Lydia’s House started with two people, a single dream and a sack of potatoes.

In 1989, Pastors Eugene and Patrice Sheppard left comfortable jobs in a safe community and moved to Bellevue, in an attempt to make a difference in the lives of Washington, DC’s poorest men, women and children. They began their work by handing out potatoes from the backseat of their car.

Founded in 1990 by Pastor Eugene Sheppard, Lydia’s House is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to Growing Children, Strengthening Families and Changing Neighborhoods.

Lydia’s House takes a holistic approach to community development by providing social services, emotional support and educational resources that address the needs of low-income and at-risk families at every stage of the poverty cycle.

As the only Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved faith-based counseling agency in Ward 8, Lydia’s House is making it possible for first time home buyers to purchase property in the Washington metropolitan area. As a District funded full-service housing counseling agency, Lydia’s House provides homeless and homeowner counseling, foreclosure prevention and financial literacy.

Lydia’s House offers after-school programs for children ages 6-12, technology-based skill development and entrepreneurial training for older youth ages 13-21, as well as substance abuse and teen pregnancy prevention programs, adult literacy, welfare-to-work job readiness training, employment referrals and food and clothing provisions.

The original Lydia’s House                       3939 The Zone