Alumna Brings Community Service Home

UNCLE BOB WOULD be proud. After he made a living building houses, his niece now provides homes for local boys who need stability and direction.

Hattie Washington Ed.D. '87 founded Aunt Hattie's Place 12 years ago after her efforts as a foster mom didn't seem enough. Her "place" is really two-soon three-group homes where she and her dedicated staff help boys ages 12 to 19 become strong young men. She calls her organization a residential leadership training program rather than a foster home, and emphasizes education as a means to personal improvement.

"The goal is not to keep kids in a group home," she explains. "It's to get them back to their biological parents or to relatives or a good foster home. If a group home is the best placement-temporary or long-term-they then need to be in a home like Aunt Hattie's Place."

Washington, a professor of special education at Coppin State University, uses a spacious house left to her by the late Robert "Uncle Bob" Hill as her home and headquarters. Washington says that Hill built more than 200 homes in and near Montgomery County.

An artist's rendering (top) and an architectural drawing illustrate plans for Aunt Hattie's third location. The two-story addition will house eight boys.

At the Sandy Spring, Md., house, Washington is renovating the home's five-car garage and its attached wing into Aunt Hattie's third location. Others are in the Forest Park area of Baltimore City and Randallstown.

Ray Meeker, the project's manager from Dillon Development Partners, says that construction should be complete by this fall. The three and a half years that it's taken to secure proper zoning permits, meet regulations and raise funds, he says, will be worth it.

"These boys aren't different. They're just kids that want a good home," Meeker says. "You have to think about this [long term]. It's not just the eight boys that will live here at a time."

Most partners on the project work either free or at reduced rates. Washington's also won over the local civic association, despite some initial neighborhood resistance. "I visited her other homes and talked with people in those neighborhoods," says Carolyn Snowden, a 50-year resident of Sandy Spring and association president. "I knew it was needed here, anything that helps young people, especially males."

Nearly 100 boys have come through Aunt Hattie's and benefited from its comprehensive services-and Washington's high expectations. The boys are expected to do chores, excel in school and respect others.

Cooks, counselors, program managers and live-in supervisors provide the boys with a caring environment that Washington says is key to their growth. So is love. Her "Super Kids," as she affectionately calls the boys, are part of her family and were in both daughters' weddings.

"I tell my boys, 'You're smart, you're great, you're nice, you're lovable,' and they add, 'And handsome.' " -MAB

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