Abandoned Apartments in Gritty D.C. Neighborhood Become a New Community Center

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When neighbors of Potomac Gardens, a public-housing complex in Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood, grew upset about growing crime rates, the leader of a charity that serves the project's children had an idea: Why not turn some of Potomac Gardens' abandoned apartments over to community organizations for use as program space?

The story of how that leader, Steve Park, helped his charity, Little Lights Urban Ministries, acquire two apartments donated by the city holds some lessons for other nonprofit organizations seeking local governments to give them unused or abandoned property.

Little Lights, founded in 1995 and run by Mr. Park and his wife, Mary, provides tutoring, mentors, and a summer camp, and in 2008 cost about $484,000 to run. Since 90 percent of the children served by the charity live in Potomac Gardens, receiving program space at the complex seemed like an ideal way for the group to fulfill its mission, says Mr. Park. "Part of our philosophy is that we're not just a place that runs programs, but we want to actually be part of the community," he says. "There's no better way to feel part of the community than to actually have space where people are living."

The plan to acquire vacant apartments stemmed from weekly potluck meetings of Potomac Gardens residents and their neighbors, engineered by a City Council member, Tommy Wells, in response to mounting tension over crime. It was at those meetings that Little Lights Urban Ministries came to the attention of local politicians and police officers, as Potomac Gardens residents were eager to highlight the charity's achievements.

Because crimes were being committed not by residents but by outsiders who loitered at the housing project, Mr. Park suggested filling up abandoned apartments by renovating them for community use.

Before the District's Housing Authority would donate the unused space to Little Lights, the charity was required to undertake a rigorous application process.

"Smaller organizations maybe wouldn't have been able to get the space," said Mr. Park. "There were definitely some hurdles, but we were well positioned administratively. It was as if it was a grant, but with higher liability-insurance requirements."

To obtain the necessary insurance, Little Lights sought advice from other charities on shopping around for the best rate and found companies that were willing to provide insurance at a lower cost than the one they were using.

In December, the housing authority gave Little Lights two three-bedroom units. In February, the units opened for charity programs.

To help support its expansion in Potomac Gardens, Little Lights was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation. The grant allowed the charity to achieve its goals in furnishing the new spaces, says Mr. Park. The apartments feature brightly painted walls bearing inspirational quotes. One serves as a meeting space with an office, computer lab, and study room, and the other as a recreational space outfitted with games, musical instruments, and a TV room.

"We wanted to set a high standard for the space," said Mr. Park, who estimates the annual value of the two apartments to be about $28,000, including rent and utilities. "We want this to be a first-rate space because it does send a message to the kids that they're worth having a first-rate space."

Mr. Park says charities that want to acquire vacant property should be certain to build a strong administrative team that will be able to handle the large amounts of required paperwork, and to cultivate a strong pool of donors to help weather any financial challenges that may come.

The charity recently lost a Freddie Mac grant, which Mr. Park says would have significantly hurt the group's finances had it not intensified its efforts to seek out individuals to support the charity over the past few years.

Throughout the application process, the charity was buoyed by its robust community of supporters.

"One of the things that helped us is that we really grew a strong individual donor base. If we were entirely dependent on foundations, we probably couldn't expand," says Mr. Park. "Individual donors take some more time. You're not going to get $20,000 at a time like with a foundation, but they're going to be more consistent."

The charity's donors made financial gifts — such as $1,000 for the purchase of a flat-screen TV — and provided items to help furnish the units. Volunteers renovated the apartments and installed surveillance cameras.

Mary Park, the charity's deputy director, attributes its success in acquiring the new space to the families the organization serves.

"We are just so thankful to the parents and the kids who spoke up on our behalf to acquire this space," she says. "I can't even put a monetary value on what it means being here using these two units."

Expanding its reach to the parents of the children served by Little Lights is one of the charity's top priorities for using the new space.

"There's a great bond already," says Diane Hewitt, Little Lights' computer and technology director, and a Potomac Gardens resident whose children participate in the program. "Hopefully it will grow deeper, not just educationally, but relationally and spiritually."

Relationships will continue to be the foundation of Little Lights' work, says Ms. Park: "Kids do well not just because of the things, but because of the relationships we have built with them."