The Washington Home Invests $237K to Build a Senior Care Alliance for Older Adults in Ward 2

New collaboration unites eight community organizations to promote early detection of cognitive health conditions, improve healthcare access, and support social connection

WASHINGTON, DC (July 14, 2026)  – Working to strengthen connected care and program support for older adults across the District, The Washington Home (TWH) has awarded $236,533 to launch the Ward 2 Senior Care Alliance (SCA) Collaborative, a coordinated effort among eight community organizations working together to improve health outcomes, reduce social isolation, and expand access to critical services for older adults.

The investment will support an integrated network of community villages, aging services organizations, and community partners that will collectively serve more than 1,600 older adults through preventive health screenings, therapeutic recreational services, and social engagement opportunities for ongoing care and support.

“Having multiple community providers coordinate the place-based delivery of healthcare screenings and social engagement programming creates continuity in support services that significantly helps older adults thrive and maintain community connection,” said Crystal Carr Townsend, MPA, CEO of The Washington Home. “This collaboration not only helps identify chronic and age-related conditions early, but it also helps foster continued independence, social engagement, and mobility allowing for older adults to age in place.”

The Ward 2 SCA 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 Care Through Screenings & Connection

This Ward collaboration is designed to address two critical factors influencing healthy aging:

Healthcare Access & Early Intervention
More than 1,000 individuals will receive preventive health screenings and support services – including cognitive and memory screenings, vision, dental, behavioral health, and chronic disease management.

Social Connection & Community Engagement
Approximately 578 older adults will participate in social, educational, and wellness activities that strengthen community connections while increasing awareness of available health resources and screening opportunities.

The integrated screening opportunities and social activities for older adults can reduce social isolation as well as help to more quickly identify health concerns that could potentially contribute to poorer health outcomes.

Collaboration Partners Deliver Impact

TWH is proud to partner with these eight 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.
  • Dupont Circle Village: Connects members and provides information, cultural and social activities, education, services, and support. Includes health screenings, as well as virtual and in-person programming for members with limited mobility.
  • Foggy Bottom West End Village: Connects members and provides information, cultural and social activities, education, services, and support. Includes health screenings, as well as virtual and in-person programming for members with limited mobility.
  • Georgetown Village: Connects members and provides information, cultural and social activities, education, services, and support. Includes health screenings, as well as virtual and in-person programming for members with limited mobility.
  • Iona Senior Services: Operates a Dementia Navigators program that ensures timely follow-up after screenings and helps families access appropriate services and maintain stability at home. It also offers caregiver respite, an information hotline, and social programming.
  • Miriam’s Kitchen: Provides a comprehensive approach to ending chronic homelessness through healthy meals and connections to personalized social services. It also offers healthcare access and memory screenings through its Patient Navigator program.
  • Story Tapestries: Facilitates art therapy workshops at Dupont Circle Village that promote communication, creativity, and emotional well-being.
  • WildTech: Provides basic digital literacy training, device access, virtual learning opportunities, and technical support to help reduce social isolation.

“This collaborative grant supports a shared commitment to older adults and their caregivers. By combining our organizational strengths, we can expand access to memory screenings, dementia navigation, caregiver respite, support groups, health resources, and programs that reduce social isolation,” said Joon Bang, CEO of Iona Senior Services. “Together, we are helping more residents age with dignity, remain connected to their communities, and access the care and support they need to thrive.”

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.