Family and Economic Empowerment

Family & Economic Empowerment

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Helping People Become Workforce Ready

Little Lights helps people in our community become workforce ready through on-the-job training and job search assistance.

Residents of public housing are an integral part of our staff. Little Lights is the largest private employer in the Hopkins, Potomac Gardens, and Benning Terrace communities. We prioritize hiring from within the public housing communities we serve, helping to create more financial opportunities and providing job skills training and employment experience for future career success.

We also operate an on-site Family Center complete with a computer lab and trained staff to help community members search for jobs, craft resumes and cover letters, and prep for interviews.

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Providing affordable housing to DC residents

Little Lights operates a 4-unit apartment building in Anacostia that provides affordable housing to the community. In a city where many families are being priced out of the housing market, we seek to provide safe, reliable, and affordable places for community members to live.

DIAPER DISTRIBUTION

Partnering With the DC Diaper Bank

Since 2012, we’ve been a proud partner of the DC Diaper Bank and serve as a diaper distribution site for the low-income families in the community. Every month, DC residents from select zip codes with a baby or infant can receive free diapers for each child in their care. Because diapers are not able to be subsidized through many federal assistance programs available to low-income families, this form of practical assistance fulfills a critical need for parents of young children.

To learn more about the DC Diaper Bank and their work in our nation’s capital, visit them online.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Providing Backpacks & School Supplies

Every fall we distribute backpacks and school supplies to each of our students. Having a new backpack gets our students excited about the start of school, plus it is a tremendous help throughout the year to have the various supplies they need to complete their homework. Volunteers organize backpack and school supplies drives - contact us if you'd like to organize a back to school drive.

CHRISTMAS STORE

Spreading Christmas Cheer

The Little Lights Christmas Store was born out of a desire to use Christmastime to bring families in our community together and help them celebrate with each other.

One week every December, we turn the Family Center into a Christmas Store, stocked with donated gifts. Parents can sign up to come during a specific time slot to pick out a gift, wrap and decorate it, and take it home for their child. Instead of delivering gifts directly to the kids, we’ve found that the family bond becomes stronger when we bring the parents into the process.

We also strive to deepen our relationships with parents through the Christmas Store and use the time with the parents as an opportunity to connect and learn more about them and their families.

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THANKSGIVING DRIVE

Providing Thanksgiving Meals

Thanksgiving is a time for deepening relationships over meals and laughter. For many families, however, buying the necessary food for a large meal with the family can be a financial burden.

Little Lights partners with local churches and other agencies to provide Thanksgiving baskets for public housing families.

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