Recording in progress.

Uh I am Matt Freuman, Ward 3 Councilmember and Chairperson of the Committee on Human Services.

Today is Thursday, April 30th, 2026.

We are meeting in in-person in room 123 of the John A.

Wilson building and virtually via Zoom.

The time is now 9.05 a.m.

Today we are conducting the first of two budget oversight hearings on the Department of Human Services or DHS.

We will be joined by public witnesses today and by government witnesses on Wednesday, May 6th.

The mayor's proposed FY27 budget decreases DHS's budget by 102 million dollars compared to this fiscal year.

Since FY24, spending on social services has decreased by more than 25%.

That would be a reduction of more than 250 million across three budget cycles.

For example, spending on shelter operations was 81 million in FY24, but the proposed FY27 budget is 60 million.

Spending on permanent supportive housing was 96 million in FY24, yet the proposed FY27 budget is 74 million.

People matched to vouchers are still working to get placed in housing, so we would expect the budget to increase not to see reductions.

Reductions of this scale will compromise basic services for our most vulnerable residents, like keeping voucher holders housed, dignified shelters open, and our public benefits system functional.

The council must confront this reality with limited resources available as the budget shrinks.

We must focus on supporting the basics.

We can restore some funding to the most effective programs, but we cannot increase funding.

We can innovate within existing programs, but we cannot create new ones in this environment.

The council must also consider pressures created by the policies at the federal level.

Recent federal legislation shifts more administrative costs to states while imposing rigorous SNAP and Medicaid work requirements that will lead to thousands of residents losing their benefits.

Federal funding for housing programs is also more tenuous than ever.

To meet the moment created by these conditions with the limited resources we have, the district must better utilize the tools already at our disposal.

We must preserve existing vouchers, fully utilize available capacity for bridge housing, and improve data sharing and coordination across agencies.

Today I look forward to hearing how this budget can optimize investments that provide district residents with stability and foster sustainable economic mobility.

Do we have anyone online?

Okay, great.

Uh now I would like to offer a note on logistics.

In order to ensure we hear from all members of the public, the committee will strictly apply time limits on witness testimony.

All witnesses will have no more than three minutes to speak.

First, we will call witnesses who are here in person to speak in panels of four.

When I call your name, please come to the table at the front and sit in the order in which you were called from your right to your left.

Please press the button on your microphone before speaking to turn on your mic.

The red light indicates your mic is on.

After a panel is done providing testimony, I and other council members may ask questions before before calling the next panel.

Council members will have 10 minutes each to ask a round of questions, and I will generally turn to my colleagues in the order in which they arrived.

After hearing from our in-person witnesses, we will be taking a half-hour break before turning to virtual witnesses.

We expect that switch over to happen around 1.30, but we'll track that as we go.

If the break affects when you would like to testify, please send a message to the host labeled as Committee on Human Services or to Human Services at DC Council.gov.

Now let's turn to our first panel of witnesses.

And I will call your names and if you'll come to the front and again uh sit at the table from your left to your right.

Don Dalton.

Michaela Deming.

Aaron Byrne.

Naeli Piallo.

Peleo, I'm sorry.

Oops, who these are the same things?

All right.

And when you are ready, uh Ms.

Dalton.

Thank you, Chairperson Freeman, members of the committee and staff for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Dawn Dalton, and I am the executive director for the D.C.

Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

DCCADV is the federally recognized statewide coalition of domestic violence service providers in D.C.

And our member programs serve upwards of a thousand victims of domestic violence on a given day across all eight wards of the district.

Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness, but year after year, domestic violence services make up less than one percent of the DHS family services budget.

Despite the persistent underfunding, the mayor still proposes a nearly 21% cut to the DHS domestic violence services line.

Since some of the funds included in that line are targeted federal funds, the mayor's cut actually amounts to 31.6 percent to cut 31.6 percent cut to local funding, which would devastate the programs receiving these grants.

Housing is already the number one unmet need for survivors of DV in the district.

Housing instability brings its own set of problems for survivors, including poor health, economic insecurity, and the risk of future violence.

These challenges can lead survivors back to the abusive relationship or into other unsafe housing situations, meaning that this significant proposed cut would immediately borne by survivors and their ability to seek safety.

DB persists as one of the most common life experiences among people experiencing homelessness.

In 2025, in the PIT count, 48 percent of homeless adults uh in families, and 41 percent of homeless single women and 40 percent of homeless youth report experiencing domestic violence.

For both unhoused individuals and homeless adults and families who have past experiences of DV, domestic violence is the immediate cause of their current homelessness.

Forty-six percent of homeless transgender individuals report past experience of domestic or intimate partner violence.

Every year, the pit count data illuminates the links between domestic violence and homelessness.

And every year, the DHS budget does not adequately fund or support the basic needs of survivors.

Only 4% out of emergency and temporary housing units are even designated for domestic violence survivors.

Only one in three DV survivors in their families experiencing homelessness in DC has access to a domestic violence-specific housing unit.

Any if most survivors of domestic violence who are homeless are fortunate enough to receive housing units and are in domestic violence-specific housing continuum, meaning their housing is not designed to provide safety, support, and healing.

That means that the 23 million cut across homeless services, including rapid rehousing, ERAP, and permanent supportive housing, results in a direct impact on survivors as well.

In addition to funding domestic violence services, council must also reverse the proposed cuts to homeless services and sufficiently fund these essential programs.

Without them, survivors of domestic violence across the housing continuum will be left with no other options.

