Beyond spiritual transformation, what are the most pertinent Metro Washington region needs that the OneHeartDC platform is helping partners address?
Anti-Human Trafficking
The Metro Washington region is a top 5 hub for sex and labor trafficking nationally. Human traffickers exploit men, women and children, of all races and backgrounds, for personal and monetary gain. Partners are spreading awareness of trafficking and equipping individuals to resist and prevent it. They are caring for victims and empowering them to overcome the emotional and physical harm inflicted. They are addressing demand by intervening in local brothels – ministering to victims and providing pathways to safety and ministering to johns. They are helping men overcome addiction to pornography which can be a driver.
Building Resilient Youth
Only 25% of our youth are resilient. Increasing rates of depression, anxiety and fears are causing teens to lose hope of a better tomorrow. Suicides, drug overdoses and other risky behaviors are on the rise.
Foster Care & Adoption
Over 20,000 cases of alleged mistreatment are investigated yearly across the region. These and other factors drive over 1,000 new children entering the Foster Care system yearly and approximately 4,000 children in the system at any time. Groups are affected disproportionately with 7 in 10 being African American and teenagers (over 11 years old) being over represented and staying in the system longer. We are also seeing higher rates of emancipation with about 1 in 4 exiting the program without permanency (reunification, guardianship or adoption).
Homelessness
A survey from the U.S. Conference of Mayors of 32 U.S. cities (December 2016) found the District had the highest rate of homelessness and had experienced a 34 percent increase in homelessness between 2009 and 2016. The number of homeless people in families in the District also surged by 103.54 percent between those years.
Immigrants & Refugees
Strong traditional and refugee immigration has boosted diversity in our region. Approximately 25% of our population is foreign born. Our diversity index is leading a trend across the nation. Today, there is a 2 in 3 chance that a random public meeting of any two individuals will not find them sharing a common racial or ethnic background. Our immigrant communities tend to have higher socio-economic needs and most want to learn English to assimilate and thrive.
Poverty
The Metro Washington region has a high cost of living that raises the poverty threshold for families to approximately twice national levels. Approximately 1 in 5 families regionally and 1 in 3 in the District have significant needs to get by. Better and higher paying jobs are required to thrive. Deficits in income result in food insecurity, particularly in our most vulnerable (children, elderly, disabled).
Racial Reconciliation
Racial tensions in our national have risen dramatically over the last several years. These same tensions exist in the Church and are barriers to the unity prayed for by our Lord Jesus in John 17. OneHeartDC is dedicated to moving Metro Washington churches and communities into unity, reconciliation and justice.
School Partnerships
Public schools have become the centers of communities where social, educational and physical needs are surfaced and being met by churches and other organizations. We want to see all schools adopted, starting with Title I schools that have the greatest needs. Schools serve communities or geographies. When added up, these geographies provide coverage of the entire region.