So Others Might Eat
So Others Might Eat is a Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization addressing poverty and homelessness through food assistance, housing, healthcare, addiction recovery, employment training, and supportive services.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
So Others Might Eat, commonly known as SOME, is a nonprofit social-service organization founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Horace McKenna. It began as a soup kitchen serving meals in the basement of St. Aloysius Church on the campus of Gonzaga College High School and developed into a multi-service organization for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, addiction, mental illness, unemployment, and related health and social challenges. The organization’s work is built around the idea that basic needs and long-term stability must be addressed together. Its services have included daily meals, clothing and other necessities, affordable and transitional housing, emergency shelter, substance-use counseling and residential recovery programs, medical, dental, and eye care, psychiatric crisis stabilization, case management, job preparation, vocational education, and support for elderly people who are isolated or unable to leave home. SOME has also operated programs for women, children, families, people with chronic mental illness, and adults recovering from substance use. During the 1970s, SOME expanded beyond meal service by acquiring facilities for rehabilitation and shelter. It launched a substance-abuse program in 1975, moved to a larger facility on O Street NW in 1978, introduced the Provide-A-Meal nutritional program, and opened a dental clinic in 1979. During the 1980s it added medical care, services for homebound seniors, therapeutic housing for people with mental illness, transitional housing for homeless men, and residences for abused elderly people and other vulnerable groups. The 1990s brought further specialization and geographic expansion. SOME opened additional transitional housing, residential treatment programs for men and women recovering from addiction, housing for women with children, single-room-occupancy residences, family services, dining facilities, and a Center for Employment Training. The employment program combined basic education, vocational skills, human-development support, and job-readiness preparation with the goal of helping participants secure full-time employment at a living wage. In the 2000s, the organization increasingly emphasized permanent affordable housing and integrated service delivery. Its Affordable Housing Development Initiative, launched in 2004, sought to create 1,000 units of safe, affordable housing for approximately 2,000 homeless and extremely poor people. New residences and supportive-housing programs served single adults, families, older people, and residents transitioning from psychiatric crisis or addiction treatment. SOME also opened or acquired facilities in Washington, D.C., and Virginia to support recovery and affordable housing. More recent initiatives have included the Rapid Re-engagement Program, begun in 2016, and the Conway Center, opened in 2018. The Conway Center combined affordable housing, a health center, and the organization’s employment-training activities in Northeast Washington. The organization’s housing portfolio has become a major part of its operations, and its annual spending has been described as weighted toward affordable housing, with many residents in recovery from addiction. SOME remains focused on Washington-area residents affected by homelessness and poverty. Its model combines immediate relief with clinical, residential, employment, and housing services intended to help people move toward recovery, independence, and greater stability. In April 2020, Ralph Boyd became chief executive officer, succeeding Father John Adams, who had held the role for 42 years.
History
So Others Might Eat was established in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Horace McKenna as a soup kitchen. Its earliest meals were served in the basement of St. Aloysius Church on the Gonzaga College High School campus on North Capitol Street. Father John Adams became the organization’s inaugural president. The initial meal program soon developed into a broader response to poverty and homelessness. In the first half of the 1970s, SOME acquired property on Abbey Place NE for use as an alcoholism-rehabilitation center and obtained Shalom House on K Street NW as housing for homeless women. Its Substance Abuse Program began in October 1975 and combined individual and group counseling with vocational and job training. In 1978, Adams became chief executive officer, the organization moved to 71 O Street NW, and the original soup-kitchen model was expanded into the Provide-A-Meal Program, which served breakfast and lunch each day. A dental clinic opened in October 1979 for homeless people and others unable to afford dental care; Georgetown University’s dental school later assisted with care. SOME broadened its health and housing services during the 1980s. A medical clinic opened in January 1982 and provided healthcare and counseling to homeless and low-income people. The Caregivers Program, launched in 1984, offered case management and volunteer assistance to isolated, homebound elderly residents in Southeast Washington. Isaiah House opened in 1986 as a therapeutic socialization residence for people who were homeless and living with mental illness. That year also saw the creation of transitional housing for homeless men and Dwelling Place Emergency Shelter for abused elderly people. In 1989, a public-private partnership enabled the opening of Shalom House in Northeast Washington as SOME’s first single-room-occupancy residence, housing 96 formerly homeless and low-income people, including older and disabled residents. The 1990s added more transitional, residential, and employment programs. Mickey Leland Place opened in 1990 as a 90-day transitional residence for homeless men. Exodus House, opened in West Virginia in 1991, provided residential substance-abuse treatment for homeless men, while Thea Bowman House offered two-year transitional apartments for women with children. Gandhi Place provided housing for long-term volunteers, and Anna Cooper House opened in a converted hotel. The Maya Angelou House, dedicated in 1996, provided a 90-day residential recovery program for homeless women. That year SOME also renovated facilities at 60 O Street NW for medical, dental, and eye clinics, social-service offices, and addiction counseling. Harvest House added transitional housing and job-readiness support for women, while the Women and Children’s Dining Room opened in 1997. In 1998, SOME opened its Center for Employment Training. The program combined employment preparation with support services, human-development work, basic education, and