The Washington Home Invests $200K to Expand Community Village Network In Washington, DC

New collaboration unites 19 partners to strengthen and optimize neighborhood resources that reduce social isolation and promote “age in place” options

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As more older adults in the District seek to “age in place” to retain their local community connections,” The Washington Home (TWH) is supporting the DC Village Council Collaboration – a citywide initiative designed to create a stronger, more connected network of Senior Villages across the city.

Villages are grassroots, neighbor-to-neighbor networks that help older adults remain independent, connected, and engaged in the communities they know and love. Through volunteers, partnerships, social activities, transportation, wellness programs, and practical support services, Villages make aging in place both possible.

With a $200,000 TWH-funded investment across 19 partner organizations, the collaboration will support three key areas:

1) Shared Services – develop shared administrative services for the 13 DC Villages and 5 incubator and ambassador locations to create administrative efficiencies, reduce costs, and scale programs across the District;
2) Data Collection – establish a unified data framework to improve impact reporting capabilities; and
3) Service Access – expand the Village movement by launching three new incubator sites, and two new ambassador program sites to increase community outreach capability and deliver village support services in new neighborhoods.

The initiative is part of TWH’s newly redesigned FY26 grant strategy, which shifts funding from isolated intervention programs to prioritizing collective accountability, strategic coordination, and long-term systems change for deeper impact.

In total, TWH has awarded $4.5 million in FY26 grants supporting initiatives across all eight Wards, including collaborations focused on healthcare access, social isolation, workforce development, and aging-in-place supports.

At the center of this collaboration effort is a growing challenge facing older adults in DC: social isolation and limited support services to confidently “age in place” in their current community. The DC Village Council Collaboration is projected to reach approximately 7,609 older adults and increase resources and service locations across the city.

“This collaboration represents a transformative investment in how we support older adults across our communities. By bringing together 19 dedicated partners, we’re strengthening the network of Village organizations that helps older adults remain connected, independent, and engaged where they want to be – in their homes and neighborhoods,” said Crystal Carr Townsend, MPA, CEO of The Washington Home. Together, we’re building shared systems, expanding access to services, and creating a stronger, more sustainable infrastructure that reduces social isolation while ensuring every Village has the tools and partnerships needed to serve residents today and for years to come.”

COLLABORATION PARTNERS DELIVER IMPACT
TWH is proud to partner with these 19 organizations to deliver services across the food access continuum so older adults can receive multiple points of support:

▪DC Villages Collaborative (DCVC): Focuses on incubating, accelerating, and supporting the Village Movement in Washington, D.C. DCVC serves as the backbone organization for the 13-Village network and 5 incubator and ambassador sites, enhancing the lives of older adults while fostering supportive and engaged communities among neighbors throughout the city.

▪13 DC Villages: An integral part of the aging services network, Villages are neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations that help older adults age in place in the communities they know and love. Located throughout the city, each Village serves a specific neighborhood and offers a unique mix of social activities, volunteer opportunities, companionship, and practical support tailored to the needs of its community.
-Capitol Hill Village
-Cleveland & Woodley Park Village
-Dupont Circle Village
-East Rock Creek Village
-Foggy Bottom West End Village
-Georgetown Village
-Glover Park Village
-Greater Brookland Intergenerational Village
-Kingdom Care Senior Village
-Mt. Pleasant Village
-Northwest Neighbors Village
-Palisades Village
-Waterfront Village

▪Incubator Sites – Future Villages: Deliver services and receiving training and development support to become fully functioning Villages with the governance, volunteer infrastructure and operational systems to deliver standardized services (i.e., home visits, transportation, social programing, etc.).
-Faith United Church – Ward 5
-Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church – Ward 7
-Mt. Zion Baptist Church – Ward 7

▪Ambassador Sites: Receive training, mentorship, and support from DC Village Council and established Villages to build core services and organizational structures. A self-paced phase (up to one year) prepares communities to advance to the Incubator phase based on readiness and capacity.
-Fairlawn Citizens Association – Ward 8
-Mt. Olive Baptist Church – Ward 7

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"True community development means ensuring our elders grow older with dignity, connection, and joy right where they are. By uniting 13 established villages with five critical incubator and ambassador sites, we are eliminating the gaps where older adults often fall into social isolation. This unprecedented partnership allows us to expand the number of trusted support locations across the District while strengthening the vital infrastructure between them.


We aren’t just scaling administrative efficiency; we are scaling human connection.
By investing in shared resources, coordinated services, and new Village development, we are creating a resilient, citywide network that will reach hundreds more older adults with the volunteer engagement and community relationships that make healthy aging possible.
"

— Dr. Katrina Polk, Ph.D., Executive Director of the DC Villages Collaborative
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Together, the TWH collaborations represent a new model for how Washington, DC can address aging, health, and social connection – through coordinated community resources that support older adults where they are.

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON HOME
The Washington Home is a private foundation that provides funding to entities that create and deliver innovative, compassionate, and well-managed programs to improve the quality of life for elderly and/or terminally ill residents in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Founded in 1888, The Washington Home, until recently, provided long-term care to residents of its nursing home facility in upper Northwest Washington, DC, hospice care to patients in their own homes, and care in the in-patient hospice wing of the nursing home.

In recent years, the Board of Directors of The Washington Home directed a repositioning of the organization by ceasing hands-on care and consolidating its financial resources to be deployed for maximum impact in accordance with its longstanding mission. Learn more at www.TheWashingtonHome.org.

Crystal Townsend, MPA
The Washington Home
+1 202-895-0105
info@thewashingtonhome.org
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