A hot meal and a warm bed are just a ride away

Shelter Hotline

No one should be forced to live out on the street, especially during extreme weather conditions.

As DC’s one and only provider of transportation services for the homeless, UPO’s Shelter Hotline helps bring people without a place to live to local shelters—no matter the time of year. We also provide those in need with clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, and other items that can help them feel a bit more comfortable.

The Shelter Hotline is staffed by a dedicated team of more than 40 employees, with services offered around the clock from November 1 through March 31 and 8 a.m. to midnight from April 1 through October 31. Concerned community members are encouraged to look out for homeless individuals and families in their neighborhood and call to have them transported to the comfort and care of a nearby facility.

Shelter Hotline services are available every day of the year at 800-535-7252 or 202-399-7093.

UPO’s Shelter Hotline program is funded by the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness through grant funds provided by the DC Department of Human Services.

“Socking” It to Winter

Did you know that donating white tube socks can help save lives?

In addition to providing transportation services to DC’s homeless population, our Shelter Hotline provides comfort items such as socks to keep the homeless protected during times of extreme cold.

Why white socks? Because cold temperatures can cause hypothermia and other serious health problems—and white socks make it easier for healthcare professionals to identify signs of infection, frostbite, and other foot ailments.

For more information about how to donate to or support UPO’s White Sock Drive, please contact Ericka Ransom at 202-238-4696 or Larnice Johnson at 202-238-4675.

Hypothermia Help

Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature. Left untreated, hypothermia can lead to complete failure of your heart and respiratory system and eventually death!

Learn more [insert link to fact sheet]

Shelter Plus Care

Double the support for double the need

Not having a place to call home is even more difficult when you also suffer from mental illness, addiction, HIV/AIDS, or other debilitating conditions.

Our Shelter Plus Care program provides case management and support services to homeless persons with chronic health issues who are also receiving housing support. We work with individuals and families who are currently getting rental assistance from DC’s Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness.

We also help homeless persons and their families with education, employment, financial management, child care, and transportation.

For more information, please contact Francis Monroe at 202-562-3800.

Comprehensive Treatment Center

Getting patients on the road to recovery, self-sufficiency, and stability

We help individuals with opioid addiction improve their quality of life and become responsible members of their families and communities.

Our Comprehensive Treatment Center (CTC) is an outpatient substance abuse treatment facility that provides both medical and behavioral services, including methadone maintenance, client education, employment and housing support, and individual, group, and family counseling.

CTC also offers specialized group sessions on such issues as tapering and abstinence, behavioral health, anger management, grief and loss, relapse prevention, and stabilization.

CTC is open Monday through Saturday. Call 202-682-6599 for center hours, location, admission procedures, and other information.

CTC is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), licensed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and certified by the DC Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Family Mediation

Living apart, parenting together

Children need and crave stability and structure. We work with families to help ensure that those responsible for raising children have the tools necessary to communicate, co-parent, and create loving, supportive, and healthy communities.

Located at DC Superior Court, UPO’s Office of Parent Coordination (OPC) connects parents and guardians experiencing low- to medium-level conflicts with “Parent Coordinators” who provide a range of family support services, including counseling, mediation, links to resources in the community, education, planning assistance, and professional referrals.

Parents and guardians can be referred to OPC in one of two ways — under order of a DC Family Court judge or through the recommendation of one of our Program Administrators.

If you have been referred to the OPC program and would like to set up an intake appointment, please contact Dr. Carly Blackstone at cblackstone@upo.org or 301-466-1044.

Are you a PhD student interested in helping families?

Our Parent Coordinators are PhD candidates in social work and psychology with extensive training in individual, group, and family therapy; parental mediation; and the creation of detailed and effective parenting plans and child visitation schedules.

Parent Coordination is exclusively offered in less than 15 states, including the District of Columbia — and UPO is the only agency designated by DC courts to offer this service to low-income residents.

If you are a doctoral student interested in externship hours with the Office of Parent Coordination, please contact Dr. Carly Blackstone at cblackstone@upo.org or 301-466-1044.

EBT

Healthy food for healthy living

Did you know that more than

of the entire Washington, DC area is considered a “food desert”?

For many low-income communities throughout DC, this lack of access to healthy food options makes it even more difficult to properly take care of ourselves and our families.

