Smith Named Co-Chair of Community Safety Policy Issue Committee with the Fair Budget Coalition

Fair Budget Coalition CLP End of Program Reception (Photo by Tiffany, a2 Collective)

Ship & Anchor Founder and CEO Devin Smith has been named Co-Chair of the Community Safety Policy Issue Committee with the Fair Budget Coalition, a District-wide coalition advancing budget and policy solutions that address poverty and strengthen community wellbeing.

The appointment positions Smith to help guide collaborative policy and budget recommendations that inform the Coalition’s annual Budget Platform and shape public safety priorities across the District of Columbia.

Policy Issue Committees convene advocates, service providers, and community leaders to examine pressing challenges, assess community-informed solutions, and advance recommendations grounded in racial equity, transparency, and accountability. As Co-Chair, Smith helps facilitate dialogue, support consensus-building, and ensure that policy priorities are informed by those most impacted by public safety decisions.

Advancing an Intersectional Vision of Community Safety

Smith’s leadership in this role reflects Ship & Anchor’s core belief that community safety is inherently intersectional. Issues affecting formerly incarcerated individuals do not exist in isolation; they are deeply connected to housing stability, economic opportunity, health access, and systemic inequities that shape community wellbeing.

Drawing from lived experience and a systems-change perspective, Smith brings an approach to public safety that centers healing, opportunity, and long-term stability. This perspective aligns with Ship & Anchor’s broader mission to address root causes rather than symptoms — recognizing that sustainable safety emerges when communities have equitable access to resources, support, and pathways to self-determination.

“This role reflects what Ship & Anchor stands for — advancing safety by addressing root causes and centering those most impacted. It’s an opportunity to help align community insight, organizational action, and public policy toward shared wellbeing.”

— Devin Smith, Ship and Anchor Founder & CEO

Strengthening Organizational Partnerships for Systems Change

Beyond informing policy, the appointment expands opportunities for Ship & Anchor to engage more deeply with organizations working across the community safety ecosystem. The Policy Issue Committee structure fosters collaboration among advocacy groups, service providers, and community-based organizations — strengthening alignment between policy development and on-the-ground implementation.

This expanded engagement complements our work directly alongside organizations to build capacity, support strategy development, and integrate lived-experience-informed approaches into programs and initiatives. Through this leadership role, insights from policy discussions can inform organizational practice, while community and organizational perspectives can help shape policy priorities.

Bridging Lived Experience, Policy, and Community Impact

Smith’s journey from incarceration to leadership continues to inform a commitment to policies that reflect dignity, accountability, and opportunity. The appointment represents both recognition of that perspective and an opportunity to help ensure that public safety strategies are shaped by those closest to the challenges they seek to address.

For Ship & Anchor, the role strengthens its ability to contribute to cross-sector conversations about justice, wellbeing, and equitable systems — advancing a vision of community safety rooted in healing, collaboration, and shared responsibility.

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