News

We are updating this page with our immediate needs as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our programs.

We are so excited to announce our first ever Beacon of Hope Virtual Fundraiser on October 27th! We will be sharing stories from youth in our programs as well as updates from our leadership about this past year and the future of our programs.

We spoke with Meghan Huebner, Vice President of Residential Programs, to learn more about how virtual schooling is going for youth in our programs and the unique challenges presented this year.

Our CEO, Judith Dittman, has been with Second Story for 25 years as of this past July! We are so thankful for her leadership and the ways she has helped the organization grow, change, and develop to best support youth. To celebrate her anniversary Judith shared with us some reflections on the past 25 years.

We spoke with Edwin Alfaro, Community Organizer of Opportunity Neighborhoods for Second Story in the Community, about what a typical day looks like at the food distribution center in Culmore.

We're looking for at least 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to be donated by August 10th. Your donations will help provide youth a sense of normalcy as they look to an uncertain academic year and help ensure their education isn't disrupted.

All nineteen eligible seniors from Second Story for Homeless Youth and the Culmore Teen Center graduated from high school in 2020!

Many of you have messaged us asking for ways to help and responded in overwhelming ways--thank you! Here is another way to get involved: become an ambassador!

We’re deeply grieved by injustices, such as systemic violence, that impact people of color. Diversity and equality are values that have been at the heart of our mission since the beginning – we have a diverse staff and serve a diverse group of young people and families. We know that injustice persists, that it affects our staff, the youth we serve, and our community as a whole, and that it requires action from each of us.

We're updating this page as new stories and information come in. Our program staff are working on the front lines with youth and families experiencing homelessness and crises, especially as COVID-19 forces them into a new and more challenging way of life.

Dear Friends, I hope you and your families are doing as well as possible under these challenging circumstances. I wanted to provide you another brief update on our programs, but mostly tell you about something new we’re starting in this season to help us support youth and families in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

A note from our CEO, Judith Dittman: Dear Friends, Because I know how much you care about the young people in our programs, I wanted to provide you with an update on the ways we are trying to keep them safe during the current COVID-19 outbreak. As of this writing, there are no community spread

Anne Kim is a Northern VA based writer, focusing on some of the issues at the core of our work. Her new book, "Abandoned: America’s Lost Youth and the Crisis of Disconnection" comes out on February 11th. She has an entire chapter dedicated to Second Story and how our work is helping address this crucial challenge. Her book is an excellent way to really understand some of the big issues Second Story seeks to address.

Happy new decade! In 2020 we celebrate not only a new year but a new decade, and we're feeling extra thankful for all the ways we have grown, with your help, over the past 10 years. Read about some of our 2010-2019 highlights.

Second Story's programs are located throughout Northern Virginia and serve young people throughout the entire DC metro area. Take a look at these photos for a peek into the spaces that host young people everyday, some of them 24/7, to provide safe havens and opportunities to grow and thrive...