WASHINGTON, DC (July 30, 2026) – The Ward Four Senior Social Hub Collaborative was officially launched during a Kick-Off Event held at Zion Baptist Church with the announcement that The Washington Home (TWH) awarded $238,050 to unite eight community organizations to enhance social connection programming, improve therapeutic care access, and expand cognitive health screening for early detection and support of older adults.
This investment will support an integrated network of aging services organizations and community partners that will collectively serve more than 3,300 older adults through therapeutic recreational services, preventive health screenings and social engagement opportunities for their ongoing care and support.
The Ward Four Senior Social Hub Collaborative is part of TWH’s redesigned FY26 grant strategy, which prioritizes collaborative solutions that improve coordination, reduce duplication of services, and create sustainable community impact. In FY26, TWH awarded more than $4.5 million to organizations serving older adults across all eight wards of the District of Columbia through initiatives focused on healthcare access, social connection, workforce development, and aging in place.
DC City Councilwoman and DC Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George applauded TWH for supporting a wide network of community organizations across all eight wards in the District of Columbia, focusing on housing stability, wellness, care giving support, healthcare access, social connections, and aging in place; a Special Thank You Tribute from Mrs. Joan Bowser, mother of current DC Mayor Muriel Bowser was read that expressed her appreciation to all of the community partners for their unwavering commitment to help create a more connected, responsive, and equitable support system for older adults and their caregivers across Washington, DC; Ms. Melanie Johnson, Chief Program Officer for the DC Department on Aging and Community Living (DACL) mentioned her organization’s intention to work closely with the Ward Four Collaboration Grant to explore opportunities for sharing resources to further enhance the quality of life for seniors; and Mr. Cornelle Smith, President, Elevation Legacy Counseling spoke about how faith-based organizations can help seniors in the District of Columbia preserve home ownership and generational wealth through a DC Faith-Based Legacy Challenge initiative. Corporate sponsors of the kick-off event included Humana and GT Independence.
Improved Care Through Screening & Connection
The Ward Four Senior Social Hub Collaborative is designed to address two critical factors influencing healthy aging:
- Healthcare Access & Early Intervention. More than 2,900 individuals will receive preventive health screenings and support services – including cognitive and memory screenings, referral services, medical success, and daycare services.
- Social Connection & Community Engagement. Approximately 375 older adults will participate in social, educational, and wellness activities that strengthen community connections while increasing awareness of available health resources and screening opportunities.
The integrated screening opportunities and social activities for older adults can reduce social isolation and loneliness as well as help to more quickly identify health concerns that could potentially contribute to poorer health outcomes.
Collaboration Partners Deliver Impact
TWH is pleased to partner with these eight organizations to deliver the following services across the health care continuum so older adults can receive multiple points of support:
- Brookland Senior Day Care Center: Provides adult daycare health services with social, medical, and recreational programs.
- East Rock Creek Village (ERCV): Connects members and provides information, cultural and social activities, education, services, and support to help community members confidently age in place.
- The Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Center (GNJ Senior Center): Provides adult daycare health services with social, medical, and recreational programs as well as a music memory cafe, caregivers lounge and extended daycare programs.
- Iona Senior Services (IONA): Operates a Dementia Navigators program, ensuring timely follow-up after screenings and helps families access appropriate services and maintain stability at home. Offers caregiver respite, an information hot line, and social programming.
- Plants and Blooms Reimagined: Offers nature-based therapeutic programs that use plant and flower activities to promote social connection, mental wellness, and engagement, including pop-up Bloom Mobile events.
- So Others Might Eat (SOME): Provides permanent, affordable housing for older adults as well as food, nutritional supplements, medical and safety equipment for clients to age in place. Resources include healthcare screenings, summer camp, and other social programming.
- Story Tapestries: Facilitates art therapy workshops at the Brookland Senior Daycare Center that promote communication, creativity, and emotional well-being.
- Vida Senior Centers (VIDA): Provides a gathering place for Latino seniors who find themselves isolated culturally and linguistically. Offers food security, health information, education, and social interactions with other older adults – serving as support to age as a part of a community.
“Together, these partner organizations are creating a stronger, culturally responsive network of care that helps older adults and their caregivers access the services, connections, and resources they need to stay engaged and supported as they continue to age in place,” said David J. Saunders, Chairman, Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Center. “This investment allows us to reach more people, reduce barriers to care, and ensure that no one has to navigate aging or cognitive changes alone.”
To learn more about the Ward Four Senior Social Hub initiative please visit our website at www.ward4ssh.org.
About The Washington Home
The Washington Home is a private charitable foundation that provides funding opportunities to entities that create and deliver innovative, compassionate, and well-managed programs to improve the quality of life for elderly and/or terminally ill residents in the Washington metropolitan area.
Founded in 1888, The Washington Home, until recently, provided long-term care to residents of its nursing home facility in upper Northwest Washington, DC, hospice care to patients in their own homes, and care in the in-patient hospice wing of the nursing home.
In recent years, the Board of Directors of The Washington Home directed a repositioning of the organization by creating hands-on care and consolidating its financial resources to be deployed for maximum impact in accordance with its longstanding mission. Learn more about The Washington Home at www.TheWashingtonHome.org.
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