Local Resource Hub Sees Surge as Federal Workforce Disruptions Hit

She Suite, a community resource hub run by Tamika Paige, Latoya Burch and Latoya Ball, experienced a dramatic rise in need after federal workforce disruptions and interruptions to food assistance. The founders said the organization normally served roughly 40 families a week, but that number climbed to about 160 families in a single recent week around November 11, 2025. The hub provides clothing, food and job training supports through a shopping style setting intended to preserve dignity for people seeking help.

Located at the Shops at Iverson, She Suite has become a critical point of care for federal employees facing furloughs or layoffs and for residents coping with SNAP shortfalls. Many of the items distributed at the hub are donated or purchased by the founders, and a significant share of visitors are first time users of charitable services. The sudden influx of new clients has strained the small organization and exposed how quickly household stability can unravel when federal pay and food assistance are disrupted.

The local impact is immediate and far reaching. Food insecurity contributes to poorer health outcomes, disrupted management of chronic conditions and increased stress for caregivers, all of which place additional demand on local clinics and social services. Clothing instability complicates job searches and school participation, widening the gap for families already facing economic hardship. For a county with a large number of federal workers and service sector households, interruptions to income and benefits cascade across neighborhoods and services.

Community based responses like She Suite are stepping in to fill gaps, but reliance on such stopgap measures points to systemic weaknesses. The hub’s model of providing supports in a shopping style setting aims to protect dignity and reduce stigma, yet the founders are also tapping personal resources and donations to meet immediate need. That approach is unsustainable at scale and raises questions about how public policy and county level supports can be mobilized more effectively during federal workforce disruptions and benefit interruptions.

Public health officials and policymakers must weigh the short and long term consequences of recurring benefit shortfalls. Strengthening emergency benefit pathways, improving coordination between federal and local agencies, and funding community based organizations for surge capacity are measures that can reduce harm to families and limit pressure on health and social systems. For residents of Prince George's County the episode is a reminder that economic shocks can quickly translate into household insecurity, and that local safety nets require both community generosity and policy level support to protect health, dignity and economic stability.