We are thrilled to share that last month, on July 30th, our Co-founder and Executive Director Natalia Otero was recognized in the Washington Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Awards Ceremony. The award celebrates Natalia’s devotion to the community and exemplary leadership. This honor is well deserved and we are proud to share the WBJ’s profile on Natalia below.   

“Help is a phone call away for those affected by domestic abuse and intimate partner violence in the nation’s capital, thanks to the work of D.C. Safe co-founder and Executive Director Ana Natalia Otero. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, the nonprofit’s Crisis Response Team is on call to help with emergency shelter placement, legal information, lethal risk assessment and more, guiding survivors to safety and the resources available to them in the District. 

The program began in 2006 with just four advocates and is now the largest crisis intervention agency in D.C., serving more than 10,000 survivors annually — and traffic to the hotline has doubled during the coronavirus pandemic quarantine. Another milestone is in the works for later this year as groundbreaking is expected for Safe Space, a permanent facility with 30 apartment-style units for those in need of crisis housing. 

What is your biggest work challenge for 2020? Fighting the idea that nonprofits are not legitimate businesses with complicated fiscal and legal structures. There is business acumen in this sector that is driven by social change even if it isn’t driven by profit. It deserves to be celebrated.

What do you miss most about your office? Our office is dynamic. It’s like an ant colony! I miss the creativity and depth of our impromptu brainstorming sessions and my hypertalented staff.

What’s been a moment of joy for you in the past three months? I am blessed to have more than one. Rectifying that we don’t see enough sunsets, play enough games or debate as much as we should. Connecting with loved ones far away. Covid-19 broke down physical barriers that way. I can now connect with my family in Mexico or my high school friends in L.A. and deepen my roots. 

Biggest personal lesson you’ve learned in 2020 so far? In light of the countrywide conversation about racism, brutality and institutional involvement in our lives, I realized I am carrying some guilt around being a leader. I need to start by not labeling myself — a brown, immigrant, undocumented child, survivor of violence, underprivileged, feminist. That’s the last time I will say that sentence. I am also not a person of color. I will value my contribution to my community as my actions are what matters most.

Ana Natalia Otero

Co-Founder and executive director, D.C. Safe

• Age: 39

• Residence: Columbia Heights

• Education: Bachelor’s in economics and Latin American literature, Agnes Scott College

• Family: Husband; son, 14 and 9

• First job: Scribner’s bookstore 

Big Number

55,890 — Number of District residents D.C. Safe has served who have been impacted by intimate partner violence. Otero has personally assisted 8,229 people.”

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Thank you to everyone who has joined us in celebrating this honor for Natalia! 

There is no doubt that the most exciting time in the process of building a new shelter has been imagining what the building was actually going to look like. As I began to talk through what we envisioned and what we wanted the building to be it dawned on me that the building was not only going to be a place for our clients but that it had a very tangible effect on how we saw ourselves. It is the physical manifestation of who we want to be. Innovative, sleek, but above all frugal. Yes frugal is sexy. Well...at least to non-profits. The interesting part about architects is that they tend to not be frugal. I think that part of the reason is that we live in a rapidly gentrifying city. Developers want high end condos that they can flip for as much profit as possible. That means that architects in the city need to cater to those needs. That does not mean that you can't find an architect that understands your plight and is truly willing to listen and partner with you we did. That said, the best advice I can give is to make sure you do your homework when choosing the right architectural firm. Take a look at past jobs, make calls to others they have worked with, and above all ask the right questions. Remember that at the end of the day this is your forever home and you are responsible for maintaining it with the very little resources that you have as a non-profit. 

Good questions to ask are: Do you know what our mission is and if so what about our mission makes  you want to do this job. You would think these two things are divorced but they are not. An architect has many skill sets that they may be more willing to bring to bear if they are truly committed to your cause. You want a partner not an employee. This is as much their vision as it is yours. Another good question is what do you see your role being as compared to the Developers and the General Contractor? This is important because the three of them may not always agree and you need to be clear in your mind about how the expert is in the matter that is on the table. You will be getting SO MUCH ADVICE. It's an interesting change of pace. I don't know about you but as an ED I spend a lot of time trying to get professional experts to share their advice and guidance on a myriad of topics from HR to policy. This is the first time I have the luxury to have so many different types of experts on one team. 

