Success Stories

Youth Development

A young man always in trouble and suspended from school on several occasions joined our addiction prevention program, participated in the after school program, and was given the chance to be employed as a summer intern where he performed admirably. His grades and conduct have improved and he has a new attitude toward school and life.

DiQuan age 10, was referred to our program by the Social Services Department because of chronic behavioral issues. Our youth development staff has diligently supported and nurtured him. Now he has learned how to control his anger, his grades have improved and he receives excellent behavioral reports from his school.

I am 13 years old. I attend Holy Redeemer Catholic School. I am currently in 7th grade. The reason why I come to Perry School is because it is a place that I could express myself and be with my friends without any fighting or violence. Another reason I come to Perry is to attend the fun field trips we go on every other Friday. My last is that I get to finish my homework and then get on the computer and work on the many enrichment activities to help me become a better student. I feel comfortable and safe at Perry School.

Social Services

A mother with three children was unemployed, suffering depression, living with the shades down and the children were not going to school. She received counseling, medical assistance for depression, job training, secured a job, with the children going to school and attending after school programs. The shades are up.

Economic Empowerment

A women with limited education and employment received education and employment counseling, was placed in an External Degree Program, received a degree from Ballou High School, has been accepted at Southeastern University, and plans to pursue a doctorate in psychology. "You changed my life", she told us recently.

Anthony dropped out of school after completing 8th grade at age 15. He came in and enrolled for his GED. He was introduced to Social Services and meets regularly with a social worker. Anthony is averaging around 80% on his work and is looking forward to completing his GED. He plans to enroll in an apprenticeship program to become an electrician.

I recently graduated from your job readiness program. I would like to thank you and your staff for the excellent help that I received at Perry Center, Inc. I obtained more self confidence and better self-esteem in your program. Every member of your staff participated in finding employment for me. I thank you and all that has helped me. I also would recommend this program to anyone who wants to improve his life. I thank you so much.

An Effect of our Collaborative and Comprehensive Approach

A forty-nine year old father of four teenage boys was referred to Perry Center, Inc.'s Social Services' Family-to-Family Mentoring Program and Community-Based Partnership Initiative. A recovering alcoholic dealing with several physical health problems including diabetes and high blood pressure, this father is raising the 14, 15,16, and 17 year old boys alone. Living in a strained relationship with his mother-in-law, the father was unemployed after being laid off from Howard University and was having difficulty keeping the utilities paid and food in the house. At some points, the mother-in-law constantly threatened to kick the entire family out of the house, leaving the children frustrated and confused and the father helpless but determined.

Our dedicated staff intervened initially by purchasing $200 worth of groceries for the household and assistance with utilities as at the time of contact their gas was turned off. A negotiation was made between our agency and the mother-in-law that as long as there was food in the house, the family could remain there. Unfortunately the mother-in-law, the teenagers' grandmother, continued the threats to kick the family out the the house. This instability led the teenagers to perform poorly in school and the father to slightly return to his old drinking habits. The father then decided to take control and went into DC Village while he continued to look for permanent housing, find employment, and keep his family intact. Our program continued assisting them by providing food certificates, tokens, school supplies, counseling, and words of encouragement.

Things gradually started to turn around for the family. The boys enrolled in our Youth Development Department's After-School Program and became very attached with some of the employees. The 17 year-old wants to attend college and major in engineering; the 16 year-old is a talented poet; the 15 year-old is an artist/drawer; and the 14 year-old plays baseball. They have matured to exhibit very respectful natures, possess great manners, are ambitious, and very protective of their father. We referred the 17 year-old to the College Bound program with the hopes that when he becomes a senior at Dunbar, he will have a mentor to help him get ready for college. The boys also found jobs with the DC Summer Youth Employment program.

With the help of our Economic Empowerment Department, the father became employed full-time at the Children's National Medical Center on the evening maintenance shift making $13 per hour. DC Village also referred him to the Shelter Plus Care program, which provides rental subsidies for individuals who are recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. The program recently found the family a four-bedroom apartment in SE Washington, and another agency is planning on purchasing furniture and paying his security deposit and first month's rent. Our Social Services Department will also assist by donating furniture and other things to ensure that the family continues their new found self-sufficiency.

The success of this family is a result of the effective collaboration among many entities in and working with the Perry Center. In addition to these various referrals and assistance, the Family-to-Family Mentoring program and Community-Based Partnership Initiative provided the family with our standard services including counseling, emergency assistance, referrals to job training/placement programs, education programs and youth programs. Perry Center, Inc.'s Social Services is especially proud of our close collaboration with Perry Center, Inc.'s Youth Development Department through which participants are educated, their hopes are empowered, and they are equipped to build a better quality of life for themselves and their futures.