Daniel Alexander Payne
Community Development Corporation

The Daniel Alexander Payne Community Development Corporation (CDC) was established in 1989 as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization to address emergent social and economic needs of citizens in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The organization has a substantial local presence in Washington, DC. The CDC is governed by a board of directors which convenes regularly on a monthly basis. A list of the Board of Directors is included in this section. The CDC does not engage in proselytizing as a condition of participating in or providing its programs.

Description of Services

A. Ex-Offender Reclamation Program.

The Daniel Alexander Payne Reclamation Program (DAPRP) was established in 2005 with support from Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church (MAMEC) to combat recidivism by focusing on the needs of ex-offenders returning from prison to the Washington metropolitan area. The purpose of the project is to help direct and support ex-offenders’ successful transition from prison into the community. In 2010, oversight for the DAPRP program was provided by the CDC Board of Directors and a 4-member DAPRP Board of Advisors. A three-person staff (full and part-time) handled the day-to-day operations.

Funding from the Faith-Based Initiative of the Court Services Offenders Supervision Agency (CSOSA) from 2007 to 2010, coupled with continuing support from MAMEC, area churches and service organizations, provided the basis for the financial and material support needed to address some of the challenges and difficulties that come from working with ex-offenders who desire to establish new paths to becoming productive members in their communities.

A network of twenty (20) local organizations and churches partnered or collaborated with DAPRP to provide services focusing on the multiple needs of ex-offenders attempting to re-enter the local community, in particular (1) health, (2) literacy, (3) housing, (4) employment, and (5) clothing. These critical service providers made their resources available to the participating DAPRP clientele. Approximately 70 ex-offenders participated in the program. One-on-one mentoring activities, provided by 70 mentors from Metro-area churches, were also available to the DAPRP clientele.

Staff ensured that proper referrals were made for housing support, addiction recovery support, life skills/education support, parenting skills, clothing, food-banks, transportation, home furnishings, and literacy training. Albeit some of these needs were common to nearly all clients, the majority of these services were provided on a case-by-case basis.
A special activity conducted by DAPRP for ex-offenders is the First Saturday program. On the first Saturday of each month, for a two-to-three hour period, ex-offenders could avail themselves of an opportunity to complete job applications on-line, participate in seminars provided by trade union and job training representatives, and learn computer skills (a small computer lab staffed by volunteers with six computers was available to clients).
An additional activity called The Fatherhood Initiative provided opportunities for ex-offenders to re-unite with their families, and to sort through issues associated with children and multiple partners.

B. Sundays with the MET

Sundays with the MET is a special planned series of cultural and faith-based events, sponsored by the Daniel Alexander Payne Community Development Corporation and held at MAMEC and other area venues. It is designed to promote and engage citizens in the larger Washington, DC Metro-Area in community activism, providing a forum for them to become knowledgeable about and involved in the critical issues of the day.

In September 2010, the CDC supported the appearance of Mrs. Shirley Miller Sherrod, a long-time civil rights activist and advocate for small farmers and her husband, Reverend Charles Sherrod, the legendary civil rights activist and pioneering member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, at MAMEC. In collaboration with The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc., the Congressional Black Caucus, and the 105 Voices of History, all 501.c.3 organizations, more than 1500 individuals from the Metro-DC area were able to hear Sherrod’s personal story of activism, redemption, steadfastness in the face of trial, and faith.