Voucher Program

From its founding days in 1974, The Closet has always had a policy that if someone couldn’t afford to shop at the store for essential items, they could bring a referral from a local social services organization and select items for free, a practice that carries over in the current voucher program. Today, The Closet partners with local government and community-based organizations to help people in need in the community.

The voucher program has two seasons a year (Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter). Referrals are given for each season to shop for clothing, shoes, essential household items (such as sheets, blankets, cookware, and dishes), and a range of other merchandise. The total amount per voucher is dependent upon the family size. Since 2007, The Closet has distributed over $1.3M in clothing and other necessities to voucher recipients.

Who is Eligible for a Voucher?

Government and private social service organizations, member congregations, and schools are eligible to request voucher assistance. Referring agents should contact The Closet via email (theclosetinc@verizon.net) for an official referral form. Referring agents are notified of any changes (e.g., to hours or program guidelines) prior to the beginning of an upcoming voucher season. The Closet Voucher program is entirely free, there is absolutely no charge to any of the participants. Our only request is that the vouchers be distributed to clients who currently have a genuine requirement for assistance in order to meet their basic needs. Only one voucher is authorized per person every six-month voucher period. Regardless of how many organizations refer a client, the client will be able to take advantage of only one voucher referral per season.

How are Vouchers Redeemed?

The voucher desk is open Monday – Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. Recipients must check in with the voucher desk before they begin to shop. They must provide a valid original photo identification (not a photocopy) to the voucher desk representative for every adult (age 18 or older). Once the recipient has finished shopping, the individual returns to the voucher desk to check out. Voucher recipients need to check in, complete their shopping, and return to the voucher desk no later than 2 p.m. (Monday – Saturday) to allow the voucher desk time to check them out.

The Closet is accessible by public transportation on several routes. To plan your specific trip, you can go to the Metro trip planner at http://www.wmata.com.

For more information on our Voucher program contact the store manager by email at theclosetinc@verizon.net.

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