families is rising in the District of
Columbia at an alarming rate and faster than any other
demographic. Washington DC leads the nation in two divergent
categories: the highest rate of child poverty and the least
affordable “state” in which to live. Housing prices soar, while
one in three children lives in a low-income household. As a
result, 3,000 families applied for emergency housing last year
and the system could only accommodate 19 percent of these
requests. Children in families who are granted emergency housing
are admitted into a system that compromises their mental and
physical well-being, overlooks their needs, and even threatens
their safety. It is easy to overlook the needs of homeless
children in this numbers game, but the opportunity for a healthy
and happy childhood has a very real expiration date.

Mission: The
mission of the Homeless Children's Playtime Project is to nurture healthy
child development and reduce the effects of trauma among
children living in emergency family shelters in the District of
Columbia.
Vision: We
believe that play is a human right that all children deserve,
regardless of housing status. We seek to help create a city
that
provides every
opportunity for homeless children to succeed by advocating for
affordable housing and safe shelters for all families.
What We
Do: Our trained and screened volunteers provide weekly
activities, healthy snacks, and opportunities to play for the
children at four shelter and transitional housing sites in the
District of Columbia. In the past four years, 125 HCPP
volunteers have served 450 children.

The Family
Portrait Project
The Family Portrait Project
All families deserve the opportunity to have family pictures,
and many families who lose their housing are unable to salvage
personal belongings. Many families living in shelters do not
even own a photograph of their child. Children and families who
are homeless are called the "hidden homeless" because they often
live “doubled up” with friends or relatives and stay in shelters
where they are not as visible as people on the street.
Over the past year-and-a-half, 150 families were photographed at
the former D.C. Village Emergency Family Shelter through the
Family Portrait Project. They each received three framed and
enlarged pictures of their families. Some of the parents agreed
to share their family portraits with you in hopes that public
education can help harness the political will to address the
affordable housing crisis in our city.
The Family Portrait Project is a program of the Homeless
Children’s Playtime Project in partnership with photographer
Tony Brunswick. It is sponsored by the Advisory Board Company,
the Ramsay Merriam Fund and many individual donors large and
small. This exhibit is made possible by the Executive Office of
the Mayor.
For a sneak peak of the portraits, please visit
http://www.thefamilyportraitproject.com. Bring your photo
identification and stop by to see these much talked about
photographs before the exhibit closes on January 14th!


   
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