On October 30th, 2024 the Community Navigation team hosted a meeting of 17 individuals from 11 different organizations to develop a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Working Group. We created this Working Group with the intention of strengthening collaboration across service providers and creating an interconnected team that helps clients navigate the barriers they encounter when trying to receive care.
The Working Group provided a necessary space for participants to share their experiences, express frustrations, but more importantly, develop solutions for the roadblocks we all face when trying to provide services for our clients. Our ultimate goal for these meetings is to identify and implement effective strategies that oppose ineffectiveness and struggle in our daily work.
At a previous meeting one of our participants described DC as being “resource rich but connection weak”, referring to the difficulty of connecting with other organizations and creating long-lasting relationships that would ultimately benefit all the individuals being served. This meeting provided the necessary space to create these connections and ask for assistance where needed.
Two representatives from the Mount Pleasant Library shared that the library would be closed for renovations at some point between December and February and that a satellite location would not be open to compensate for those who would need services during the closure. They were very concerned as the Mount Pleasant Library provides resources and a safe, warm space to be during the day for many unhoused individuals in Ward 1, and there are no homeless drop-in centers near Columbia Heights or Mount Pleasant. We all began brainstorming ideas of how to fill the service gap created by the closure—one of our participants works as a Constituent Services Specialist in Ward 1 and she immediately jumped to action and contacted her supervisors regarding the closure to see how they could help.
This collaboration not only proved fruitful but also energized all involved to continue to link our efforts to fill the needs of those we serve, It also created a foundation of connection for us to build upon. We’re looking forward to hosting monthly Working Group meetings, and achieving more by working together.