The Washington Home Invests $436K to Build Ward 5 Community Health & Connection Network

New collaboration unites nine community organizations to improve older-adult healthcare access, reduce social isolation, and promote early detection of cognitive health concerns

WASHINGTON, DC (June 17, 2026)  – Working to enhance care and program support for older adults across the District, The Washington Home (TWH) has awarded $435,733 to launch the Ward 5 Community Health & Connection Collaborative, a coordinated effort among nine community organizations working together to improve health outcomes, strengthen social connections, and expand access to critical services for older adults.

The investment will support an integrated network of healthcare providers, aging services organizations, and community partners that will collectively serve more than 2,600 older adults through preventive health screenings, cognitive health education, social engagement opportunities, transportation assistance, and coordinated referrals to ongoing care and support.

Rather than requiring older adults to navigate multiple systems independently, the collaborative creates a more connected pathway to services, ensuring individuals can access the care, resources, and social supports they need to remain healthy, engaged, and independent.

“For older adults, early detection of medical issues and enhanced coordination of care services can help preserve function and community connection. By identifying chronic and age-related conditions early, there is a lowered chance of complications, and early treatment can support continued independence, social engagement, and mobility,” said Crystal Carr Townsend, MPA, CEO of The Washington Home. “This collaboration is about creating a connected support system where organizations are working together to meet the needs of older adults.”

The Ward 5 Community Health & Connection Collaborative is part of TWH’s redesigned FY26 grant strategy, which prioritizes collaborative solutions that improve coordination, reduce duplication of services, and create sustainable community impact. In FY26, TWH awarded more than $4.5 million to organizations serving older adults across all eight wards of the District through initiatives focused on healthcare access, social connection, workforce development, and aging in place.

Improved Access Through Coordinated Care

The collaborative is designed to address three critical factors influencing healthy aging:

Healthcare Access & Early Intervention
Approximately 395 individuals will receive preventive health screenings and support services, including cognitive and memory screenings, depression screenings, transportation assistance, and help navigating healthcare coverage and benefits.

Social Connection & Community Engagement
Approximately 1,850 older adults will participate in social, educational, and wellness activities that strengthen community connections while increasing awareness of available health resources and screening opportunities.

Cognitive Health Awareness &Support
Approximately 380 older adults will receive memory screenings and cognitive health education, supported by intentional referrals among partners to promote early detection, reduce stigma, and connect individuals and families to ongoing support services.

Research continues to show that social isolation and delayed identification of health concerns can contribute to poorer health outcomes among older adults. By integrating screening opportunities with social engagement and coordinated follow-up care, the collaborative seeks to address both challenges simultaneously.

Collaboration Partners Deliver Impact

TWH is proud to partner with these nine organizations to deliver the following services across the health care continuum so older adults can receive multiple points of support:

• • Christ House: Provides medical respite, behavioral health and addiction support, case management, and community-based services for homeless men, reducing isolation while stabilizing their health and well-being.
  • HelpAge USA (Friendship Bench): Provides peer-led, basic cognitive support for older adults and will expand access by establishing a Friendship Bench at Christ House.
  • Greater Brookland Intergenerational Village: Offers subsidized memberships, home assessments, transportation, volunteer support, and social/educational programming to connect older adults and their caregivers to ongoing services.
  • Iona Senior Services: Operates a Dementia Navigators program, ensuring timely follow-up after screenings and helps families access appropriate services and maintain stability at home.
  • Plants and Bloom Reimagined: Offers nature-based therapeutic programs that use plant and flower activities to promote social connection, mental wellness, and engagement, including pop-up Bloom Mobile events.
  • Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington: Hosts low-vision support groups, tech talks, community events, and caregiver training.
  • Seabury Resources for Aging – Lead Agency for Ward 5: Provides social programming, community dining, care management, screenings, caregiver support, and transportation to improve health access and reduce isolation. Operates the Model Cities Senior Wellness Center which serves as a central hub for fitness, health screenings, benefits assistance, digital literacy, and partner programs, to reduce isolation and expand health and social support for older adults.
  • Sibley Memorial Hospital and Sibley Senior Association: Provides memory screenings, Club Memory programming, and caregiver support groups to strengthen cognitive health and reduce isolation among older adults and caregivers.
  • WildTech: Provides basic digital literacy training and device access, as well as virtual training opportunities and technical support, to reduce social isolation.

Community Health & Connection Collaborative partners celebrate TWH’s funding of its new grant initiative designed to create a more connected, coordinated approach to healthcare screening and care services in the District.

“Too often, older adults can encounter barriers that prevent them from accessing the care and support they need. This Ward 5 collaborative creates a stronger, more connected system where organizations share resources, coordinate referrals, and work together to ensure older adults have sufficient coverage to age well,” said Dawn M. Quattlebaum, President & CEO, Seabury Resources for Aging. “We appreciate The Washington Home’s commitment to investing in a model that puts collaboration at the center of community impact.”

About The Washington Home

The Washington Home is a private foundation that provides funding to entities that create and deliver innovative, compassionate, and well-managed programs to improve the quality of life for elderly and/or terminally ill residents in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Founded in 1888, The Washington Home, until recently, provided long-term care to residents of its nursing home facility in upper Northwest Washington, DC, hospice care to patients in their own homes, and care in the in-patient hospice wing of the nursing home.

In recent years, the Board of Directors of The Washington Home directed a repositioning of the organization by ceasing hands-on care and consolidating its financial resources to be deployed for maximum impact in accordance with its longstanding mission. Learn more at www.TheWashingtonHome.org.