By providing accessible education and vocational training opportunities, Living Wages of Washington empowers adults to achieve their career goals. Giant Food has supported this nonprofit organization through its Community Bag Program.
Tell us about Living Wages of Washington.
Living Wages of Washington has been around for over 25 years. The organization was founded by Bob Crittenden and Sister Betsy Hartson. They were working at another nonprofit dealing with issues of homelessness when they realized that one of the ways for people to come out of homelessness was through education. So, they left the nonprofit to found Living Wages.
The mission of Living Wages is to provide education to adults who are 25 and older. Most of our learners come from distressed communities. Many of them are young people who have problems with chronic unemployment, substance abuse, or mental illness. We work with a lot of single parents, enabling them to obtain an education and access higher-paying jobs that lead to upward mobility.
Nowadays, if you don’t have an education, many opportunities are not available to you. So, we focus on post-secondary education and vocational training programs. At Living Wages, we are working to help people access these opportunities through education.
Nowadays, if you don’t have an education, many opportunities are not available to you.
What services do you provide to the community?
To start, a number of our learners’ math and reading skills are below the high school level. So, we provide basic adult education to help them raise their skill levels, enabling them to access vocational training programs.
We provide a high school diploma program called the National External Diploma Program. This online program is available to learners 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Through this program, learners who are 25 and older can get a high school credential that enables them to get into college or access vocational training programs.
We also help people develop the skills they need to get a living wage job. We help people learn how to write resumes and cover letters and coach them through interviewing for jobs. We help them learn digital literacy and basic computer skills. This is particularly important since a lot of the jobs now require you to apply online.
In addition to the education and job search services, we provide test preparation for adults who want to get into vocational training programs but haven’t been in school for a while. Most job training programs in DC require students to read and do math at an eighth-grade level or higher, but most DC residents test at the seventh-grade level or below. We provide tutoring to help these individuals get their desired test scores that will help them access these programs. We also link our graduates to other programs located in the community.
We believe that one way people can provide more income for their families is through owning a small business. For this, we offer entrepreneurial training to individuals interested in starting a micro business. In October, we will have a Fall Festival that will provide our alumni who have micro businesses, as well as the wider community of entrepreneurs, a venue to sell their crafts.
We provide financial literacy education since this is a critical element of upward mobility. We teach our clientele about budgeting, banking, credit, and reading pay stubs.
We have also given away computers to our students. Right after the pandemic began, we gave away 20 desktop computers to students who didn’t have computers. We provided free IT services to learners who experienced computer problems, oftentimes in their homes, because most of them would have had to catch 2 to 3 buses to get to Living Wages.
Finally, we like to tell people that we want to help them not only get a job but have a career. We focus a lot on career exploration. One of the benefits of this is that they become more connected to their authentic selves because we talk about their dreams.
What sets Living Wages of Washington apart from other nonprofits in your community?
We are very customer-driven. We meet students where they are. Some programs require you to fit into their box. These programs might be highly structured or require someone to come in person during set operating hours to access them. At Living Wages, we always want our program to be accessible, so we will meet people at their neighborhood library to ensure transportation is not a barrier.
During COVID, we had to shift our service delivery model to a virtual platform to continue our programs. Now, we are a hybrid program. Since we have some adult learners who don’t feel comfortable with the virtual platform, we offer the opportunity to come in person as well. From there, we work with them to help them be able to work on the virtual platform.
We are also accessible seven days a week. Since we have a lot of adults in our program who work full-time or who have children, we realize they may not be able to come to an on-site program in the evening. Our program makes it possible for people to work on their high school diploma when they are able to. We work with people on Saturdays, Sundays, and even holidays. Whenever they are available, we are there to help them.
Whenever they are available, we are there to help them.
Tell us a story that illustrates the good work of your organization.
Over the years, we have worked with at least 500 students who all have their unique stories and challenges. So, it’s really hard to pick just one.
One story is about a woman who had already started working but needed to get her high school diploma to keep her job. While she was in our program, she developed a health issue. At that particular time, we were 100% in person.
She was working on a deadline and needed to get the diploma but couldn’t commit to being in person. To help, we made home visits and tutored her in her home. We helped her meet the requirements for her high school diploma, and she was able to graduate on time and retain her job.
What is your most outstanding achievement or contribution to the community?
I’m most proud of our close to 500 alumni, who all received high school credentials through our program. We even have two people who have received doctorate degrees. Many of our program graduates have entered the government, both at the federal and local levels. We have people who have gotten into college and vocational training programs.
Last year, one of our alumni called to thank us. She was in tears and said, “Because of Living Wages, I was able to fulfill a dream of home ownership. This program has made such a difference in my life. I was able to get the job I needed to allow me to buy a home for my family.”
Part of our motivation is seeing our alumni advance in life. So, seeing how impactful our work can be is such a gift. Our people have gone from being unemployed to becoming college graduates and taxpayers. Some of our folks have even become voters and are active in the political process.
We ask people to be dreamers, and through this, they inspire the people around them. The work we do makes a difference, not just for the people in the program but also for their families and friends. Many of our learners were referred by family and friends. We have a number of entire families — parents, grandparents, siblings, husbands, and wives — who have all received their high school diplomas through this program.
We ask people to be dreamers, and through this, they inspire the people around them.
What do you want people to know about Living Wages of Washington?
We are an organization that cares. We care about the people we serve, and we also consider ourselves learners. We don’t have all the answers, and we have learned a lot from the people we’ve helped. Most importantly, I want people to know we don’t give up on our people.
Most importantly, I want people to know we don’t give up on our people.
How will you use the funds you’ve received from the Giant Food Community Bag Program?
We are a small organization that is currently funded by private donations. We really appreciate the financial support provided to us through the Community Bag Program. We will use the money to support our National External Diploma Program. This program has a small fee, but some of our participants don’t have the resources to pay it. So, this money will go towards paying their program fees, giving these individuals the opportunity to obtain a high school diploma.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Our success is driven by our volunteers. We only have two part-time employees, so the rest of our teachers, tutors, administration, and board members are all volunteers. We are always looking for more help!
Interview with Deborah Wimberly, Executive Director
Published July 17, 2024.