As Capitol Hill becomes a more and more affluent neighborhood, some may wonder whether Friendship House, a nonprofit that offers services to the “underserved,” is still relevant. But while the staff and board of Friendship House struggle with the changing dimensions of the neighborhood and the services needed, they know one thing: they’re not going anywhere.

“Ideally, we have programs that serve the core needs of the public in this city, not just in this area,” said Bernie Walker, a member of Friendship House’s board of directors. “We’ve been here when the area was not very affluent, and we’re here now.”

‘There’s a Lot of Love Here’
Indeed, Friendship House has been around a long time. Founded in 1904 as a direct response to a New York philanthropist’s observation of the poor social conditions in the nation’s capital, Friendship House has spent more than a century providing services to the poor.

The services are numerous and far-reaching. Friendship House runs a child development center for kids between the ages of 2 and 12, and I can attest to the affection and care that fill that child care room. When asked what she does in the center every day, 4-year-old Janell said she “says hello.” She also counted all the way to 13 and said she can write her own name (though I didn’t get to see it myself). Before I left, another 4-year-old girl called out, “Can I have a hug?” Soon there was a line of huggers waiting their turn.

Reporters have never had it so good.

Carolyn Grant, who works at the child development center, came to Friendship House as a participant in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and started volunteering in the center to get work experience. When asked what makes the center different from other child care centers, she said, “There’s a lot of love here.” The TANF program, run in conjunction with the federal Welfare-To-Work program, provides placement to clients in jobs, vocational education, job skills training and other activities.

Teens get in on the love, too, with job training, academic help and leadership development.

Friendship House helps families pay their rent and utility bills when they’ve fallen behind. Their clothing bank provides clothes to over 1,500 people a year. They provide counseling on financial self-sufficiency and budgeting, and they distribute food as a short-term fix to those whose problems are more immediate. Their family-to-family mentoring program links families in crisis with others who can act as mentors toward “healthier, more wholesome lifestyles.”

Elderly community members can come to Friendship House for their senior Medicare patrol project, which raises awareness about health care fraud, waste and abuse. Seniors and low-income families can also take advantage of the weatherization project, in which Friendship House and the DC Department of Energy provide energy-efficient appliances and windows to lower utility bills.

As the neighborhood changes, the clients change as well. “We could have people coming from Ward 7 for some services and people coming from around the corner for others,” said Vice President of Operations Nicolle Brown. Specifically, she said that the child development center drew kids from the area, whereas the TANF program was more directed toward clients from across the city.

Community Perspectives
Francis Campbell remembers Friendship House from his childhood. He went to Camp Friendship, along the banks of the Patuxent River, which is now closed. He sent all five of his sons to programs at Friendship House. “I remember as a kid taking part in plays,” he said, “and playing basketball in the inside gym, which now – for some reason – seems so much smaller than it was.” He smiled and went on, “And the stage seemed like such a big stage!”

Campbell was born and raised in the area, and has lived in his house in Southeast Washington for 30 years. When he hears about the changes in the neighborhood, he takes the long view. “It’s always been home.”

Still, he can’t help but notice that subsidized housing in the area has been shut down, and the housing boom has pushed out many low-income people – people who would have had a need for the services Friendship House provides. “If you look at the neighborhood now,” he said, “you’re looking at million-dollar homes.”

Campbell sees a continuing need for Friendship House in the neighborhood, however, and says he hopes it will keep doing what it’s doing. He’s grateful that the house provides a rare place for seniors to go, and he says that child care will always be needed. Maybe low-cost child care is even more important as the neighborhood housing values go up, he said. “Even when you talk to new residents, the biggest complaint we hear is that there isn’t affordable day care. Gentrification has pushed the market criminally high. What day care there is is outrageously expensive. Friendship House is a very good answer.”

Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells is more critical. He served on the board of Friendship House about 10 years ago, and he would like to see the Friendship House leadership work more closely with the neighborhood around them. “I think they're missing a great opportunity to provide supportive services in their own neighborhood,” he said.

