6 Nonprofits Curing Homelessness

Miriam's Kitchen

Year founded: 1983
People served: 5,700 in 2014
Executive director: Scott Schenkelberg, president and CEO
Programs: Serves breakfast and dinner Monday through Friday; case management, including mental health services, medical services and legal services; advocate for enough quality permanent, supportive housing in DC; coordinates and advocates between clients, their landlords and service providers.
Staff size: 41
Budget: $3.7M
Main source of funding: Individuals, events and foundations.

So Others Might Eat

Year founded: 1970
How many people served in 2014: 10,000
Executive director: Richard Gerlach
Programs: Emergency services like breakfast and lunch, shower rooms, clothing and health services; rebuilding services like addiction recovery, employment training and mental health; stability services like single adult housing, family housing and senior services.
Staff size: 336 part- and full-time employees
Current budget: $25M
Main source of funding: Individuals

Thrive DC

Year founded: 1979
People served annually: 2,500
Executive director: Alicia Horton
Programs: Serves over 150,000 meals annually and offers help with basic needs like showers, laundry, clothing and blankets, and transportation assistance; case management and life skills coaching, peer support groups, enrichment classes; job training and computer education.
Staff size: 15
Budget: $2.3M
Main source of funding: Government and foundations

DC Central Kitchen

Year founded: 1989
People served in 2014: 5,000 meals served daily and 96 graduates of its culinary job training program in 2014
Executive director: Mike Curtin
Programs: Transforms 3,000 pounds of unwanted food into 5,000 healthy meals. Meals are then delivered to 80 partner agencies in the DC area. Meals are also prepared for low-income children at 10 public and private schools in DC. Also runs a 14-week culinary job training program to prepare unemployed, underemployed, previously incarcerated people and homeless adults for food service careers.
Staff size: 148
Current budget: $12.5M
Main source of funding: Earned income through three social enterprises: Fresh Start Catering, school food contracts with 10 DC schools, and Healthy Corners. All three account for over 60% of annual income.

Back On My Feet

Year founded: 2007 (in Philadelphia) 
Executive director: Kelly Andreae
Mission: 11 chapters, including DC, that use running to help those experiencing homelessness change the way they see themselves so they can make changes in their lives that result in employment and independent living. 
Staff size: 2 in DC
Current budget: $5.2M
Main source of funding: Corporate, individuals and foundations, United Way and in-kind. 

Pathways to Housing DC

Year founded: 2004
People served in 2014: 2,000
Executive director: Christy Respress
Mission: Follows a Housing First model, providing permanent homes to chronically homeless people in DC first, and then supporting them with mental health, substance abuse, and other wraparound services to empower recovery and success living independently.  
Staff size: 100
Current budget: $10.1M
Main source of funding: Federal and local government contracts