practical skills training over a four- to six-month period. Its stated objective was to help adults obtain full-time jobs with benefits and living wages. During the 2000s, SOME reorganized and expanded several housing and behavioral-health programs. Isaiah House was replaced by Jordan House in 2002, providing crisis stabilization for people with mental illness awaiting residential treatment. The Leland Place annex was completed in 2003. In January 2004, SOME launched its Affordable Housing Development Initiative, with a goal of developing 1,000 units of safe, affordable housing for roughly 2,000 homeless and extremely poor people. Jordan House-related facilities, including Michael Kirwan House, provided structured drug- and alcohol-free housing and supportive services for people waiting to enter treatment. Independence Place, Joseph Smith House, Freedom House, and Mary Claire House added permanent, single-room, or transitional housing for different populations. SOME continued to acquire and open properties for low-income individuals, families, older adults, and people recovering from addiction. Projects included the Father Horace McKenna House in Winchester, Virginia; Bedford Falls and Chabraja House; Barnaby House for low-income and formerly homeless families; Chesapeake Street family-housing properties; and Zagami House, which opened in 2008 with supportive housing for formerly homeless and extremely poor families. The Kuehner House, opened in 2011, provided affordable housing for seniors and transitional housing for women enrolled at the Center for Employment Training. In 2016, SOME introduced the Rapid Re-engagement Program, an intervention and support service. In 2018, it opened the Conway Center in Northeast Washington, bringing together affordable housing, health services, and employment training. By this period, affordable housing represented a central part of the organization’s activities and budget, with many residents participating in addiction recovery. In April 2020, Ralph Boyd became CEO after Father John Adams’s exceptionally long leadership period. SOME continues to operate as a Washington, D.C.-area nonprofit combining emergency assistance and long-term housing, health, recovery, and employment services.
- 2020
Ralph Boyd becomes CEO
[1]Ralph Boyd succeeded Father John Adams as chief executive officer.
- 2018
Conway Center opens
[1]The Conway Center opened in Northeast Washington with affordable housing, a health center, and employment-training facilities.
- 2016
Rapid Re-engagement Program begins
[1]SOME introduced an intervention and support program for people experiencing homelessness.
- 2004
Affordable Housing Development Initiative launches
[1]SOME set a goal of developing 1,000 affordable housing units for approximately 2,000 homeless and extremely poor people.
- 1998
Center for Employment Training opens
[1]SOME established a multi-month employment-training program combining education, practical skills, support services, and job readiness.
- 1989
First single-room-occupancy residence opens
[1]A public-private partnership supported the opening of Shalom House in Northeast Washington, housing 96 formerly homeless and low-income residents.
- 1986
Mental-health and transitional housing expand
[1]SOME opened Isaiah House and its first transitional housing facility, serving people with mental illness and homeless men preparing for permanent housing.
- 1982
Medical clinic opens
[1]A medical clinic began providing healthcare and counseling to homeless and low-income residents.
- 1979
Dental clinic opens
[1]SOME opened a dental clinic for homeless and low-income people who could not afford ordinary dental care.
- 1978
Provide-A-Meal Program launches
[1]The organization moved to 71 O Street NW and developed its soup-kitchen work into a daily breakfast and lunch nutritional program.
Products and positioning
A Washington, D.C.-focused nonprofit providing an integrated continuum of services for people experiencing homelessness and poverty, linking immediate necessities with housing, healthcare, recovery, employment, and supportive case management.
Food assistance · 1978
Provide-A-Meal Program
SOME’s meal-service program grew from its original soup kitchen and provided breakfast and lunch daily. It represents the organization’s immediate-needs response for people experiencing poverty or homelessness.
Housing services
Affordable and supportive housing
SOME operates and develops a range of housing formats, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, single-room occupancy residences, permanent affordable housing, and homes with supportive services. Programs have served single adults, families, older people, people with mental illness, and people recovering from addiction.
Healthcare · 1979
Healthcare services
The organization has provided medical, dental, and eye care to homeless and low-income people, alongside counseling, case management, and other social services. Its health-related facilities are intended to reduce barriers that can prevent vulnerable residents from obtaining routine care.
Addiction recovery · 1975
Substance-use recovery programs
SOME’s recovery services have included counseling, vocational support, structured drug- and alcohol-free residences, and residential treatment programs for homeless men and women. These services are connected with transitional and permanent housing pathways.
Employment training · 1998
Center for Employment Training
The Center for Employment Training combines basic education, practical skills development, human-development support, and job-readiness preparation. Its program was designed to help adults obtain full-time employment with benefits and a living wage.
Brand decisions
2018
Opening of the Conway CenterStrategyBackground
SOME sought to bring housing, health services, and employment support into a more integrated setting.
Action taken
The organization opened the Conway Center in Northeast Washington with affordable housing units, a health center, and a new home for the Center for Employment Training.
Aftermath
The facility strengthened SOME’s integrated-service approach by placing housing, healthcare, and employment resources within one organizational campus.
2004
Launch of the Affordable Housing Development InitiativeStrategyBackground
SOME’s services had expanded beyond meals and emergency assistance, while homelessness and extreme poverty continued to require stable, long-term housing.
Action taken
The organization launched an initiative targeting the development of 1,000 safe, affordable housing units for approximately 2,000 homeless and extremely poor people.
Aftermath
Affordable housing became an increasingly central part of SOME’s service model and budget, alongside healthcare, recovery, and supportive services.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/so-others-might-eat · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled