Woodley House

07/31/2025

We're proud to debut Woodley House's brand-new video, "Planned Giving: How You Can Make a Difference for Woodley House." We once again collaborated with the talented filmmaker Maria Luz Bravo to capture some of the many reasons and ways to support Woodley House.

The timing is also perfect, since August is National Make-A-Will Month. It's a helpful annual reminder for all of us to take time to craft our last will and testament. If you already have a will, it's recommended to review it for possible updates every 3-5 years. A will is essential to ensure that we're leaving a legacy for our families and our communities, including support for nonprofit organizations that do critical work.

Thanks for watching!

A film produced for Woodley House by Maria Luz Bravo (www.marialuzbravo.net/videography).Founded in 1958, Woodley House is a nonprofit enabling District of C...

07/29/2025

Woodley House's website has a fresh look! Working with our friends at eminjay design, we've streamlined the site to make it easier to navigate and find key information about our programs.

Other new features include:
-An interactive map showing the geographic breadth of Woodley House programs across the District of Columbia.
-A "Woodley Updates" page, where we'll share news items and perspectives from our team.
-A new donation form that accepts contributions via credit card, bank transfer or Google Pay.

Please let us know what you think!

https://woodleyhouse.org

07/22/2025

We're thrilled to recognize our colleague Kenyatte Wanzor, who recently was honored by the Department of Human Services as D.C.'s top Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) case manager for the month of June. Congrats, Kenyatte!

As a provider of PSH case management services, Woodley House supports individuals and families in securing a housing voucher and getting settled in a new home. Many of our PSH participants face the risk of chronic homelessness. Thanks to Kenyatte and the rest of the PSH team, Woodley House has helped 42 households get stabilized in new housing, including 11 who have signed leases since April.

Kenyatte joined Woodley House in August 2024, after having worked at a provider of Rapid Rehousing services. Kenyatte says she always tries to "go above and beyond" for her clients, especially responding to their concerns in a timely manner.

Kenyatte also has a knack for getting to the root of problems that a client may be facing. Recently, when a normally easygoing client began pushing back against home visits, Kenyatte determined that the client actually needed help paying a utility bill. Woodley House was able to provide assistance with the bill, which was a great relief to the client.

"I feel appreciated, I love my job," Kenyatte says. She adds that the appreciation she gets from her clients "is a feeling you can’t get otherwise."

Woodley House is fortunate to have dedicated, compassionate team members such as Kenyatte, making a real difference in the lives of our neighbors.

07/07/2025

Woodley House does not expect our clients or services to be directly impacted by the budget bill passed last week by Congress. Still, the drastic cuts to Medicaid likely will further damage the system of care for individuals facing mental illness. This is a system already under tremendous strain.

Even in challenging times, our work cannot and will not stop. Woodley House is proud to stand alongside our direct-service peers, as well as advocacy organizations such as NAMI. Together, we'll continue making the case for compassionate care and dignified housing for our neighbors and fellow Americans.

NAMI is devastated that Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will leave millions without access to critical mental health care & support.

While we are disappointed, we are encouraged by our advocates, who contacted Congress more than 155,000 times and who haven't given up. NAMI will not give up either -- our fight will continue to & .

Learn more: https://bit.ly/44dSGIx

07/01/2025

Woodley House is fortunate to once again be the recipient of an endowment grant from All Souls Episcopal Church, our generous Woodley Park neighbor. All Souls' diverse and inclusive community of parishioners is incredibly active across the District of Columbia, supporting a wide array of organizations and projects.

We were glad to have members of the All Souls Vestry join us for last year's Movie Benefit. And we're grateful for the Church's ongoing donations to the Woodley House Food Pantry. Thank you to all our friends and supporters at All Souls for demonstrating what it means to be a truly good neighbor.

06/26/2025

Thank you to our good friend and ANC Commissioner Gawain Kripke for featuring Woodley House Executive Director Ann Chauvin in his newsletter.

In the interview, Ann shares a bit about our Woodley Park D.C. neighborhood and what makes it such a warm, welcoming place for Woodley House clients.

Ann's own Woodley House story goes back more than 30 years! We're fortunate to have Ann as our big-hearted leader, always looking for ways to make life better for our residents.

https://niawag.medium.com/ann-chauvin-woodley-house-fe30dede8894

06/15/2025

A very happy birthday to Dana Bash! 🎂 Our wonderful friend, CNN Chief Political Correspondent, and former Woodley House board member celebrated early with us last week. Dana also was at one of our homes to work on a very exciting Woodley House project. More to come soon!

06/05/2025

We regret to share that one of our beloved residents, Mr. Milton Crutchfield, passed away on May 30 at the age of 69. Born and raised in the District of Columbia, Milton had been a resident of Woodley House programs for more than 15 years.

We’ll remember his infectious smile and his love of cooking. Milton was often first in line at our food pantry, requesting hot dogs and chicken thighs, his favorite things to cook.

While it’s always sad to lose one of our residents, we take solace in knowing that Milton lived his final days in a warm, supportive home, surrounded by people who loved and cared for him. This is the dignity that Woodley House offers all our clients, regardless of where they are in their journeys.

