Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative

Description

GAFSC was formed in 1998 to respond to the needs of at-risk families and children in Wards 1 and 4 and in 1999, GAFSC initiated services in the Petworth neighborhood of Ward 4, with Lutheran Social Services as the fiscal agent. In 2002, the Collaborative became a separate 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization. GAFSC currently has a diverse staff of 36 fulltime and 2 part-time, including bilingual staff who can serve the Spanish- and Amharic-speaking clients. Services are provided out of three locations, two in Petworth and one in Brightwood, as well as in nine Ward 4 schools.

GAFSC is one of five Healthy Families Thriving Communities (HFTC) Collaboratives in the District of Columbia. Although these nonprofit organizations focus primarily on their particular communities and therefore are Ward-based, we work collectively to plan programs and services, advocate for low-income families and implement and maintain common practice standards.

Our direct work with families focuses on building protective factors in parents and children, and our community capacity building work increases the skills, knowledge and advocacy ability of residents and partners and strengthens the safety net. This dual approach contributes to family wellbeing that can be sustained over time with minimal dependence on formal service providers. All of our programs are designed to achieve better outcomes for children, youth and their families.