For more than 20 years, Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative (GAFSC) has provided critical family support services to Washington, DC’s Ward 4. Most specifically, the GAFSC offers programs aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect by reducing risk for families, strengthening parenting skills, connecting families to neighborhood-based services and support, facilitating parental advocacy efforts, and increasing neighborhood capacity to ensure the well-being of children and youth.

The Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative empowers families by strengthening the protective factors that keep children safe and thriving:

      • Parental resilience,
      • Social connections,
      • Knowledge of parenting and child development,
      • Concrete support in times of need,
      • And the social and emotional competence of children.

Together, We Can Make a Difference!

Dear Friends, Donors, Neighbors, and Partners,

Do More 24 is the DMV’s largest annual fundraiser powered by United Way of the National Capital Area.  The online event will be held all day Wednesday, May 17th, and we are participating.  By donating to GAFSC and spreading the word to others you can immediately expand our Circles of Support for those who need our help the most!

Please do more by giving generously to ensure we can continue to help families who need ongoing Circles of Support.  Pandemic-related, economic pressures on families we serve are escalating. Rising inflation, higher housing costs and lack of affordable childcare are ongoing stressors for many families.  With your gift, GAFSC can alleviate their stress by providing emergency assistance for food, clothing, childcare, transportation, rental assistance, and unanticipated healthcare costs.     

Join us in meeting our target of $5,000 so that GAFSC’s Circles of Support can bolster the resilience of families in Ward 4 and beyond.   


Debra B. Gittens, Chief Executive Officer
Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative

 

 

Donating to the Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative is an impactful way to support vulnerable families and strengthen communities. With a mission to empower and uplift families in need, the collaborative provides vital resources, services, and support systems to improve their overall well-being. By donating, you contribute to programs that offer educational assistance, job training, counseling, and access to essential resources such as food, housing, and healthcare. Your generosity helps create a positive and nurturing environment for families, enabling them to overcome challenges, build resilience, and thrive. Together, we can make a lasting difference in the lives of families that we serve.

Work With Us—Help Us Do More in 24/7/365

Do you have a passion for creating positive change in your community? Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and get involved? We’re inviting you to join our dynamic community organization and be a catalyst for meaningful impact.

By submitting your information today, you’ll become an integral part of our mission to make a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most. Whether you’re an experienced volunteer or new to community work, we welcome your unique skills, perspectives, ideas, and resources.

Submit your information today and be a part of something truly remarkable. Join our community organization and let your passion shine through!

Note: Rest assured, your information will be handled with the utmost care and privacy. We respect your trust and are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of your data.

Their Stories are OUR Stories

The Causes That Motivate Us

GAFSC Family Emergency Response Fund

The GAFSC Family Emergency Response fund was originally established to provide financial assistance and support to families experiencing financial crises resulting from the impact of the COVID19 pandemic. Subsequently, GAFSC has continued to provide emergency financial assistance to families in Ward 4 experiencing a variety of financial hardships including, but not limited to, rental assistance, food assistance, utility assistance, transportation assistance, and emergency legal assistance. GAFSC recognizes this need may even be greater at this time as emergency mechanism put in place during the pandemic at the federal and local levels have diminished over time, therefore limiting other options available to families for needed support and assistance.

The GAFSC General Fund

The GAFSC General Fund enables us to support needs identified by the community, including organizational priorities  (i.e., housing support, employment assistance, family enrichment, and organizational sustainability).

SUSO  Youth Programming

The Show Up, Stand Out (SUSO) Program at GAFSC is a free service that helps students and their families that live and or attend our Ward 4 partnering schools reduce barriers to attending school every day on time.  SUSO believes in setting students up for success all year around so when school is out, we step up to continue their education and offer mini-camps. For our elementary students, we focus on bullying prevention and creating allies among elementary aged students.  For our middle school students, we reinforce healthy social and emotional connection and youth entrepreneurship.  Our Youth Entrepreneurs have created online stores and social media campaigns to educate the community about the dangers of Opioids. To continue to make an impact during out of school time, small donations or in kind goods will be greatly appreciated.

Domestic Violence—DV Circles of Peace DC Program

New York University’s Center on Violence and Recovery (NYU CVR) has entered into a partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) in Washington, DC as well as the Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative (GAFSC), to establish an evidence-informed Restorative Justice (RJ) program for adults sentenced to treatment for misdemeanor domestic violence (DV) crimes. The purpose of this program is to reduce recidivism primarily related to DV crimes, to address racial and cultural disparities, to promote healthy outcomes for the parties involved, and to meet the self-identified needs of those harmed. A larger goal is to create the potential for transformative change, including the possibility of interrupting the cycle of violence across generations.

To support the success of this program, GAFSC has identified various ways to reduce some of the barriers that participants often face, which can in turn impact the effectiveness of program implementation. Although we are able to minimally cover the basic needs of the program, funding support would be very beneficial to help us more adequately meet the following areas of need:

    • Transportation Support
    • Childcare
    • Community Volunteer Incentives
    • Victim Advocacy Support Services
    • Food for Post-treatment Fellowship