The Board of Directors announces Cemeré James as the Interim CEO of Mary Elizabeth House, a Washington, DC–based transitional housing and support program for teen and young adult mothers experiencing homelessness or aging out of foster care.

The social conditions that result from poor access to health care, decent wages, meaningful employment and housing alone, have made Black and Brown people victims of chronic diseases that cause our vulnerability to the insidious virus that leads to the cry, “I can’t breathe!”, and a drift into the midnight sleep of no return.

Homelessness is a major issue for youth in the District of Columbia and it’s a major front in the effort to provide adequate services to young people in DC. Aging out of foster care, surviving family disruption and launching into a life on their own presents some serious challenges, not the least of which is finding stable housing to avoid the threat of homelessness.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Resident Families and Staff of The Mary Elizabeth House, A Ministry, we extend to you our heartfelt THANKS for the grace and love you’ve shown us this year through your prayers, generous gifts of time, talent, and resources.

In 2007, The Mary Elizabeth House Inc, began its critical mission of supporting the healthy development of single parent women and their children. We learned early on that success means helping two generations—mothers and children, to succeed. And, that we would continually rely on the support of individuals and businesses in our community, to accomplish our goal.

It’s a simple but compelling story that in retrospect, reminds me of how the scripts of our lives are guided and lead us to do the work that we were sent to planet earth to do. The Mary Elizabeth House Inc., A Ministry, was born in my spirit in 2006, when I mentored a young, single mother who was on the brink of aging-out of the child welfare system.