Washington, D.C. is facing a critical moment in public safety, housing stability, and community healing. Every year, hundreds of men return home from incarceration with nowhere safe, stable, or supportive to go. Too many fall through the cracks — not because they lack potential, but because our systems lack the infrastructure to catch them.

 

HeRise Growth Center, a 501(c)(3) based in Ward 7, is stepping up with a transformational solution:

A supportive housing program designed specifically for formerly incarcerated men — integrating housing, mental-health support, workforce development, and life-stabilization services under one roof.

 

We are petitioning for community support, citywide awareness, and urgent donor engagement to ensure we can open our Winter Warm Start Cohort and stabilize 16 men from December–March.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why This Petition Matters:

 

 

 

The current re-entry landscape leaves too many men returning home without:

 

• Safe, stable housing

• Employment support

• Document retrieval assistance

• Mental-health services

• Case management

• A supportive community

 

The results play out in every neighborhood — instability, recidivism, family strain, and avoidable violence.

 

HeRise provides a new architecture of care.

A trauma-responsive, dignity-driven environment that prioritizes structure, accountability, and healing.

 

This winter, we are launching a 90-day Warm Start Winter Cohort for 16 men who have been incarcerated within the past 18 months. Each resident receives:

 

• Housing

• Meals

• Workforce placement

• Mental-health support

• Life skills & financial literacy

• Transportation assistance

• Business workshops

• A community-centered program model

 

But to open our doors, we need community backing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What We Are Asking For:

 

 

 

We are calling on residents, leaders, businesses, churches, advocates, and justice-impacted families to stand with HeRise and demand:

 

 

 

1. 

Immediate community support

 

 

 

A unified voice affirming the need for trauma-responsive supportive housing in Ward 7.

 

 

 

2. 

Citywide visibility and partnership

 

 

 

We need policymakers and agencies to prioritize housing solutions that work.

 

 

 

3. 

Financial contributions from donors and partners

 

 

 

Since this cohort is not government-funded, we rely on sponsors, donors, and partners to close the gap for:

 

• Program meals

• Mental-health sessions

• Work supplies

• Transportation

• Resident support services

• Operational infrastructure