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SOME -- So Others Might Eat

Restoring Hope And Dignity One Person At A Time

SOME restores hope and dignity to the homeless through comprehensive services, including meals (1,200 served daily), medical care, addiction treatment, job training and more than 700 units of permanent affordable housing. 202-797-8806.

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Why should I support your work?

Your support will ensure that poor and homeless men, women and children receive nourishing food to fill their stomachs, medical care that eases their suffering, and job training and affordable housing that transforms their lives.  For over 45 years, SOME has been partnering with caring community members like you to restore dignity and independence to DC’s most vulnerable residents.  Over 10,000 individuals are served each year at SOME, and we have earned Charity Navigator’s highest Four Star rating.


Why does your charity exist?

SOME exists to help the poor and homeless in Washington, DC.  We serve over 1,000 hot meals to hungry and homeless men, women, and children each day and offer showers, clothing, medical and dental care, addiction treatment, mental health services, counseling, job training, affordable housing for families and single adults, and programs for the elderly. 


What specifically do you do?

SOME’s services alleviate suffering and help homeless individuals and families to recover their independence.  We meet immediate needs with:

  • Two hot, daily meals in our Dining Rooms for the Homeless.
  • Hot showers and free, clean clothing.
  • Medical, dental and eye care.

In addition, we offer services that allow individuals to address the root causes of poverty and homelessness:

  • Job training at the SOME Center for Employment Training, which combines technical and soft skills instruction with basic education and career development.
  • Mental health services.
  • Addiction recovery services, including a three-month residential treatment program in West Virginia.

Finally, SOME provides nearly 700 safe, affordable apartments and private rooms for homeless and extremely low-income families and single adults.


How will this make a difference?

The majority of SOME’s funding comes from individuals like you who want to help those who are in need.  Your gifts have a direct impact on the homeless and destitute in our community, providing them with meals, health care, job training and affordable housing.  Here are a few examples of the impact that your support will have:

  • $5 can provide a hungry individual or family with a bag of emergency groceries.
  • $25 can provide 16 hot and nutritious meals for men, women and children in SOME’s Dining Rooms.
  • $150 can provide a full eye exam and glasses for a patient in SOME’s Eye Clinic.
  • $250 can provide eight months of life-saving medication to a homeless patient in our Medical Clinic



SOME is unique in that we both meet people’s immediate needs and provide services that help them to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.  We meet the most immediate needs of the people we serve and offer them opportunities to rebuild their lives and achieve lasting stability and independence.


What have you accomplished?

With the help of caring supporters, each year SOME provides:

  • Approximately 400,000 meals to the hungry. 
  • Over 20,000 free sets of clothing and showers to homeless men and women.
  • 8,000+ visits to a doctor or dentist in our Medical and Dental Clinics.
  • Emergency housing for abused and neglected elderly.
  • Support and care to more than 200 homeless adults with chronic mental illness.
  • Comprehensive addiction recovery services, including a 90-day residential treatment program, to 250+ men and women.
  • Approximately 200 homeless and extremely low-income adult students with intensive job training.
  • Safe, affordable housing for 150+ families, as well as nearly 600 single adults.



How can I be sure you’ll use my money wisely?

SOME is deeply committed to responsible stewardship of our resources.  Last year, our overhead costs were under 10%.  This means that more than 90% of the contributions that we received went directly to our programs for poor and homeless children, women and men. SOME is consistently named a Four Star Charity by the independent charity evaluator Charity Navigator. 


Our financial records are available at