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. Within the public housing communities we serve, Little Lights is the largest private employer. Our goal is to hire as many people as possible from the communities we serve in order to funnel paychecks back into our neighborhoods and help people gain the experience they need to pursue other job opportunities.

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, or prep for interviews.

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Providing affordable housing to DC residents

Little Lights currently owns a 4 unit apartment building in Anacostia that provides affordable housing to the community. Originally purchased to house interns, the apartment building now serves the community at large.

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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 we serve. Every month, DC residents from select zip codes with a baby or infant can receive one free box of 50 diapers for each child in their care.

WHY DIAPERS?

Providing for a new child is expensive— roughly $120 a month just for diapers alone. Unfortunately, diapers are not able to be subsidized through many federal assistance programs available to low-income families. With one in three families struggling to provide diapers, the alternatives are hard: either overuse diapers, or cut food or childcare to help cover the costs.

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

Help our community get back to school with the supplies they need. Volunteers organize backpack and school supplies drives with the goal of providing a new backpack stuffed with supplies for every single one 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.

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CHRISTMAS STORE

A Store for Families

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

Helping families during Thanksgiving

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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