I learned a few lessons along the way. The first is that you will need a dedicated staff person on you team to work directly with the architects. This person needs to be very clear about what your priorities are and they will need to be empowered to make decisions. They also need to understand very well the intended use of the building. Trust me as much a you will want to be involved in everything it is humanly impossible! Our priorities were making a building that had very specific specifications that fit who would be inhabiting the units and creating a building that was easy to maintain. There will be many instances where you will be asked to prioritize one want over another. The more you are willing to compromise the leaner your building will be financially. We all know raising money especially on this scale is different. Trust me I was bedazzled by some of the higher end  samples I was being shown but do we really need granite counter tops at a shelter? You need a tough cookie on your team to oversee this process! The longest meeting on the record for us with the architects was 7 hours long.

The second thing I learned was that I should have given WAY more thought to how green the building needed to be. The way this works is similar to other types of building codes.  But in this case you can pick a level of "greenness" and get certain points for each feature to get a specific certification. The certifications range from the minimum to Zero Emission/Zero Carbon. I was given the impression early on that being green was expensive. Now that I know better I understand that in the long run the saving you get out of a Zero building are very large and should out-way the costs. Additionally, there are way more funds available to supplement the costs. If I had it to do over I would have taken more time to attempt a greener building.

The last process I learned about was value engineering. This is basically a process that is used when you don't have enough money to make your project a reality. It's like a garage sale. All of a sudden you are forced to part with things that you have grown attached to. It is nerve wracking! Basically, a second Architectural firm comes in and tests all the theories of the first firm and looks for places where money can be saved and makes recommendations. This is a necessary process because it is a second set of eyes but it is also awkward! That said, it is a good idea for you to have a plan B because you never know what might happen as the project moves forward. 

Over all this was the best part of this experience so far. What I will reiterate is that you have to really speak to many firms, ask tough questions, and remember that just because you are a non-profit does not mean you do not deserve the best!!!

Green Codes DC

December is an interesting time of the year. It is both really busy and seems calm and slow at the same time. As I spend this time with family and friends it becomes more and more apparent why I am so adamant about getting our new shelter built! I can’t imagine having to be in such a critical state during the holiday season and having to seek help to ensure the safety of my family. DC SAFE is the only organization that admits clients into our crisis housing 24/7/365 days a year and within an hour of a need being assessed. That said, we cannot do this alone! It takes so many partner non-profits, local/federal agencies, communities to ensure that a family remains safe and can break the cycle of violence.

What has been interesting to me about this project is that this idea of “community responsibility” keeps popping up. Our city has just gone through a very interesting conversation about what it means to be responsive to and responsible for the wellness of our most vulnerable. The Mayor planned to close down the largest family shelter and create a new shelter in each ward. Her platform was around this idea of community responsibility. There are many critics and many supporters on both sides. At the point that this was all going on we had just started our building project. I decided to attend many of the community forums around this topic and it was very educational for me. I got to see the many viewpoints our city has on this issue, how much of that was culturally dependent based on were in the city the conversation took place, and how the city responded to those views. I can’t say that I came out with one cohesive story to tell but I did learn that this issue of homelessness and community responsibility is not an easy one.

What I can say is that I do believe that as a city we need to find a way to live a balanced urban existence. I do think that those of us who have the fortune to be able to contribute to others that are more vulnerable should. I do think that housing should be a human right and that we should be able to support those in our community struggling with homelessness while preserving their dignity and self-respect. I think the big questions we are facing right now is how do we do this in the face of mounting gentrification and that is a question we all need to solve together.

https://dcist.com/story/19/08/29/whats-the-latest-with-all-the-shelters-meant-to-replace-d-c-general/

I also believe that there is a way for all of us to become more civic-minded and to participate in these conversations more holistically. I have been an advocate for women’s rights for over 15 years and I did not fully appreciate how much more I could be doing to further this conversation on a personal and professional level until I set off to build this shelter. 

It was very apparent that our first challenge in this project was moving into a newly gentrifying area. As a non-profit, we want to be good neighbors and we want to make sure we give back. The interesting part about this is that for the first time as a non-profit our engagement with the community was dictated by a formal process. We were now “developers”. As we all cringed at the idea we also realized that we had a responsibility to our new community and that we had to take this on in a way that was keeping with our ideals. So we set off to talk to our stakeholders. We met with local law enforcement, local civic groups, we had our neighbors over for coffee and we spoke to businesses and non-profits. It was worth the effort and it was very informative. We learned a lot about our new community and our role within it.

