When first organized in 1917, the association was named the Sixteenth Street Heights Citizens Association. The association changed its name to the Shepherd Park Citizens Association (SPCA) in the 1940s to avoid confusion with the Sixteenth Street Highlands area to the south.  Since then, our community has grown to a neighborhood of more than 4,500 residents that celebrates its diversity and friendliness.

The association's mission is to improve our community’s quality of life. The association holds regular membership meetings during which members discuss issues such as schools, public safety, property, and the environment. SPCA often hosts candidate forums in advance of local elections. In recent years, the association has become known for its annual events: a community picnic, yard sale, potluck dinner, garden tour, and Halloween parade.

The SPCA supports its neighborhood public elementary school, Shepherd Elementary School, and the Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Neighborhood Library. The SPCA also works collaboratively with the area’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, the Ward 4 Councilmember, and the Fourth District of the Metropolitan Police Department.  The SPCA is a member of both the DC Federation of Citizens Association and the DC Federation of Civic Associations.

To keep neighbors informed, the SPCA maintains this website, www.shepherdpark.org; publishes a quarterly newsletter, the Shepherd Park News, which is mailed to all residents and business neighbors; and supports a very active e-mail listserv with 2,000 members. SPCA encourages the support of neighborhood businesses through profiles in the Shepherd Park News and various seasonal activities.