9th & Rock Creek Church Rd. NW Fire

5 a.m. 

"Get out NOW!" the police screamed when I opened my door.

As I scrambled to throw essentials in my bookbag, I could hear my neighbors charging down the stairs into the safety.

I ran outside to greet them, glad we were safe, glad we were fine.

Our building was not on fire. We live in the mural building. Everything was fine.

But for our neighbors next door, what they knew of safety burned in those early morning hours.



Their building is uninhabitable and it is unclear when repairs will begin.

Our neighbors have lived here in Petworth far longer than the few years I've been in my building.

Feven, her daughter, and their dog want to stay here in Petworth, the place they've called home for so long. Her daughter goes to school nearby and she wants her to have the same easy commute she has always had.

The 3 other neighbors in the building and their 4 dogs need help, too. They want a new place and safe housing for their dogs.

The fire took their safety, their belongings, melted pieces of their life away. 

But it shouldn't take them out of our community.

Washington, DC isn't as cheap as it was when they moved into the neighborhood. This city has become expensive. And housing doesn't come cheap.

Their most essential needs are:
- Funds to help with housing, clothes/shoes, and replacing other essentials
- Help finding a safe inexpensive place to live near where they have always lived at 9th and Rock Creek Church Rd. NW.