T he Georgia Avenue/Rock Creek East Family Support Collaborative is one of seven Healthy Families Thriving Communities Collaboratives, dedicated to developing a neighborhood-based system that builds on strengths, nurtures families, and keeps children safe from abuse and neglect

S ince its inception in 1998, the Georgia Avenue/Rock Creek East Family Support Collaborative has worked with local community partners to serve families in the Ward 4 community.

O ur mission is to work with community-based organizations and residents to help children, youth, and families become healthy by choice, empowered by knowledge, and connected to community support.

G eorgia Avenue/Rock Creek East Family Support Collaborative utilizes a “strengths-based approach” to finding solutions to family problems.   Maximizing on these strengths allows us to assist families in finding solutions within themselves.   We believe that families have great internal resources and reserve and building on those allows them to feel empowered and successful.

W e provide a variety of direct services to families.   These include: Case Management, Housing Support, Information and Referral.

Case management involves coordinating services aimed

at strengthening, preserving and supporting families.  

These services include: helping families with finding housing,

paying utility bills and other needs.   Case management

involves a Family Support Worker or Social Worker going

to the home of our families to assess their overall needs.

                                                Housing support includes assisting families with a range

                                                of housing needs from programs to locate permanent

housing to rental assistance.

Information and referral services links families to agencies and organizations that address a variety of needs.   In many instances this involves referrals for medical care, employment searches, substance or mental health treatment, child care and adult education.

W e also have a variety of programs that address community needs. These specialty services are our Fatherhood Initiative , the Parent Empowerment Program and a Truancy Prevention Program (Y-Trip).

T he Fatherhood Initiative is a community outreach program that promotes early and continued father involvement in the lives of children.   Workshops are conducted to build fathers’ employability and link them to a range of services related to a healthy lifestyle.   Participants receive books and tools to continue honing their fatherhood skills.

T he Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) offers parents information, training and skill building on various topics as well as parenting workshops.   This program uses a multifaceted, holistic approach.   The collaborative also offers a resource room which is available for parents to get information, books and videos to strengthen their skills.

Y-Trip is a truancy prevention program in collaboration with the D.C. public schools to help families who have children that have missed more than fifteen days of school.   This program is school-based.

O ur other capacity-building activities include:

                            **Mini-Grants which provide funding for programs to 
                            provide further support to families. 

**School and Community Fellowship Breakfast which

facilitates partnerships between faith-based and other

community providers of youth and family programs within our service area.   

**Annual Community Cookout which promotes fellowship,

fun and entertainment while exposing residents to available resources and community programs.

The Georgia Avenue/Rock Creek East
Family Support Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

For information or services, contact one of our family service centers.