Growing Up and Giving Back: From Strawbridge Square Students to Business Owners

Now co-owners of their own home health care business, Golden Care LLC, Mohammad Humza, Abdi Wasuge, and Sibtain Raza met in fourth grade and have been friends ever since. Sharing a lifelong passion for service, it continues to be an essential part of their lives and the business they’ve built together.

Growing Up in Strawbridge

The three moved to Northern Virginia in 2000. Abdi lived in Wesley Housing’s Strawbridge Square Apartments, and Mohammad and Sibtain lived nearby. When they were students, Mohammad, Abdi, and Sibtain attended Wesley Housing’s after-school Homework Help program at Lincolnia Community Center, located within Strawbridge. They easily became friends thanks to their common interest in sports, and the Strawbridge basketball court quickly became their hang out spot.

“Living in a Wesley Housing community has strongly impacted all of us,” Mohammad said. “We all feel like we grew up in Strawbridge Square because of attending the after-school programs. Being in such a caring community with great residents and great people who were always willing to help you was amazing. You rarely find such a mix of cultures in one particular neighborhood. It didn’t matter who you were—if you needed something, the community would come together help you. It really gave us a sense of wanting to give back and help others.”

Giving Back

While growing up, the importance of helping others was instilled in Mohammad, Abdi, and Sibtain as a key part of their Islamic faith. When they got older, all three volunteered to help younger residents at the Center. They became involved with the Capital Area REACH Program, which provided a wide variety of programs, including community service activities, job training, and mentoring. REACH reinforced their passion for service.

“Giving back has been rewarding for us,” Mohammad said. “Starting with helping a third grader with his homework to now helping seniors with technology courses in our monthly visits to the Lorton Senior Center – [service] will continue to be part of our business and personal lives.”

Finding a Niche in Home Health Care

“Our vision is for Golden Care to become the number one home health care agency in America,” said Mohammad. During his time interning at the Social Security Advisory board, where he was exposed to the growing number of seniors in our society, Mohammad witnessed a drastic need for at-home health care.

“We all always had an entrepreneurial spirit about us,” Mohammad said. “Our mothers were always involved in the home health care industry, which exposed us to the ins and outs of the business.”

To help meet a growing need, Mohammad, Abdi, and Sibtain came together to form their own home health services agency. Their goal was to provide compassionate, intelligent, and skilled nursing, personal care, and companion care in the comfort of clients’ own homes.

“Due to our familiarity with that type of business, we thought it was a perfect idea. So, we all sat down and discussed it, began researching and developing our ideas in October of 2013, and officially opened our doors on August 1, 2014.”

The three are now co-owners of Golden Care, each covering responsibilities that align with their strengths and passions. Mohammad manages all referrals, caregivers’ schedules, and is involved with staff recruitment and hiring. Abdi is responsible for bookkeeping, including client billing, employee payroll, expense ledgers, and financial reports. Sibtain is responsible for promoting sales and creating a positive identity for the agency within the community.

To its owners, Golden Care means “a sense of financial stability for us and our families,” Mohammad said. “It also puts us in a position to offer quality services to people who need it and to give back to the community we grew up in.”

Returning to Strawbridge Square

Golden Care’s owners continue to give back to residents living in Strawbridge Square and in other Wesley Housing communities. Wesley Housing has contracted with Golden Care to provide training within the community to remove barriers to access. Golden Care will provide certification courses to Strawbridge Square and ParcView Apartments residents. Mohammad, Abdi, and Sibtain will also be volunteering to help residents with the testing and certification process. Residents who successfully complete the program will earn official State of Virginia certifications for various home health services.

“We feel like there is a need for jobs not only in Strawbridge, but in other communities in our area,” Mohammad said. “Working with Wesley Housing has now given us an opportunity to offer these services in other neighborhoods and provide education and employment to residents.”

To learn more about Golden Care LLC, visit www.GoldenCareLLC.com.

About Wesley Housing

Wesley Housing develops, owns, operates, preserves and maintains affordable housing and sustains quality communities for low- and moderate-income families and individuals in Northern Virginia. We combine affordable housing with family programs and supportive services to foster positive development and self-sufficiency of adults, children and families. Wesley Housing relies on its supporters and volunteers—both individuals and groups—to carry out its service-enriched housing mission. To learn how you can make a difference, visit www.WesleyHousing.com and join us today.