clients housed

people served at our Urgent Care Clinic

people served by our street outreach team

What We Do  Supported Employment

Many of our clients have struggled to secure or maintain employment because of the nature and severity of their disability and a lack of hope that they can actually return to work after years of unemployment. Our evidence-based Supported Employment program helps people with some of the most complicated mental and physical health challenges accomplish their employment and educational goals.

Pathways to Housing DC’s Supported Employment program was developed out of the same philosophy as our Housing First model: just as we believe that anyone who wants housing is “housing ready”, anyone who says they want a job is “employment ready.” When someone tells us that they want to work, our Supported Employment team immediately leaps into action to help them find and retain employment in Washington, DC and the surrounding region. The team provides assistance and support throughout the job search, application, interview, and onboarding process.  That support continues into each person’s new career, for as long as it is needed, with teams offering counsel and advice as each person adjusts to their new work routine. Our Supported Employment program also operates quarterly workshops, as well as other ongoing support services that are tailored to each individual’s needs. This data-driven, person-centric, approach toward employment has been wildly successful, with our team being nationally recognized as exemplary in terms of best practice in the field of supported employment.

Pathways Brought Me Home

Mary, a Pathways client, was born in DC and dealt with sexual abuse from an uncle throughout her childhood and domestic violence from partners in her 20's. She used alcohol and marijuana to numb the pain of a lifetime of abuse and trauma. Mary was introduced to Pathways DC through a domestic violence shelter, and Pathways staff diagnosed Mary with HIV and bipolar disorder. The vulnerability of her situation allowed Mary’s team to quickly secure a housing voucher and within weeks they helped move Mary into her very own apartment. Mary told us, “I can honestly say that it was not until I received my keys that I felt true happiness. I would not have succeeded without the help of my “guiders,” (Mary’s term for her team at Pathways DC) because they always kept me on the right path and never gave up on me.” Today, with the help of her Pathways team, she has stability and is on the journey to recovery. 

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