ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION
Greetings!
If you can’t fly, then run; if you can’t run, then walk; if you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you must keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King Jr
After twenty-one (21) years of planning, implementation, and leadership, I have transitioned to the position of Founder & Advisor to the Board of Directors and to our new CEO.
We are pleased to announce that Garry Teixeira (JD, MBA), previously Hyacinth’s Chief Operations Officer, has been appointed as our new CEO, effective January 1, 2026.
Garry has been a part of Hyacinth’s Place for over eight years and has provided pro-bono legal services to the organization, while renegotiating contracts with significant partners and ensuring the organization remains in compliance. He nurtures a deep passion for the plight of the homeless, the lack of affordable housing for low-income individuals, and the legal indifference that exists for the mentally ill. These qualities, combined with an entrepreneurial desire to ensure financial stability for the organization, make him an ideal leader to guide IUL–Hyacinth’s Place into the future.
Over the past fourteen (14) years, IUL–Hyacinth’s Place has developed into a nonprofit that provides high-quality, stable housing with therapeutic services to formerly homeless women with a mental health diagnosis.
As we look ahead, Garry and our leadership team are committed to building on this strong foundation. We are grateful for your continued support as IUL-HP enters this exciting new chapter. Please continue to follow our work through our website: www.hyacinths.org
With gratitude,
Urla Barrow
FOUNDER & ADVISOR -BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our Story
The Institute of Urban Living (IUL) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1985 to address issues related to HIV/AIDS, particularly when the epidemic was disproportionately affecting minority communities. Over the years, IUL has evolved to offer mental health services, social services, intensive case management, advocacy, and referral services.
We work in collaboration with the D.C. government, community mental health service agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. IUL is committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness and effectively addressing issues of poverty within the District of Columbia by providing permanent, affordable housing with targeted supportive services.
Who is Hyacinth?
Viola Ernestine Barrow was nicknamed “Hyacinth” after a beautiful flower that grows in the waterways of Guyana, a country located at the northern tip of South America. She believed that the combination of education, hard work, and sacrifice were the ticket out of poverty. She instilled strong morals, the value of integrity, and decency in the young minds entrusted to her. Hyacinth grew up witnessing the daily struggle of her deaf mother working as a domestic, cleaning houses, washing and ironing clothes for her peers to eke out an existence for her lone parent family.
Many days, her mother didn’t know how she would have enough to provide food for them. They lived in a small house and paying rent for their humble dwelling was almost impossible. Eviction was a constant threat to the family. Hyacinth’s father, married to her mother, merely had a visiting relationship with his family. He spent most of his life in the gold mines of Guyana searching for gold that he never found, inevitably abandoning responsibility to his wife and family. By the time Hyacinth reached age 18, she had seen her father only three times. And at the age of 36, her father’s next visit, brought a blind, sick, and helpless old man to be her sole responsibility.
Who is Hyacinth?
Observing the effects of life stresses on her mother, Hyacinth decided to go to work as a pupil-teacher at the age of 16. She ultimately assumed responsibility for her mother, the household, and later four of her brother’s eight children. She taught at an elementary school for 39 years. During her forties, for three years, Hyacinth worked full-time and studied in the evenings to obtain her trained teacher’s certificate. Hyacinth also provided private tutoring lessons for children to supplement her income, necessary to support her family. Remarkably, without a mortgage, she gradually built a beautiful house in a suburb of Georgetown, Guyana.
her choices
through the fire
her legacy
Our Team
Our Board of Directors is made up of a small group of community volunteers. Our staff serve residents on site, along with consultants to guide operations.