New Evaluation Finds Friendship Bench DC Is Breaking Barriers To Mental Health Support And Building Trust

WASHINGTON, DC — A new evaluation of Friendship Bench DC—an official adaptation of the Friendship Bench model developed in Zimbabwe and led by HelpAge USA—reveals that community-based, culturally grounded emotional support can lead to measurable improvements in mental health and help rebuild trust in care among those historically underserved or overlooked by traditional systems.

The evaluation, conducted by independent research firm NEAN Consulting LLC, shows that the Friendship Bench implementation in DC is not only highly accepted and deeply valued by participants, but also feasible, effective, and ready to scale. Visitors to the Bench reported improved mental health, stronger social connections, and greater comfort seeking emotional support. After meeting with a trained Friendship Bench DC Grandparent, Visitors’ depression scores dropped significantly, social connections were strengthened, and 90% said they now had someone to talk to about mental health.