Does it take a village?
My name is Natalia Otero. I am the Co-Founder and Executive Director of DC SAFE. This is my first blog for the organization. I came into the domestic violence field thinking it would help me understand, heal, and give back to women like my mother. I did, but it has also challenged me professionally and personally more than I could have ever imagined. So many of us in this field are so busy doing the work, pressing boundaries and making the impossible possible that we sometimes don’t slow down enough to really consider and share our experiences. I hope that this monthly blog will be my small grain of sand. Why now? Because I had no choice but to brave a new complicated and substantial project for the good of our mission.
We have all heard the phrase: necessity is the mother of invention. In the case of SAFE Space, it truly was. You may know us as a crisis intervention agency.
We are are the advocates that get into police cars, go to the emergency room at 3 o clock in the morning and brave DC superior court house each and every day.
But some time around 2011 we realized that despite being able to ensure that a survivors rights were being respected, that they had enough information to make the best decisions possible, and despite having as many protections as possible in place, we could not address their housing insecurities therefore, we could not truly give them the opportunity to get out of the cycle of violence.
So we answered the call and set our to create crisis housing that fit our mission. In 2014 we formally established Safe Space and since then have been able to provide a safe place to stay for 1,678 families and 3,757 children.
In 2017 with the help of the city we were able to purchase a building that will eventually be the site for a brand new permanent home for SAFE Space. Our goal is to complete construction on a new building by the March of 2021 that will offer 30 apartment-style units, plenty of space for community programming, an indoor play area for kids and double the units we have now. So the dream project began.
On the eve of my 14th Domestic Violence Awareness month at the helm of DC SAFE, I can't help but feel nostalgic. Interestingly enough, it is because I miss being a start-up. It was very exciting to put your all into looking at your community social problems and demanding that something be done to mitigate the damage to our society. Throwing yourself headfirst into making change happen. Look out world here we come! What I sometimes conveniently forget is that I don't miss the uncertainty that comes with being a new non-profit. There are the staggering limitations of having too little resources and insufficient time to think through projects or solving problems that will arise. I could also do without the immense pressure of having to prove your worth to just about everyone. Thinking back, I did not want to miss the opportunity to chronicle our experience on the path to ownership. Especially in case any of you out there find it helpful.
Our first two hurdles were… does the money work itself out and can I get my board behind this idea? I don't think that only having a conceptual plan is enough for non-profits. There are too many variables and down the road, you will be thankful that you took the time to think through each scenario. First, to support loans and mortgages you will need to know that your program is fundable and that the source of funding is steady. This, I know, is easier said than done. We decided that piloting the program would be the best way to work out the money and to delve into how this program fits within our mission. It also inadvertently engaged our board on a truly deep level as they could participate in this project and see a tangible outcome. Boards of non-profits are by nature conservative, risk-averse, and very thoughtful in their decision-making process. As much as this may cause organizations, especially ED's, a bit of anxiety, it serves a purpose. Letting go and trusting the process can be essential when making such big decisions.
Back in 2011, when we took this endeavor on, the district was at the beginning of its development boom. The first wave of developers had come in and created many residential buildings that now were struggling to sell. We wanted to be responsible community members so we partnered with a non-profit that needed to hold onto their building as their financing was coming through to refurbish their building. We felt this was a good fit, as the building would eventually be used to provide housing for low-income residents with disabilities. Through this partnership, it allowed for both non-profits to accomplish their goals. We also partnered on a site were the first wave of tenants were in place as they were part of the city's Inclusionary Zoning Affordable Housing Program. This program requires that 8%-10% of residential floor area be set-aside for affordable rental for-sale units. https://dhcd.dc.gov/service/inclusionary-zoning-affordable-housing-program In this case those units were filled but the market rent units were not selling quickly enough to ensure the longevity of the building.
We master leased both buildings and piloted the project for 4 years before officially moving forward on the purchase of our building. How do you create a preventative housing program that is still crisis centered. Our mission was to create supports and interventions that preserved the resources and momentum that survivors already had in their lives. We did this by slowly building formal partnerships with city agencies and other non-profits, we raised a modest Financial assistance fund and most importantly we learned how to build deep rapport with our client to better understand what their real needs were. Once we felt confident in the programming came the more tangible challenges.
A common concern for non-profits is the lack of varied expertise. One of the common complaints I have heard and experienced myself as an ED is that there is a lot of pressure for non-profits to function at a level much higher than the finite set of supports that we have at our disposal. This is a phenomenon I used to joke about with Elisabeth, the Co-Founder of DC SAFE; I used to call it ED scatterbrain. If you are an ED, a Director of Operations, or serve another leadership role in a non-profit, you know precisely what I am talking about. You can be a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none despite your wealth of knowledge, your talent and your drive.
To mitigate that temporary condition for us, I started thinking about what type of expertise I could help bring to the table. Not just any, but the type that would get us on the right path. I started putting feelers out and started talking to anyone that would listen and give me advice. I am sure that my friends, family, and colleagues were dizzy and probably tired of hearing about it. That said, if I were to give anyone taking on a large project like this only one bit of advice, it would be to surround yourself with a team that is quality, not afraid to fight for you and feels connected to your mission. Don't be afraid to ask. It is a misconception that people with high profile jobs are too busy to give back. My experience has been quite the opposite. They want to give back in meaningful ways. Go ahead and ask and engage fully.
We started this journey in 2011 and we have had, real estate attorneys, zoning attorneys, architects, engineers, developers, historians, appraisers, government officials, national experts, development experts, accountants, bankers, funders, investors and foundations all working closely with us and advising us every step of the way. It does take a village of dedicated, passionate, community-minded and forward-thinking individuals to come together and make this a reality.
I dedicate this blog to may dream team! Please feel free to ask questions or enter comments below. Here are some interesting links.
https://shelterforce.org/2019/05/13/buying-power-why-nonprofits-should-own-their-space/