2023 Annual Report
2023 was a year of tragic challenges for the city of Washington, D.C., the country, and the world as well. The city suffered over 270 homicides, an over 35% increase from the prior year and the highest recorded in over 25 years. Too often the victims were youth with over 20 aged 17 or younger having been killed. Victims and perpetrators have become younger and younger with children as young as 12 involved in violent crimes and robberies. Car thefts and car jackings soared - with over 6,000 cars stolen in the city and over 860 carjackings - both more than doubling from the prior year.
DC was not alone. The country suffered over 560 mass shootings ....with more than 35,000 deaths owing to gun violence. America was horrified by the loss of 18 lives in Lewiston, Maine in October. Yet the city and country were not alone - the war continued in Ukraine and the world was horrified by the deadly violence in the Middle East.
It was in this context of violence that the Downtown Cluster of Congregations sought to serve - to make Washington, D.C. a better Capital City for all.
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The Homeless Services Unit continued to try to reach the most vulnerable of the homeless - women, the elderly, and those suffering from mental illness. Staff was able to connect with almost 200 persons and families who were either homeless or in danger of it. Some 45% were women and 85% were minorities. Owing to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, staff continued to meet the homeless primarily in public areas, e.g., around parks and makeshift shelters - in doorways, and on the covered porticos of churches and large buildings.
The staff sought to meet the immediate, life-threatening needs facing the homeless - offering over 140 referrals for basic services such as shelter, food, showers, laundry, and clothing assistance. Over 120 persons were referred for medical care for physical and behavioral health needs. Over 100 referrals were made for emergency utility and rent assistance and almost 60 referrals were made for obtaining identification documents which are essential for all other services. In addition, over 60 referrals were made for either legal aid or immigration assistance.
The staff sought to help the homeless to meet the underlying causes of their situation, assisting with over 100 applications for benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, Social Security, Medicaid, and other federal and local benefits. During the year, over 70 applications were successful and many others were still in process as the year ended. 20 persons were assisted with job training or job placement referrals. Over 100 persons were helped in their efforts to find housing or avoid displacement. Over a dozen persons in abusive situations were assisted.
The purpose of the Unit's work is to meet life-threatening emergency needs, while seeking to break the cycle of homelessness by addressing underlying causes - to restore people and families back to lives of self-reliance and independent living.
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The Downtown Cluster of Congregations is a founding member and the leading investor in WACIF - a community loan fund helping small and minority businesses across the region. In 2023, WACIF's activities were characterized by continued growth and deepening of its work in the Greater Washington area. WACIF launched its redesigned lending process and technology platform to improve overall customer experience and increase capital deployment, with a goal of a fourfold increase over the next five years and a projected ten times increase in lending annually by 2030. WACIF expects this improvement will make capital projects easier for local businesses to access, thus reaching more underserved entrepreneurs. WACIF has already seen the results of these efforts, with the closing in 2023 of over $4.5 million in loans, close to a threefold increase from 2022. This has driven growth in its outstanding loan portfolio from $1.7 million in December 2022 to $3.2 million in October 2023 and shortly to cross the $4 million mark for the first time in its history.
In 2023, WACIF provided services to over 700 underserved entrepreneurs - over 2.3rds of which are entrepreneurs of color and over 40% women of color - while helping to create and retain over 2,000 jobs regionally. Since its inception, WACIF has deployed more than $100 million in flexible, affordable capital (grants and loans), supported over 4,500 underserved businesses, and helped to create or retain over 44,000 jobs. In alignment with its mission, over 85% of all clients and 96% of lending clients are entrepreneurs of color.
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The Downtown Cluster of Congregations leads in making requests for services via 311 to help make neighborhoods safer. These are in addition to requests it makes to federal agencies for services (e.g., - National Park Service for care of its numerous parks and the US Postal Service for graffiti removal on postal boxes, etc.). Cluster staff made over 19,000 requests for services impacting all corners of the city, including the planting of trees, repair of hazardous sidewalks, clearing of graffiti, removal of trash, street light repairs, and the identification of potentially vacant buildings. The Cluster requested the planting of a 1,000 trees as studies have shown a correlation with healthier safer neighborhoods that have abundant trees. well as a similar number of requests for the pruning of large dead limbs and removal and replacement of dead trees. Over 150 hazardous sidewalk locations were reported for repair, along with requests for pedestrian striping of crosswalks and repair of curbs and potholes. Over 1,000 requests were made for graffiti removal. The Cluster identified 0ver 2,500 faded to illegible or missing and damaged signs for replacement that could impact safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and others.
Over 1,000 properties were reported to the city as possibly being vacant or blighted as such properties pose numerous safety hazards - for fire or criminal activity - to immediate and nearby neighbors with the goal to have the buildings properly secured as well as to hasten their return to productive use for residential or retail uses..
The Cluster continued its efforts to have street lights properly working - reporting more than 400 for repair. Cluster staff found outdoor lights not working by schools, recreation centers and nightlife areas creating a serious safety hazard for those coming and going. Too often violent crimes have occurred in the city on streets where street lights were out. The city at last began converting its old, outdated hardwired street light system to a computerized system and by year's end over half of the city's streetlights were "smart lights" - enabling the city to know immediately if a street light was out and to repair it within 24 hours where as before the city only knew a streetlight was out when reported to 311 by citizens.
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Safety continued to be a primary issue for the Cluster, its members and the city. The Cluster worked with the city government to disseminate information on gun turn in and buy back efforts to try to get guns off of the streets. It also supported "jobs not guns" fairs.
The Cluster arranged for Faith Leaders Roundtables with the Commanders of the 2nd and 3rd Districts to foster partnerships and communication between congregations and clergy and the local police. The Commanders of these Districts hosted get togethers and walk throughs with ministers and congregational leaders and sought ways to improve communication to enhance safety. The new Chief of Police - Pamela Smith - embraced active clergy - police dialogue and collaborations.
The Cluster co-sponsored with other religious groups "Re-Imagine Your House of Worship" a forum on how congregations' can redevelop their buildings for new and different uses that can help congregations fulfill their mission while garnering new sources of revenues. Many Cluster members and other congregations have aging buildings and properties that are very costly to maintain, often leaving congregations with little choice but to sell and move. The forum was designed to provide alternatives to that so congregations can remain in a quickly changing city.
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Two new members were added in 2023 - Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ located n southwest DC and Festival Center located in Adams Morgan in northwest Washington, DC.
Second Baptist Church celebrated its 175th Anniversary. The Church served as a stop on the Underground Railroad and was the founding site for the National Baptist Convention. Those who have attended and participated in Second Baptist Church's activities have included Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth.
The Rev. Dr. Kendrick Curry celebrated his 20th Anniversary as pastor at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church.
The Executive Director Terry Lynch continued to serve on the city's DC State Athletic Commission which has a charge to expand and improve athletic opportunities for the city's youth. He also continued to serve on the Foreign Government Owned Real Property Task Force and the Lead Poisoning Elimination and Healthy Homes Advisory Commission.
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The staff consisted of Terrance Lynch, the Executive Director, who has now served the organization for over 35 years; Julie Turner is the Senior Outreach Worker having served for over 30 years.
The 2023 Officers were:
- Daryl Branson - Shiloh Baptist Church
- Vice President: Chuck Hicks - Greater new Hope Baptist Church
- Treasurer: Monsignor Ronald Jameson - ESt. Matthew's Cathedral
- Secretary: Jean Grier, First Church of Christ, Scientist
A full listing of Directors is available upon request. The Downtown Cluster of Congregations is independently audited annually. Such audits are available upon request.
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