At 63, Robin Baxter was in limbo: homeless, moving between family and friends, with no real place to live.
“I just felt embarrassed,” Baxter said. “I didn’t really believe this was something that I was dealing with.”
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WATCH HEREBut a quiet rooftop at Bernice Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center in Northwest D.C. changed all of that. With the help of the Friendship Bench, Baxter found support and companionship with retired D.C. teacher Angela Jasper.
“There are some visitors that just need someone to listen,” Jasper said.
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SIGN UP Friendship Bench is a coalition of volunteers that provides a safe space to talk for people with mental health issues. The program originally began in Africa in 2006, when Zimbabwe native and psychiatrist Dr. Dixon Chibanda wanted to provide free mental health services to people in underserved communities after the death of a young patient.
Cindy Cox-Roman, president and CEO of local nonprofit HelpAge USA, became inspired and brought the project to D.C.
“I reached out to Dr. Dixon Chibanda because I had heard several times about his work in Zimbabwe,” Cox-Roman said. “There have to be more places where people could share their stories, share their thoughts and feelings.”
The unique part of the program? All of the volunteers are grandparents.
“There’s a sense of being able to confide in someone who has lived a long life,” Cox-Roman said. “For a lot of people, it’s the school of hard knocks. You learn to judge less, to have more empathy, and so I think grandparents are that safe space.”
Friendship Bench has volunteers at 10 locations across D.C., including several senior wellness centers, charter schools, social service organizations and a church in underserved parts of the city. Volunteers go through 10 weeks of training and mock sessions to learn how to listen.
“I always say, this is a work of the heart,” Jasper said. “There are issues of isolation, loneliness, little contact with family members that they really desire, homelessness.”
Participants get an appointment and get screened for a visit. Those with more serious needs will be referred to a mental health professional.
The program has already reported success. A clinical trial in Zimbabwe found those who visited a trained grandmother had reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to those who saw a mental health professional.
Robin Baxter is already feeling lighter after four visits to the bench.
“I was so lucky because I got Miss Angela,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming to get the relief to express yourself and just to have someone to listen.”
The program is set to expand and will soon be available at some Department of Parks and Recreation sites.
Meanwhile, Dr. Chibanda recently released a book called "The Friendship Bench: How Fourteen Grandmothers Inspired a Mental Health Revolution," chronicling the story behind his mission.
Find a list of locations and learn how to become a grandparent with Friendship Bench DC here, or call 202-679-2939. You can also email friendshipbenchdc@gmail.com.
CORRECTION (June 6, 2025): An earlier version of this story mistakenly attributed two quotes to Dr. Dixon Chibanda instead of Cindy Cox-Roman.
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