To empower underserved youth, families, and communities in Washington DC by sharing the hope of Christ through compassionate action, caring relationships, and racial reconciliation.

To help rebuild communities through prayer, racial and class reconciliation, and tangible resources that promote academic and personal success.

The public housing communities we serve are tightly knit, supportive, and resilient in the face of so many challenges.

As the result of decades of federally-sanctioned discriminatory housing practices, the city of DC remains largely segregated and the most concentrated areas of poverty are DC’s public housing communities. These public housing neighborhoods are predominantly African-American and families often struggle to exist on just 17% of the median DC income – roughly $14,000 per year. 

Of our students, 85% are reading below grade level. The public schools in our neighborhoods show student proficiency in reading and math only in the single digits. Tragically, these shortcomings in academics are also accompanied by food insecurity, poor medical care, community violence, over-policing, and dire job prospects.

At Little Lights, we believe that these challenges are best met with a two-pronged approach: We work to combat the systemic structures that create inequity and we also work to equip children and families with the resources and relationships they need to overcome the barriers in their way.