Long before he could easily communicate his feelings with words, Killian—who has autism—found another way to communicate: he sculpted little faces out of clay. "The first thing he started doing was sculpting little faces," Ferris said. "That was his first way of trying to communicate. He would make little faces to let you know how he was feeling." 

What started with visits to his longtime primary care physician grew into a network of support that has helped Joseph navigate healthcare, maintain Medicaid coverage, access medications, and connect with services that make daily life easier.

When Tatiauna reflects on where she was just a year ago, the difference today is powerful. She credits stable housing as the foundation that made every other shift in her life possible. At the time, she and her two children were facing significant challenges and instability. For months, they experienced homelessness—moving from place to place, doing what Tatiauna describes as “pillow to post.”

Anthony is the proud father of two children: Aria, his almost 15-year-old daughter, and AJ, his baby boy who will turn one in August. His journey into fatherhood began while he was still figuring life out, but it was also where he first discovered the meaning of responsibility, love, and purpose. 

James has been a patient at Community of Hope since 2010. Back then, he was just looking for a new provider. What he found was something harder to name — a place that kept showing up for him through prediabetes, high blood pressure, and years of managing his health one appointment at a time. 

Grace had to make a decision no mother wants to face. With three young children, ages six, five, and one, she left an unsafe relationship and went to the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, with almost nothing. They connected her to Community of Hope. She was 34, pregnant with her fourth child, and starting over from scratch. 

A Washington, DC native chef, wife, and mother of two who is also helping raise her 16-year-old brother, Laurencia was intentional about her birth experience from the start. Having had a natural birth before, she knew she wanted the same again and chose Community of Hope for its birth center, supportive care, and proximity to home. 

Since October 2025, Ella has been a regular presence in Community of Hope’s Fam-Club program, often volunteering one to two days a week. She spends her time playing games, coloring, and building relationships with children and families staying in our shelters. 

Today, Arica has built a stable life for her family—something she fought hard to achieve. But 22 years ago, when she found out she was pregnant with twins, she was facing housing instability. 

What brought Markesha to Community of Hope was simple: A dream to have a water birth, but what has kept Markesha connected has been a circle of support.