This particular neighborhood had seen so much development in so little time that it was reeling from the weight, all they wanted was for us to be mindful of what their concerns were and to listen to their needs. As we were so transparent it became clear that our interests were aligned with theirs and that we were going to be a permanent fixture of the community, unlike traditional developers. The neighborhood is also located in an area that has a very high concentration of non-profit and government providers that already manage a large number of city residents with challenges. That meant that they wanted to make sure that we would be responsive and willing to solve problems with them should they arise. If I take out the many conversations I had about property values all of the above sounded reasonable. We made sure that our building was discrete and easy on the eyes, but we also made sure that the community understood that we saw our clients as partners and that we wanted them to feel the privilege and the responsibility of being part of the community.

The formal part of this process began because our existing building was zoned as a commercial building. Meaning the use of the building was predetermined and if we wanted to use it for our residential program we would need to seek permission to use the building in this way. I had never really thought of all the factors that shape what a community will or can look like. So this part of the project was fascinating. In theory, zoning allows local and national agencies to regulate and control land and property to ensure complementary uses. I guess that a world without zoning could potentially lead to deeper segregation of resources and people. It can also stimulate or slow down development in specific areas. Hence it is an important process in urban planning and in helping the community impact how their neighborhoods are built.

The largest player in this process is the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). Like many things in DC, this plan is a partnership between the Federal Government and the District Government. The NCPC provides a blueprint for the development of the District of Columbia over time, the local government then puts forth their plan based on their interests, the NCPC then ensures that the local plan aligns with their federal plan, and then a finalized version is provided to the proper agencies to carry out. 

Here is their mission: “Together, NCPC and the District of Columbia share a stewardship commitment to enhance Washington, DC as a great national capital and to plan for its equitable development through inspiring civic architecture, rich landscapes, distinct neighborhoods, vibrant public spaces, environmental stewardship, and thoughtful land-use management.

 https://www.ncpc.gov/plans/compplan/ Here is a link if you want to learn more. 

At the local level, the entity tasked with the execution of this plan is the Zoning Commission (ZC). This is an independent quasi-judicial body. They do this by updating, adopting and amending zoning regulations. This body is made up of 3 members who are residents and are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the city council. The 4th member represents the city and is an Architect. The 5th member is the Director of the National Parks Service.

Under this same agency, there is also the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA). One member of the ZC sits on this board and it is structured similarly as they are. This is where the magic happens. This board is tasked with granting relief from zoning regulations, approving how land is used, and to hear appeals of any actions taken by the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs because they manage the building permit process.

To paint a better picture let’s say…You want to build a patio on the back of your house and that is allowed within the zoning regulations, however, it only allows for at 10ft by 20ft patio and you want to blow all other patios out of the water. You would have to seek a special exemption to do so and you would still have to meet all other conditions laid out in the regulations. For example, one requirement could be that for every foot of patio built you must also plant 5 flowers on the city sidewalk. 

Now let's say you purchased a small building in an industrial zone but now you want to turn it into a doggy fluffing business. In this case, you want to do something that is not permitted in a particular zone and you need to get a variance. 

All of that was oversimplified of course but I wanted to illustrate that there is a process for every type of building and use of land that exists. This board sees tons of cases and their hearings are open to the public, televised and a matter of public record. Why is this important? Because, if you oppose a certain developer’s plans in your neighborhood or if your neighbor’s hideous patio affects you, you can attend and speak on the matter and follow its progress in real-time. In addition to that, any new construction or business is required to post their intent outside of the property with the date of the hearing posted. 

Interestingly enough there is an entity that is much closer to the community that we should all know about and participate in. The Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC’s) are made up of non-partisan locally elected officials. Their existence is an interesting byproduct of DC’s home rule. Officials are non-paid and each represents a subsection of their neighborhood. Their role is to be the voice of their neighbors as it pertains to the city/federal agencies and individuals that are conducting business there. This may seem like it does not have any teeth but having attended some contentious ANC meetings I think they can be an effective way for neighborhoods to be heard. The city agencies do not have to take the ANC’s advice but they do have to give it “great weight” and if they plan to take any action that will “significantly” impact your neighborhood they must be given 30 days' notice to come up with their response. So if you have any issue in your neighborhood be it streets, education, sanitation, traffic… etc. feel free to contact your local ANC commissioner and start a dialogue. Conversely, if you are that neighbor that has your finger on the pulse of your community and you have experience with sitting on boards please apply!

http://www.ancdc.us/ you can find your ANC here. 

The big lesson learned for me here is that we can and should all take the time to participate in civic life and to feel empowered to participate and be heard in matters that affect us. How our communities are getting or not getting resources, what businesses and development projects are being allowed, and what types of city services are at our disposal is an essential part of our standard of living in cities. So go forth and take action!