Over a third of low-income students begin kindergarten unprepared for school, and half will be reading behind grade level by the fourth grade. Youth who experience residential instability tend to underperform academically and are more likely to drop out of high school when they get older. The children in these families need additional resources to ensure their educational success, to create positive environments to learn and grow, and to envision a future that includes higher education and
economic independence.

The key component of our youth enrichment program is youth tutoring. Housing Up’s youth tutoring program provides on-site homework assistance and supplemental support through journal writing, reading comprehension activities, mathematical review, and experiential learning. Because our youth tutoring participants attend tutoring regularly, we have evolved the tutoring programming to include additional activities. These activities include character building workshops, personal safety presentations from organizations such as the DC Rape Crisis Center and the Metropolitan Police Department, gardening activities with senior residents and gardeners from the Fort Stevens Community Garden, cooking and nutrition lessons and career days. For high-school age youth, we include a heightened focus on SAT/ACT preparation and provide college application and scholarship assistance and college tours and information.

Our youth services enrich the educational and emotional development of the children and young adults in our program, giving them a higher chance of success in high school and college. Youth services also provide a haven for children and young adults in our affordable housing properties, strengthening the community.