According to recent research published by the Health Inequality Project, life expectancy for the richest in our country is increasing, while life expectancy for low-income individuals is on the decline and highly variable based on where they live. Washington, D.C. – known for its income disparity – did not fare well in this study. Among the 100 most populated cities, D.C. ranks 65th by average life expectancy for the poorest 20 percent of its residents. Moreover, the CDC’s 500 Cities project provides an even starker contrast to this health inequality. Residents in D.C.’s lowest income-areas were twice as likely to report poor mental health and three times as likely to consistently report poor physical health.

There are a number of reasons for this disparity in access to healthcare. Our organization strives to address these issues and make healthcare accessible for those who need it most. Access to affordable healthcare is perhaps the biggest barrier. Lack of easy access to healthcare education – especially regarding mental health – is another major problem in low-income communities. Violence plaguing these low-income communities also causes poor mental and physical health. High incidences of substance abuse and homelessness in these communities further compound the issue of access to healthcare.

Our Care Coordination Services Program aims to address these issues and make an impact on healthcare inequality on marginalized communities. Our organization begins by educating people and building the skills and knowledge to actively care for their own physical and mental wellbeing. We specifically work with individuals who have mental illnesses, substance abuse issues, migrants, and those who have been recently incarcerated, as these are the individuals who face the biggest barriers to affordable and accessible healthcare. The goal of our Care Coordination Services Program is to ultimately assist these individuals in getting back on their feet and increase their access to preventative care services and mental health services. We accomplish this via patient education, scheduling doctor’s appointments, monitoring services, drug counseling, coordinating transportation or assistance, and walking them through the process of taking ownership of their own health. We also provide them consistent support and coaching throughout the entire process, as navigating the healthcare system is new to many of these individuals.

Our non-profit also offers a Workforce Development Program, which focuses on reintegrating marginalized individuals back into the workforce and setting them up with other essential services. Recently incarcerated individuals, in particular, have an incredibly hard time finding employment after their release. According to the Prison Policy Institute, formerly incarcerated people face a 27 percent unemployment rate, while the national average is around four percent. Furthermore, low-income individuals face similar high rates of unemployment, especially during times of economic downturn. During the pandemic, nearly 40 percent of people earning less than $40,000 lost income during that period, while the numbers were much smaller within higher income brackets. Homeless individuals, migrants, and those with physical and mental health problems face similar barriers to entering the workforce and accessing essential services.

Barriers to entering the workforce are myriad depending on the individual. These obstacles include but are not limited to: lack of proper education, lack of affordable housing, physical and mental health issues, legal status, previous incarceration, high rates of crime and violence, and a lack of job opportunities in marginalized communities. Our organization not only offers much needed services to these individuals but works to address the issues of inequality at the root of the problem.

Our Workforce Development Program provides a number of services that focus on helping marginalized individuals integrate back into the workforce and become contributing members of society. We offer education, career counseling, affordable housing, job opportunities, and affordable healthcare to these underserved individuals in hopes of removing their barriers to re-entering the workforce. All services are offered by our non-profit and partners free of charge.

While we currently offer two programs, our organization is growing and plans to offer even more services to positively impact our underserved communities in the future. We also partner with other organizations and work with state and federal initiatives which address issues of inequality for marginalized communities. Our organization will continue to seek funding in order to expand our current service offerings so that we can better serve those communities who need it most.