MISSION STATEMENT
Yachad, the Jewish housing organization of Washington, DC, brings together local communities to make affordable housing safe and healthy, creating equity and wealth for families while preserving and revitalizing neighborhoods. Yachad, which means “together” in Hebrew, partners with homeowners, houses of worship, nonprofits and other community stakeholders. Guided by the Jewish commitment to seek justice through acts of loving kindness, Yachad welcomes all people to share in our sacred work.
OUR HISTORY
Jewish housing activists in DC founded Yachad in 1990 to respond to a critical lack of affordable and decent housing in the metro area. Yachad began its continuing effort to mobilize people, organizations and resources to preserve and advocate for affordable housing and revitalized neighborhoods.
OUR WORK TODAY
Thirty years later, Yachad continues to promote social justice by preserving and remediating affordable housing through local partnerships. In recent years, we’ve broadened our focus to concentrate on housing health and on the home as the leading source of family wealth and equity.
Healthy families depend on healthy housing. Substandard housing triggers dangerous allergies and asthma, especially in children. Yachad’s Asthma Home Visiting Program provides families with asthma educational materials, HEPA vacuums, air filters and integrated pest management services in addition to comprehensive housing remediation, if needed. This approach looks at the entire functioning of a home, with the asthma program focused directly on remediating mold, pests, contaminated flooring and other causes of asthma. By repairing the dwellings of lower income families, Yachad enables families to live healthy and build new wealth, which all contributes to neighborhood preservation and revitalization.
Over the years, Yachad creatively found ways to provide its program services. These initiatives included Sukkot in Spring, in which volunteers from synagogues and other Jewish organizations worked with homeowners to repair homes, Handy Mensch for skilled volunteers, Ramp it Up! summer camp for teenagers. We are no longer offering Sukkot in Spring or Ramp It Up! Volunteer opportunities. During the Covid pandemic, and with the critical need to address health and equity concerns swiftly, Yachad has turned to professional, skilled tradespeople to provide services to our homeowner families.
A combination of partnerships and collaborations with other organizations braided with private philanthropy from individual donations and foundation grants, and government contracts, greatly facilitates this work.
Over the years, Yachad creatively found ways to provide its program services. These initiatives included Sukkot in Spring, in which volunteers from synagogues and other Jewish organizations worked with homeowners to repair homes, Handy Mensch for skilled volunteers, Ramp it Up! summer camp for teenagers. We are no longer offering Sukkot in Spring or Ramp It Up! Volunteer opportunities. During the Covid pandemic, and with the critical need to address health and equity concerns swiftly, Yachad has turned to professional, skilled tradespeople to provide services to our homeowner families.
A combination of partnerships and collaborations with other organizations braided with private philanthropy from individual donations and foundation grants, and government contracts, greatly facilitates this work.