06/02/2025

We're excited to share our 2024 Annual Report! Although we find ourselves in turbulent, uncertain times, it remains important to pause, reflect, and celebrate success. And 2024 was a year worth celebrating at Woodley House.

Across our programs last year, we supported more D.C. residents than in any other year in our 66-year history: 497 individuals, an 18% increase over 2023.

We completed our first full year offering case management services as a Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) provider. Overall, Woodley House’s PSH program served 100 unique households during 2024. And we opened our fifth standalone residential property, Terry-Pincus Apartments, following extensive renovations.

We're now nearly halfway through 2025, and we know that Woodley House’s work, supporting Washingtonians who face mental illness and the risk of chronic homelessness, is more critical than ever. We cannot and will not stop.

https://eczrnyry8rq.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Woodley-House-Annual-Report-2024-FULL.pdf

05/21/2025

MEET THE WOODLEY HOUSE TEAM

We’re proud of how Woodley House staff members bring skill and compassion to their work every day. Here we showcase one of our colleagues who helps make Woodley House such a special organization.

NAME AND POSITION: Tyrone Cartwright, Chief Financial Officer

YEARS WITH WOODLEY HOUSE: 20 (2000 – 2009, and 2015 – present)

BACKGROUND: In 1981, Tyrone began his first job as a consumer loans clerk at First American Bank. He then held other roles in financial institutions, including credit unions. In 2000, Tyrone learned about Woodley House’s administrator opening from fellow churchgoer Debra Young, who was Woodley House’s executive director at the time. When Tyrone became administrator, he had oversight of Woodley House’s finance, HR, IT, operations and maintenance.

THE RETURN: Tyrone left Woodley House in 2009 to serve as director of finance and administration at a peer nonprofit, the Transitional Housing Corp. (today known as Housing Up). But he couldn’t stay away from Woodley House forever, and eventually returned in 2015.

WHAT MAKES WOODLEY HOUSE SPECIAL: Tyrone highlights how Woodley House’s clients, staff and board of directors come together as a triad that has persisted for nearly 70 years. “If you’re looking for a group of folks that’ll roll up their sleeves and fight to make our consumers’ lives the best they can be, Woodley House is the place.”

RELATIONSHIPS THAT LAST: Some current residents of Woodley House’s Supported Independent Living program have been with us for decades. Tyrone remembers several residents coming to watch his teenaged son play basketball; Tyrone’s son is now 41 years old.

RETIREMENT PLANNING: Woodley House is sad to bid farewell again to Tyrone, as he heads into retirement later this year. He and his wife, Shirley, plan to relax at their home in North Carolina, spend time traveling, and enjoy their four grandchildren.

LEGACY OF STABILITY: Tyrone is proud of his work helping Woodley House achieve a foundation of financial stability, which he’s confident our leadership will maintain and strengthen. “We’ve positioned ourselves to continue Joan Doniger’s vision of providing services to those who need it, allowing them to live as much a normal life as possible,” he says.

05/15/2025

MEET THE WOODLEY HOUSE TEAM

We’re proud of how Woodley House staff members bring skill and compassion to their work every day. Here we showcase one of our colleagues who helps make Woodley House such a special organization.

NAME AND POSITION: Maria Paipa Farias, Senior Programs Director

YEARS WITH WOODLEY HOUSE: 20

BACKGROUND: Originally from Argentina, Maria began her career as a clinical psychologist before moving to the U.S. She worked in Los Angeles and New York, and lived briefly in the United Kingdom, before finally settling in D.C. with her family. Maria has had two stints working at Woodley House dating to 2005.

WEARING MANY HATS: In her current role, Maria oversees Woodley House’s Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs, in addition to managing our compliance and quality improvement functions.

IMPORTANCE OF OUR WORK: Maria appreciates how Woodley House supports the social determinants of health beyond medical care, including providing a safe, stable place for our clients to live. “It’s amazing to see how people change when they feel they can breathe, they have a place they can sleep at night and three meals,” she says.

CONTINUUM OF CARE: Maria believes Woodley House is successful because our clients can transition in either direction along our continuum of care: We help them move on to independent living when they’re ready, but we also help them transition back to housing with more care and supervision if their mental health situation changes. “I think it’s very needed work, the work we do,” Maria says.

RETIREMENT PLANNING: In fall 2025, Maria will retire from her current role. She hopes to continue working with Woodley House on a limited part-time basis, and will spend part of her year with family in Argentina. Maria also hopes to invest more time in her hobbies: photography, music and volunteering.

WHAT SHE’LL MISS: When she’s no longer full-time at Woodley House, Maria says she’ll miss clinical meetings with her colleagues, and “the little conversations” she has with our housing clients. “Some of them have been with us for many years, I know them well. I love to see them and share with them their progress and achievements in life,” Maria says.

12/19/2024

Every December, going back more than half a century, Woodley House celebrates the birthday of composer Ludwig van Beethoven. It's our inclusive way of enjoying the holiday season, and inviting our residents and staff to bring their own traditions and talents.

This week, Woodley House residents from across our programs gathered in Woodley Park to once again mark Beethoven's Birthday with singing, dancing, poetry, and lots of delicious food.

As we close out 2024, we're grateful for the joy that so many people bring to the Woodley House community. We wish you a very happy, healthy holiday season, and can't wait to be with you again in the new year.