Stories of Impact: Isaac Harris

For 35 years, Isaac has lived in Washington, DC, where he grew up deeply connected to the Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV), a historic shelter where his parents volunteered. To him, CCNV was more than a shelter; it was an extended family, a place where neighbors took care of one another, and where his parents poured their lives into supporting people experiencing homelessness. For the last 35 years, Isaac’s life has been shaped by service, community, and resilience.

His mother spent her life in human services, working across mental health and supportive housing agencies. His father was both a courier known for unmatched speed and the go-to aromatherapist at Eastern Market, hand-crafting incense long before it was popular. Both devoted themselves to the community without ever expecting recognition or reward.

Their commitment shaped Isaac into who he is today. But their deaths, along with other social struggles, led Isaac to withdraw from others.

In Spring 2022, Isaac was calling CCNV home. He had continued his family’s legacy of volunteering there, and the shelter also provided him a place to stay while he worked to find a more permanent residence. It wasn’t until he received a forwarded email about the Coalition’s Community Voices Academy that was circulating through a church listerv that things started to shift.

But he stayed. And slowly, something changed.

Through conversations, workshops, and guided exercises, Community Voices helped Isaac connect his lived experience around housing insecurity with policy, practice, and advocacy.

The biggest transformation was in his confidence.

Since graduating, Isaac has continued to grow as a leader. He now volunteers not only at CCNV, where he was recently named Acting Director of Administration, but across the District, building relationships with agencies and staying engaged in local housing and homelessness work. He was recommended to DC’s Interagency Council on Homelessness and applied for a role on the DC Commission on Poverty. He has become a connector, a resource, and a trusted voice.

One of the most meaningful changes for him has been learning to use his voice for himself. “It’s always been easy for me to do things for other people,” he said. “Doing things for myself was hard. The program helped me get over that.”

Now living in Southwest DC, his first home of his own, he finds himself energized by the contrast between neighborhoods. “It reignited something. I see what’s possible in one part of the city and wonder why it isn’t everywhere. DC could be so different. Better.”

He remains committed to staying involved, continuing to volunteer at CCNV, and one day pursuing college. “Anything involving DC, that’s my future. Maybe I stay in the background, but getting the ideas out there is what matters.”

Isaac credits the ongoing support of The Coalition and Community Voices for helping him escape his rut, and encourages anyone facing a similar situation to take the leap and get involved as well.

Isaac’s journey from a quiet presence in a shelter community to a vocal advocate shaping conversations across the District illustrates the power of investing in residents’ leadership, amplifying lived experience, and creating space for people who have long been overlooked to influence the decisions that affect their lives. His story shows that when residents are given the tools, support, and platform to speak, they not only transform their own lives but also strengthen the communities around them.