OLIVE BRANCH COMMUNITY

Who we are

What we do

A History of our Struggle

Soup Kitchen

Resistance

Contact Info

 WHO WE ARE :

The Old CCNV

We are a racially mixed, spiritually based, intentional community respectful of the prophets of eastern and western,  religious traditions.

Although we are predominantly, formerly homeless and frequently provide hospitality, we are not a shelter.

We are non-hierarchical and operate through a consensus decision-making process. As a matter of faith, we live entirely from small donations and are not beholden to any government,  religious institution,  grantor or board of directors other than those we have by necessity created.

We operate two houses - One in the heart of inner city Washington D.C. that has responsibility for a soup kitchen at Metro Center  and homeless,  housing  advocacy; and another in southeast that attempts to build  intentional community in a neighborhood ravished by poverty and neglect.

 Back to top

WHAT WE DO:  SERVICE   & RESISTANCE

SERVICE

We are the founding director of ABRAHAM HOUSE and the co-founders of ZACCHAEUS SOUP KITCHEN.

With the help of these institutions, we provide food, clothing, hospitality and transitional housing.  When necessary, drug and job counseling in the context of daily communal work and reflection.
 
Collectively, we have spent over 30 years managing and operating soup kitchens, drop-in-centers and shelters. Aggressive non-violent advocacy has led to the creation of shelter and housing locally and nationally.
 


An intentional community in a SE neighborhood, AH is an effort to serve as a model in addressing the poverty, hopelessness and resultant violence.  Into this neglected section,  we bring years of experience in community organizing and conflict resolution along with material and other resources in an effort to reduce the distance between the privileged and the marginalized.
 
 

Opened in 1972 to address the growing need for food and shelter in the nations capitol, the kitchen serves  300 to 500  meals a day, Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 am.

VOLUNTEERS:

For Monday through Friday: Call 202-737-9311 x504  or e-mail the Volunteer and Community Resources Coordinator

For the Sunday park meal of displaced shelter residents e-mail  Randall Support.

Articles:

Glow of Hope in A Church Basement (1997) | Volunteers feed 400 homeless people (Christmas 2001)

Intrusion on Services to Latino Community


 Back to top


 RESISTANCE 

Charity Without Resistance Is Oppression

Our primary focus has been homeless and housing advocacy. Since the 1980s, we have confronted federal policies that have allowed a shortfall of over 5 million low income housing units. Locally, in the winter of 97/98, we demanded and secured the continuous operation, beyond winter, of the only family emergency shelter, D.C. Village. In the winter of 2001/02, we successfully rallied for additional hypothermia units to relieve overcrowding at the only bilingual men's shelter, La Casa, in D.C. Recently, we have been concerned about Latino Family Shelter locally.
 

"Highlights" of 2002:

Eviction on August 7! (Eviction Notice for August 11)

June 17: Questioning the Mayor at Ward 1 Town Hall Meeting


Pretext: 

Campaign for Hypothermia Shelter