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When Be the Change in DC was created in late 2006, the organization recruited 10-15 people to volunteer at soup kitchen events organized by So Others Might Eat (SOME) on the third Saturday of every month. On these days, Be the Change in DC was responsible for gathering enough volunteers to serve lunch to approximately 200 people. Having organized many of these events, Be the Change in DC found the soup kitchen events were an excellent way to raise awareness about Be the Change in DC in the community and to form a relationship with SOME.

Be the Change in DC's mission is to help the homeless community by engaging college-aged people and young professionals in service and social events that do not require a consistent time commitment. Other organizations have attacked homelessness at its very roots, but many people who cannot find a shelter must face living on the streets while they wait for their chance to enter treatment programs or receive transitional housing. Be the Change in DC will help the homeless survive while they are living outside, equipping them with the skills to find longer term solutions and educating young professionals about the issues that affect the homeless population of Washington DC.

Be the Change in DC will welcome participation from individuals, churches and local colleges and universities in collecting sleeping bags and raising money for sleeping bag distribution and other projects. Be the Change in DC will encourage organizations, churches and colleges to sponsor an area of the city for distributing the sleeping bags. Using a model akin to Giving Back, Be the Change in DC will negotiate with outdoor/camping stores, large retailers like Wal-Mart or Target and even sleeping bag manufacturers to reduce the price per sleeping bag. This tactic will allow Be the Change in DC to provide even more sleeping bags to the homeless each year by reducing the cost of the services provided.

Because Be the Change in DC has no paid staff, nearly every single dollar that the organization receives is used for service programs, such as the sleeping bag distribution. Be the Change in DC will be fiscally "transparent" so that donors, whether individuals or corporations, will know exactly how their donations will be used.

Specific Activities

According to the Homeless Services Planning and Coordinating Committee, there were approximately 5,757 homeless people living in the District in 2007.[1] This report defines the homeless as people who reside in some form of emergency or transitional shelters, domestic violence shelters, runaway youth shelters, and places not meant for human habitation including streets, parks, alleys, abandoned buildings and stairways.[2] This report also indicates that in 2007, there were 1,439 chronic homeless in emergency shelters and 321 chronic and unsheltered homeless for a total population of 1,760 chronic homeless within the District (excluding all surrounding neighborhoods). Through the distribution of sleeping bags, Be the Change in DC hopes to reach these persons living on the street.

1. Sleeping Bag Distribution

During the winter of 2008, Be the Change in DC began to alleviate the suffering of the homeless on the street by distributing sleeping bags to them. First, to raise funds and awareness of this endeavor, Be the Change in DC initiated an ad hoc fundraising campaign. Through the use of email, flyers, and public internet forums such as Facebook, the organization garnered support from friends, family members, and others in the District. Although the focus was primarily on raising money to purchase new sleeping bags, donations of sleeping bags and blankets were also accepted. Be the Change in DC raised $1,200 dollars and various donations of sleeping bags and blankets during this two week fundraising campaign. Next, a few Board members used the funds raised to purchase 30 sleeping bags for distribution.

On a Saturday in February 2008, members of Be the Change in DC went to McPherson Square in the District and distributed sleeping bags and blankets to those in the park area of the square, just across the street from the metro station. There was a large homeless presence in this park, which is likely a result of its proximity to the metro station as well as a nearby homeless shelter. Distribution near a metro station was a successful strategy and therefore was attempted a few weeks later at the Dupont Circle metro station. Within a five block radius, volunteers from Be the Change in DC were able to distribute an additional 16 sleeping bags. This "on the ground" method of distribution may prove ideal for homeless persons who would not otherwise seek out programs and assistance.

During the fall of 2009, the organization plans to divide volunteers into teams of four or five. Be the Change in DC will assign these teams to each of the four quadrants of the District (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest) and ask the teams to conduct informal interviews with the homeless in order to corroborate where the homeless congregate most frequently. These primary interviews will result in first hand knowledge of where there is the greatest need for sleeping bags and accomplish Be the Change in DC's goal of providing its members with an invaluable educational experience. The goal for 2009 is to distribute 100 sleeping bags using these teams of four or five. Additionally, Be the Change in DC is working to coordinate with certain local government offices including the unemployment office and mental health clinics around the District. This coordination effort should result in having representatives from the unemployment office and the mental health clinics present while the sleeping bags are being distributed in order to provide practical long-term advice in addition to short-term relief in the form of a sleeping bag.

The sleeping bag numbers do not account for the potential sleeping bags that may be left behind when the weather becomes warmer. Although the sleeping bags will be useful during the cold months, some are likely to be left behind by the transient homeless population. Therefore, Be the Change in DC plans to clean up any sleeping bags that are found in its distribution locations during the Winter and Spring.

2. Summer Distribution Event

Using the same distribution method as the sleeping bag event, Be the Change in DC plans to distribute water bottles, t-shirts and hygiene products to the homeless during the summer. These packages will include deodorant, toothpaste, bottles of water and t-shirts, or a subset of these products. Although the distribution of these items may be similar to the mission statement of Gifts for the Homeless, the key difference is the distribution on foot.

3. Education

Since educating young professionals about homelessness is an important part of Be the Change in DC's mission, the organization plans to invite speakers to address its members on these issues. The goal is to start changing the way people think by having direct interaction with the homeless via service events and listening to speakers on the subject who present a strong viewpoint either for or against what Be the Change in DC stands for. Speakers will include those who lead homelessness initiatives in the District, District government officials who influence macroeconomic factors regarding homelessness or controversial speakers who may hold an opinion contrary to Be the Change in DC.