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Traci Bryant remembers walking into her new bedroom for the first time, her hands placed on her pregnant belly.

Her bed — in the biggest room in the house — was already made. On top were towels, deodorant, toothpaste and a toothbrush. There was a crib, with white sheets that read “I love you.”

Bryant, then 24, had been homeless for two months.<b> </b>Through Olaiya’s Cradle, a nonprofit that runs two group homes in Southwest Washington for young families, she would have a place to live and community support.

Now, Bryant and her 13-month-old daughter, Serenity, could lose it all. In March, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development denied a request for $190,000 to continue funding Olaiya’s Cradle, which costs roughly $800,000 annually. While the program was eligible for grant funding, it didn’t score as high as other programs that had applied, according to a HUD spokesperson.

The decision has left the nonprofit scrambling to determine its future. Without funding, Olaiya’s Cradle can only keep operating its two houses through June 30, according to Daniel Rico, the organization’s chief development officer. After that, he said, it would have to close one of the homes, displacing five mothers and five children. Sasha Bruce Youthwork, the organization that runs Olaiya’s Cradle, has filed an appeal and is fundraising to fill the gap.

Meanwhile, Bryant and other mothers in the program must wait for a decision.

“I’m not ready to get out of here. I’m not financially set up to leave,” Bryant said. “I would be homeless again.”

Amanda Andrade-Rhoades

For nearly four decades, Olaiya’s Cradle has received federal funding to support 18-to-24-year-old pregnant women and mothers experiencing homelessness. It’s the only program in the District dedicated to providing transitional housing and resources for mothers in this age group, according to the organization’s appeal letter.

The mothers, many of whom are Black single parents, can live in the housing for up to two years and, on average, stay for about 21 months, Rico said. During that time, they have access to counseling, career and education development, and assistance navigating social benefits. Most importantly, the mothers say the program has given them housing stability and the village they need to help raise their children.

“Even though we were turning into families … nobody wanted to help,” said Yamilet Arno Arias, 23, who lives at Olaiya’s Cradle with her 5-year-old daughter, Yaribeth. “It’s not only you going through what you’re going through. There’s all the mothers that went through the same thing as you.”

Flo White, 25, lives at Olaiya’s Cradle with her 1-year-old daughter, Zynn Thompson. On Sunday nights, she watches “American Idol” with other moms over their “family dinner” — usually chicken, spaghetti, mac and cheese or hamburgers.

“I used to think if I had a kid, who am I going to invite to their birthday parties?” White said. “Now I’ve got endless people.”

Many of the women don’t have families to lean on. At Olaiya’s Cradle, they learn from one another, watching as other mothers soothe babies having tantrums, teach their children to ride bikes or nurse sick kids back to health. The program helps them throw baby showers for the moms and birthday parties for the kids.

In its appeal of HUD’s funding decision, Sasha Bruce Youthwork said there is a lack of supportive housing resources dedicated to young parents. Of the more than 1,300 young adults, ages 18 to 24, who were homeless in the District, 43 percent were pregnant or a parent, according to the city’s 2019 Youth Count survey. The organization also cited research showing that pregnant and parenting young adults are more likely to have experienced homelessness as a child, intimate partner violence, family violence, sex trafficking, the child welfare system and mental health issues.

Olaiya’s Cradle had been financially supported by HUD’s Continuum of Care program, which supports homelessness prevention efforts. According to Theresa Silla, the executive director of D.C.’s Interagency Council on Homeless, all D.C. programs that apply for these grants are evaluated by a local ranking committee. This committee includes representatives from ICH, providers, constituents with lived experiences and advocates.

A program is ranked by how often it is used, the rate at which people leave it for permanent housing, and how often those who leave return to another program within two years, said Tom Fredericksen, the chief of policy and programs at the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, which coordinates the local Continuum of Care program on behalf of the city. Olaiya’s Cradle was ranked 41 out of 43 projects, <a href="https://community-partnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Priority-Listing.pdf" target=_blank>documents show</a>.

“We’re not quite clear on how a [program supporting] youth with such high needs would be ranked so low in their priority, and we’re still trying to get clarification,” Rico said in response to the ranking.

Silla<b> </b>declined to comment on the Olaiya’s Cradle case, citing the appeals process.

So far, Olaiya’s Cradle has received a total of $100,000 in donations from individuals and businesses, Rico said. One donor has offered to match up to $100,000 per year for three years.

A spokesperson for HUD said the agency is reviewing the organization’s appeal and expects to have a decision in the next few weeks.

The District’s Department of Human Services said in a statement that it is aware of the funding issues and will work with leaders at Sasha Bruce “to help identify resources for the young families who are impacted by the closure.”

Some of the women at Olaiya’s Cradle fear that leaving the program earlier than expected would lead to a return to homelessness or to their ex-partners. They also worry what it would mean for their children.

Bryant, whose parents died when she was in high school, said she felt a rush of relief when Olaiya’s Cradle took her in.

“I finally found somewhere for me to have real shelter,” she said. “Somewhere clean, something to myself, something where my child can come in safe, an environment where other mothers would help each other out and understand what it’s like having a baby.”

University of Maryland, College Park

Ellie Silverman covers protest movements, activism and local news. At The Post, she has also covered local crime and courts. She previously reported on retail, breaking news and general assignment stories for the Philadelphia Inquirer, her hometown paper. She graduated from the University of Maryland, where she reported for the Diamondback.

Ellie Silverman

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Young mothers at risk of homelessness after D.C. program is denied funding

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Olaiya's Cradle

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Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post

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