“This allows us greater flexibility in our services and to advocate more strongly and directly for our guests,” said GMC Director of Community Engagement Teddy Sullivan, who has been there since July 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing.

She has helped to build out some of the key platforms that power GMC’s efforts, including community and street outreach, lunch and dinner programs, and in-kind donations, to name just a few.

By the numbers for 2023-2024, the GMC impact report shows it provided 2,886 street outreach interactions, 20,416 drop-in center visits, 1,220 psychiatry and medical assessments, 14,023 meals, 4,259 computer hours, 4,797 showers, 3,622 loads of laundry, 112 government IDs, and 51 birth certificates.

Thos programs are having a significant impact as the center closes in on naming its new director by early summer. Sullivan and Rebecca Kellett are the interim program directors.

Other key staffers include Drop-In Center Manager Veronica Watson-Freeman, Outreach Coordinator Ricca Ballard, Program & Advocacy Coordinator Taylor Bush, Program Coordinator Delores Jackson, Pop-Up Coordinator Benjamin Zack, Resident Psychiatrist Dr. Ron Koshes and Resident General Practitioner Dr. Puya Jafari.

The GMC has two shifts daily, each staffed by two volunteers, with a bit more than 100 volunteers annually. The drop-in center at 1041 Wisconsin Ave is open six days a week for showers and lunch.

The summer is the hardest time of year, according to Sullivan and Bush, because of the intense D.C. heat. Greatly needed are myriad supplies such as clothing, water, sunscreen, bug spray, and more community volunteers because many students return home for the summer.

The group’s website states, “We seek lasting solutions to homelessness one person at a time.”

“We can provide for basic needs, but we want to help our guests get long-term housing. We offer a safe haven from the streets to our most withdrawn and vulnerable homeless neighbors,” Bush emphasized.

Sullivan highlighted a recent pivotal experience at GMC. “One guest has been coming to us for a few years while living in a tent and getting her paralegal certification. She accessed the shower and got food. Now she is working as a paralegal while living in her own apartment.”

“There are cracks in the system, and we say the GMC acts as a safety net when people fall into that crack. The GMC mission is hyper local to Georgetown and Glover Park, and we view our population as our neighbors,” said Sullivan.

“We don’t want them to be overlooked. GMC staffers work on building lasting relationships with our guests, knowing their names and creating trust by treating them all with dignity and respect. “Empathy and compassion are crucial.”

Bush noted, “Our guests are constantly teaching me new things, and I learn from so many different people. We work with a lot of individuals who have mental health and behavioral issues.”

Neighborhood involvement is the agency’s secret sauce, GMC staffers underscore, because people have a lot of great ideas and positive energy, and just showing up is half the battle.

For those who want to volunteer, sign up online here. If you want to donate, there is an Amazon wish list for summer needs that can be found here.

Small gestures go a long way to help people who need it the most, and that rising tide helps lift everyone.