Back in the USA

TEMPORARY (TDY)

HOUSING OPTIONS AND REVIEWS

• AFSA’s Extended Stay Housing Guide
• Direct Billing Housing Survey: Feedback/reviews from Foreign Service community members.

PERMANENT (PCS)

OPTIONS FOR RENTING OR BUYING A HOUSE

• AAFSW's Online Housing Office and Classifieds
• FS House Hunters International

Welcome to DMV! How do we get to work?!

Welcome back to in-office work. Here are some ways to get there, and please send us more links!

Some links are Intranet only.

• Resources for unexpected repatriation to the United States

• https://usdos.sharepoint.com/sites/GTMIntranet/BenefitsCompensation/Other_Benefits/SitePages/Transit-Subsidy-Program.aspx

Metro: https://www.wmata.com/service/status/

Virginia: vre.org

Maryland: https://www.mta.maryland.gov/enotifications

How to pay for your Maryland Transit: https://www.mta.maryland.gov/charmpass 

• For pedestrian safety tips for those driving and walking, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Pedestrian Safety webpage.
• NHTSA's Bicycle Safety webpage is packed with safety tips for cyclists, along with guidance for drivers on sharing the road and driving defensively around cyclists.

Transportation Options in the DMV

• For resources in navigating rideshare options, visit Commuter Connection.
• Visit WMATA’s Trip Planner to see when trains/buses will arrive at your station.
• Visit Car-Free Near Me to find location based public transportation information.
  
• Visit Commuter Buses and Rail to find routes from MD and VA to DC.

Bicycle Subsidy

• The maximum bicycle subsidy is $20/month. The Commuter page lists trails in the NRC.
• Learn more about bike rack and shower locations at Cycling to Work.
• Learn more about transit benefits, such as SmartBenefits, at the Transit Subsidy Program.
• Participants can designate their SmartBenefits to auto pay for monthly commuting costs through the metro, vanpool, and/or commuter buses.
• Increasingly, ride-matching services are becoming available that can match drivers and riders for individual trips, not just every-day commutes.

Parking

• Learn more about free scooter and motorcycle decals, after-hours parking permits, carpool permits, and more at the Parking Program SharePoint.
• Driving into the office? Consider using commercial parking options, or apps such as Park Mobile or SpotHero for short-term parking.
•  Bureaus receive a number of individual parking allocations for Department facilities an designate which direct-hire staff may receive them. In 2020 and 2021, bureau allocations increased. Accessibility parking.

Bureaus have the flexibility to reassign these allocations at any time to meet their mission needs. The Parking Program is gathering daily data on facility use to determine whether the increased allocations have maximized parking use once the “new normal” is reached, or whether additional permits can be allocated.

FOR RETIREES

• Oral History Interviews (both employees and spouses)
• Senior Living Foundation: Support for elderly Foreign Service community members in need.

FOREIGN SERVICE COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES IN THE DC AREA

• AAFSW Foreign Born Spouses Group: Contact office@aafsw.org or join https://www.facebook.com/groups/AAFSWForeignBornSpouses
• American Foreign Service Association (AFSA): The professional association for Foreign Service employees.
• DACOR: An Association of Foreign Affairs Professionals, formerly stood for Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired; provides speaker events, lunches, networking, scholarships; operates DACOR Bacon House.
• GLIFAA: Formerly stood for Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies, serves LGBT+ and allies.
• Summer Camp Resources: Are you transitioning back to the U.S. this summer or currently in the D.C. metro area with kids? It’s not too early to begin researching summer activities for your children. 
• DMV Nature Guide (pdf) - by volunteer Karen McCutcheon. This list has been compiled by our volunteers in good faith but is not an endorsement of any establishment on the list. If you have reasons to believe one should be removed from the list, or better yet, if you wish to supply additional resources, please send a message here.

DC WITH CHILDREN

• GCLO's list of childcare resources
• Childcare resources: This list has been compiled by our volunteers in good faith but is not an endorsement of any establishment on the list. If you have reasons to believe one should be removed from the list, or better yet, if you wish to supply additional resources, please send a message here.
• Beltway Bambinos
• Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF)
• Kid Trips
• KidfriendlyDC
• Summer Camp Resources: Are you transitioning back to the U.S. this summer or currently in the D.C. metro area with kids? It’s not too early to begin researching summer activities for your children. 

TRAINING

• State Department - Transition Center

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARDS

• AAFSW's Livelines: An e-mail discussion group, also a platform for housing announcements.

• AAFSW's Online Housing Office and Classifieds
• Trailing Houses Facebook group
• Solidarity Fund - A grassroots effort by former USAID staff for former USAID staff. Learn more.