Wells believes that even though the neighborhood has become wealthier, services are still needed. “I think that it's very important to have a neighborhood safety net,” he said. “They could be very helpful to the community, but that does not currently seem to be their main mission. I believe there are needs to be met around their location that they're not meeting. They could be doing counseling for adolescents, for families, family support services; they could be finding ways to help people who are having mortgage problems.” Wells also referred to Capitol Hill Village, a program which helps seniors age “in place” without moving out of their home. He said Friendship House should be working closely with them to provide better services to seniors. “They haven't been entrepreneurial with the community,” he said.

Friendship House staff agrees with Wells that many newer residents probably don’t even know they’re there.

The Maples
Friendship House has been in its current location between D Street and South Carolina Avenue SE since 1936. But the property’s history starts long before that.

One of the notable things about Friendship House is that it occupies one of the oldest buildings on Capitol Hill, according to Nancy Metzger of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. Captain William Mayne Duncanson moved to America from England and purchased the site in 1795, calling it “The Maples” after the trees that dotted the estate. He built the house two years later.

The Maples is filled with historical lore, such as the visits of George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette; the treatment of wounded soldiers there during the War of 1812’s Battle of Bladensburg; and the mingling of Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas and other political giants of their time. It has changed hands many times over the centuries, but usually they were prestigious hands, including national anthem composer Francis Scott Key, Senator John Clayton and, in 1871, journalist Emily Edson Briggs. Briggs, known as “Olivia,” was the first female White House press correspondent. According to a 1936 article about the history of the property, Briggs’ daughter-in-law, who moved to The Maples when she married into the family, as a little girl had the unique honor of being “probably” the first person ever to sing over the telephone.

Meanwhile, Friendship House started its own evolution in 1904 in half a room at 10th and M streets SE, rented by Adelaide Rochefort and Ida Green of the Southeast Conference of Associated Charities. By 1910 it had two rooms of its own, then four, then 12, then 25 rooms on the 300 block of Virginia Avenue SE.

In 1929 the board decided to start providing services to the African-American community, collaborating with the Negro Social Workers’ Club to found a Southeast Settlement House. Friendship House didn’t desegregate until Brown v. Board of Education integrated the public schools and social service agencies. By then, Capitol Hill was a predominantly African-American neighborhood.

Friendship House has seen many programs come and go, including the summer camp Francis Campbell enjoyed as a child and a charter school they helped start that now exists independently.

Market Day
In the 1950s, Friendship House became an in-crowd cause, with support from highfalutin philanthropists like the Congressional Circle, made up of wives of members of Congress. First ladies visited the house, and high-society gala fundraisers brought in money.

Unfortunately, such highbrow sources of funding seem to have dried up. The great majority of Friendship House’s financial support comes directly from government sources, like TANF, which fund direct service providers. But clearly it’s not enough: their last tax return on record, from 2006, shows them ending the year with a deficit of nearly $900,000. Their earnings have steeply decreased in the last five years.

Market Day is right around the corner, however, marking the kickoff for their capital campaign. Market Day is Friendship House’s best-known program: a street festival that draws thousands. Seventh Street SE will trade traffic for two stages of entertainment, children’s activities, vendor stands and health screenings for kids on May 4. Originally, the festival was conceived as a way of highlighting struggling neighborhood businesses. But perhaps it hasn’t done as good a job highlighting Friendship House: “We’ve not been very effective at branding Market Day as a Friendship House event,” said Bernie Walker.

The physical structure of Friendship House is a beautiful old building, but it is sorely in need of repairs. The auditorium where Francis Campbell made his acting debut as a child now has a hole in the ceiling, covered with sagging plastic. The house is in need of a serious makeover, but staff member Freda White said they need more volunteers – and more funding – to make it happen.

Market Day takes place May 4 beginning at 11 a.m. on Seventh Street SE from North Carolina Avenue to South Carolina Avenue and Sixth Street at Historic Eastern Market.

Donations are accepted in the form of cash, checks or credit cards, and the United Way designation is #8105. Their address is 619 D St. SE, Washington, DC 20003. To volunteer, call 202-675-8374. Visit www.friendshiphouse.net for more information.