Amalgamated Transit Union Transforms A Newly Acquired Property

Max Dietshe
March 2015

A Spirit of “Can-DOnate”

Amalgamated Transit Union Transforms a Newly Acquired Property

“The ATU’s donation of office and residential furniture not only helped us further our mission of providing the tools needed for long-term stability and growth; it also helped reduce our operating costs. Kudos to the Transit Union and to KEYS for connecting Mission of Love Charities to these important resources.”

– Denise Robinson, Mission of Love Charities 

When the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents transit workers (including those who work for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority), acquired the former National Labor College in Silver Spring, they were faced with the challenge of clearing the buildings so that the 46-acre campus could be renovated and used for member training and education.

As the union planned for the overhaul of the campus, they turned to KEYS for the Homeless to help place more than $70,000 worth of office and residential furniture that might ordinarily have gone to a landfill.

KEYS hosted an open house for homeless service organizations, allowing them to browse and select items ranging from desks to bookcases, mattresses, lamps and even artwork. Then, building-by-building, the incredible team at ATU set aside needed items. ATU crews also helped load the trucks and provided troubleshooting assistance – for example, disconnecting electrical wires so that office cubicles could be moved intact.

KEYS expedited the delivery of the donations, delivering some of the furnishings while some organizations arranged their own transport, sharing the cost and enabling deadlines to be met.

“This was a major, collaborative project, and I look forward to continuing to work with ATU in the years ahead” said KEYS President and Founder Valerie Guste Johnson. “Thank you ATU for your support and generous contributions!”

ATU donations helped the following organizations:

• Central Union Mission. Provides emergency shelter services for homeless men every night of the year, renewing hope, restoring family relationships and returning once-broken men to productive lives. Meals and groceries seven days a week for anyone in need who walks through the Mission's doors. Family and children services, case management services, and special events and celebrations. 65 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.

• Mission of Love Charities. Dedicated to meeting the immediate basic human needs of the underprivileged and impoverished throughout the region by providing free programs and services designed for short-term stability. In addition to furniture, clothing, nonperishable food and household amenities, MOLC offers job and life skills training. 6180 Old Central Avenue, Capitol Heights, MD.

• Woodley House. An innovative, community-based organization dedicated to helping people with mental illness recovery efforts live full and healthy lives with dignity. Offers safe, secure housing for mental illness with options and a comprehensive range of services and support. 1408 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC.

• Community Action Network. Part of a national network of over 1,000 Community Action Agencies, CAN works in partnership with the community to develop, strengthen and support programs that reduce vulnerability among the poor as well as promote growth, stability and self-sufficiency. 7900 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD.

• Homestretch. Helps families develop a measurable and achievable service plan. Sixty percent of families served are homeless due to domestic violence, while others are homeless due to medical crises, human trafficking, loss of loved ones or economic downturn. 370 South Washington Street #400, Falls Church, VA.

• Community Action Group. Provides professional and compassionate social services to disadvantaged individuals and families in the Washington, DC Metro Area. Also offers comprehensive rehabilitative social services for unemployed, underemployed, no-income to low-income individuals. 325 34th Street, SE, Washington, DC.

• Northwest Center. Offers the loving support and comprehensive aid necessary to enable all women to continue their pregnancies, deliver healthy babies, and adequately care for themselves and their children. Provides free services in a confidential, non-judgmental, supportive atmosphere: Pregnancy testing, options counseling, health education and material assistance. A comprehensive transitional housing program that offers transitional housing for pregnant women ages 18 – 30. 2702 Ontario Road, Washington, DC

• Friendship Place. Innovative, customized, person-focused programs empower participants to rebuild their lives, find homes, get jobs, and reconnect with friends, family, and the community, permanently. The goal: To end homelessness in Washington, DC, and to lead the way in modeling how this can be done in other parts of the country. 4713 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington DC.

• Share, Inc. Provides furniture free of charge to individuals and families struggling to furnish their homes as a result of poverty or significant life challenges. Also addresses crises such as eviction, utility cut-offs, and medical prescription refills by providing financial assistance, as well as offering supplemental groceries and clothing to clients in Share’s service area. 1367 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA.

• Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter. A low-barrier emergency shelter for women over the age of 18 who need of housing, food or case management. Shelter staff serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to clients. Case management services include assistance with life skills, employment, hygiene issues, drug rehab and financial management. DC General Hospital, 1900 Massachusetts Avenue, SE, Washington, DC.

• Adam’s Place. An emergency shelter for men over the age of 18. Serves as a hypothermia shelter between November and March when temperatures drop to deadly lows. Also offers hot meals, showers, a place to stay off of the streets, access to a case manager and a work program. Hosts a substance abuse meeting and support group twice weekly. 2210 Adams Place NE # 1, Washington, DC.

• Stepping Stones. Provides temporary shelter and services in an atmosphere of dignity and respect to homeless families with children in order to move them from crisis to a stable home environment. PO Box 712, Rockville, MD.

• Salvation Army Turning Point. Transitional family housing in safe, furnished apartments plus help achieving the skills necessary to become self-sufficient. Support services include case management, crisis intervention, individual and family counseling, advocacy, and independent living skills. 1246 Taylor Street, NW, Washington, DC.

• Calling All Souls. Transitional assistance to families and individuals in the process of moving from homeless shelters to temporary or semi-permanent housing. Offers household goods, furniture, clothes and other materials needed to help families establish the beginnings of a home, as well as meals and life-goods assistance to families and individuals struggling to make ends meet. 5501 Merchants View Square, Haymarket, VA.

--Max Dietshe