Tis The Season
From the Desk of the Director:
Greeting from Inner City Family Services,
As we celebrate this holiday season, we reflect on the heart of our mission: to empower individuals and families through compassionate, high-quality care. We are honored to serve our community and deeply grateful for the trust you place in us to support your journey toward wellness and stability.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives and for inspiring us every day.
From our ICFS family to yours, we wish you a joyous holiday season filled with peace, love, and hope.
Happy Holidays,
Come on In
Welcome to Inside Inner City where we take you on a tour of what’s going on inside ICFS and around our beautiful city.
Holiday Cheer
This year we kicked off the Holiday season with a BANG! At ICFS we understand that the importance of engaging over a good meal so this year we partnered with Commonwealth Association for Sustainable development (CAFSD) to host a Holiday Luncheon! Consumers and community members were nourished with wholesome individual, high quality meals and delicious whole fruit juices. We thank our consumers, community leaders and volunteers for all of your hard work, we couldn’t have done it without you!
Be A Good Neighbor
We want to encourage each of you to check on your neighbors. During this time of year when stress is high and temperatures are low, we want to remind you that many of our elderly residents are often overlooked and underserved. As a community let’s ensure that we look out for our most vulnerable residents, many of whom are on fixed incomes with limited resources. As hypothermia season starts to show it’s cold and bitter face it will be imperative that we look out for one another. Check out the COLD DC page for the most up to date resources:
https://dhs.dc.gov/extremeweather
Have a safe and sober holiday: How to deck the halls without getting LIT!
Preparation; Have an exit plan & Take a recovery buddy
Party over here; Only attend party’s where you feel safe, Have your own party!
Sobriety Sandwich; Attend a recovery meeting before and after the holiday party.
Remember: Feelings come and go. It’s how we RESPOND to them that matter.
Be A Light, Spread Awareness;
October; Substance Use Awareness- We support all those living with substance use disorders, you are not alone.
November; Hunger and Homelessness Awareness- We stand in solidarity with all who are hungry and/or homeless, and look for ways to provide support and relief.
Bah Humbug: Don’t be a Scrooge, take care of yourself and your mental health this Holiday;
Two in five Americans feel their mental health is negatively impacted during the holidays; no matter the reason for your holiday blues, you may find comfort in the following tips;
Don’t overcommit; Manage stress by minimizing commitments
Talk to a friend; Having a holiday stress buddy to talk to can help
Be kind to yourself; Acknowledge your feelings and create positive self talk
Get moving; Physical exercise, dancing, and going for a walk are all great ways to increase oxygen and boost mood