UPO’s Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program is dedicated to increasing access to healthy food, fighting DC’s childhood hunger epidemic, and educating customers about health, nutrition, and eating right.

Like a debit card for grocery shopping, an EBT card can be used in place of cash, checks, or food stamps to purchase household food items such as bread, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and dairy products.

As DC’s official issuer of EBT cards, we process more than 57,000 cards each year and offer training to eligible DC Department of Human Services clients on how to use them.

For more information, contact Luline Almonacy at 202-238-4691.

Community Wellness

When we feel our best, we can do and be our best. Our team connects DC residents with the healthy food options, shelter, and support needed on the journey to feeling well and living well!

A hot meal and a warm bed are just a ride away

Shelter Hotline

No one should be forced to live out on the street, especially during extreme weather conditions.

Shelter Hotline services are available every day of the year at 800-535-7252 or 202-399-7093.

“Socking” It to Winter

Did you know that donating white tube socks can help save lives?

In addition to providing transportation services to DC’s homeless population, our Shelter Hotline provides comfort items such as socks to keep the homeless protected during times of extreme cold.

Why white socks? Because cold temperatures can cause hypothermia and other serious health problems—and white socks make it easier for healthcare professionals to identify signs of infection, frostbite, and other foot ailments.

For more information about how to donate to or support UPO’s White Sock Drive, please contact Ericka Ransom at 202-238-4696 or Larnice Johnson at 202-238-4675.

Hypothermia Help

Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature. Left untreated, hypothermia can lead to complete failure of your heart and respiratory system and eventually death!

Learn more [insert link to fact sheet]

Shelter Plus Care

Double the support for double the need

Not having a place to call home is even more difficult when you also suffer from mental illness, addiction, HIV/AIDS, or other debilitating conditions.

We also help homeless persons and their families with education, employment, financial management, child care, and transportation.

For more information, please contact Francis Monroe at 202-562-3800.

Comprehensive Treatment Center

Getting patients on the road to recovery, self-sufficiency, and stability

We help individuals with opioid addiction improve their quality of life and become responsible members of their families and communities.

Our Comprehensive Treatment Center (CTC) is an outpatient substance abuse treatment facility that provides both medical and behavioral services, including methadone maintenance, client education, employment and housing support, and individual, group, and family counseling.

CTC also offers specialized group sessions on such issues as tapering and abstinence, behavioral health, anger management, grief and loss, relapse prevention, and stabilization.

CTC is open Monday through Saturday. Call 202-682-6599 for center hours, location, admission procedures, and other information.

Family Mediation

Living apart, parenting together

Children need and crave stability and structure. We work with families to help ensure that those responsible for raising children have the tools necessary to communicate, co-parent, and create loving, supportive, and healthy communities.

Parents and guardians can be referred to OPC in one of two ways — under order of a DC Family Court judge or through the recommendation of one of our Program Administrators.

If you have been referred to the OPC program and would like to set up an intake appointment, please contact Dr. Carly Blackstone at cblackstone@upo.org or 301-466-1044.

Are you a PhD student interested in helping families?

Our Parent Coordinators are PhD candidates in social work and psychology with extensive training in individual, group, and family therapy; parental mediation; and the creation of detailed and effective parenting plans and child visitation schedules.

Parent Coordination is exclusively offered in less than 15 states, including the District of Columbia — and UPO is the only agency designated by DC courts to offer this service to low-income residents.

If you are a doctoral student interested in externship hours with the Office of Parent Coordination, please contact Dr. Carly Blackstone at cblackstone@upo.org or 301-466-1044.

EBT

Healthy food for healthy living

Did you know that more than

of the entire Washington, DC area is considered a “food desert”?

For many low-income communities throughout DC, this lack of access to healthy food options makes it even more difficult to properly take care of ourselves and our families.

UPO’s Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program is dedicated to increasing access to healthy food, fighting DC’s childhood hunger epidemic, and educating customers about health, nutrition, and eating right.

Like a debit card for grocery shopping, an EBT card can be used in place of cash, checks, or food stamps to purchase household food items such as bread, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and dairy products.

As DC’s official issuer of EBT cards, we process more than 57,000 cards each year and offer training to eligible DC Department of Human Services clients on how to use them.

For more information, contact Luline Almonacy at 202-238-4691.