I have more to say, but the clock doesn't allow me.

Please will be open to questions.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Uh Ms.

Deming.

Thank you, Chairfirm and staff for the opportunity to testify.

Uh my name is Michaela Deming, and I'm the policy director for the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

In the district, 47 percent of women and 43 percent of men have experienced violence perpetrated by an intimate partner.

Sixty-seven percent of survivors report that they have stayed longer in or returned to an abusive relationship because of financial concerns.

The TANF program is a critical support for many domestic violence survivors to support themselves and their families, especially when they are establishing a safe living arrangement.

There is a federally recognized exemption or waiver for domestic violence survivors receiving TANF and recognition of these additional barriers and challenges that they face when pursuing healing safety and sometimes justice.

In DC, we call that program POWE.

Survivors in DC's power program are told that they cannot access important TANF benefits, including child care vouchers, employment support, transportation assistance, and these restrictions force survivors to make a difficult choice between the power domestic violence support program and standard TANF.

We ask Council to approve a BSA subtitle that ensures domestic violence survivors participating in the power program be eligible for the full range of uninterrupted TANF benefits.

We also understand that DHS has started a process to propose and approve program rules for all DHS funded domestic violence service providers.

Under the current HSRA, there is no distinction for the unique services and programs that domestic violence programs offer.

These services are frequently funded by multiple local and federal sources with requirements that follow best practices in the field, but make them conflict with HSRA.

To avoid any potential disruption to DHS funded domestic violence services, we ask Council to work with our organization and DV providers to address and protect the specific program requirements and benefits of domestic violence service providers funded by DHS for FY27 and Into the Future.

An ID is an important step out of homelessness and can be a lifeline specifically for domestic violence survivors who might not have a residence when they've fled, but might not have an ID for the same reason.

We ask DHS to affirmatively and in consultation with direct service providers, ensure survivors' safe access to proof of residency forms as part of their pathway out of homelessness.

The broader social safety net is also a lifeline for survivors in crisis, and the mayor's proposed budget cut includes significant cuts to child care subsidies, paid family and medical leave SNAP and TANF benefits, free legal representation and emergency rental assistance.

For survivors of domestic violence, slashed social programs can mean impossible decisions between losing access to basic needs and remaining in a violent situation.

Council must restore the funding of $685,000 to the domestic violence services line, and to prevent cuts to the permanent supportive housing units, the only ones available for domestic violence survivors, must restore a million dollars to budget line H03010, permanent supportive housing for families, and maintain DV PSH under domestic violence housing providers with the best expertise to serve survivors.

We join the Victim Assistance Network, Fair Budget Coalition, DC LGBTQ Plus Budget Coalition, and TANF as a lifeline for a more socially just and equitable DC.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you.

Ms.

Byrne?

Good morning.

Uh Chairperson Fruman, members of the committee and staff.

My name is Erin Byrne, and I am the data and evaluation coordinator at the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Today I am reading a testimony on behalf of a member of our survivor advisory board.

So she writes, my name is Michelle Gore.

I am a domestic violence survivor, a member of the Coalition Survivor Advisory Board, an educator and a community advocate.

I'm here today to speak about the critical importance of funding for domestic violence survivor services and the devastating impact proposed budget cuts would have on individuals and families across DC.

I share my story not only as a survivor but as someone who understands firsthand what happens when systems fail and what is possible when they work.

For over ten years I lived in an abusive and sexually exploitative relationship.

I feared for my life daily.

During that time, the justice system failed to provide consistent protection, in part due to gaps in resources, training, and support systems.

The trauma I endured led to addiction, homelessness, and years of instability.

When I finally left, I needed more than courage.

I needed support.

Organizations like Bread for the City and my sister's place helped me access transitional housing, food assistance, and employment support.

These services saved my life.

They gave me a pathway to healing, stability, and independence.

Today I stand before you not as a victim but as a survivor and an advocate.

I now work to uplift others facing similar circumstances, individuals navigating domestic violence, homelessness, and mental health challenges.

But I am deeply concerned.

The proposed budget cuts threaten the very services that made my recovery possible.

I urge the council to restore $6.3 million in funding for domestic violence and victim services at DHS and OVSJG to maintain FY26 levels.

Additionally, I support increasing funding by 4.4 million dollars over FY26 levels to address critical gaps and ensure equitable service access to underserved communities, including black and brown residents, LGBTQ plus individuals, immigrants, returning citizens, and those experiencing homelessness.

These funds are not optional, they are essential.

They provide safety, legal advocacy, housing stability, and basic human dignity.

Cuts to programs like SNAP, TANF housing services, and health care will not only deepen crisis, will only deepen crises for survivors who are already navigating trauma and instability.

Without these supports, more individuals will be forced to remain in unsafe environments or face homelessness.

Investments in these services is not just compassionate, it is responsible governance.

It prevents long-term social and economic costs while strengthening our communities.

I am living proof that these investments work.

I asked you to stand with survivors, restore and expand funding, protect the services that save lives.

Thank you for your time and for your commitment to the people of DC.

Thank you.

Ms.

Paleo.

Good morning, Chair Person Furman, members of the committee and staff.

My name is Nayeli Palayo, and I am the Director of Development and Communications at DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Today I'm also reading a testimony on behalf of a member of our survivory advisory board.

And it goes.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Jahan Ardu.

I'm a domestic violence survivor and a member of the coalition survivor advisory board.

I'm here to talk about DHS and the importance of funding domestic violence survivor services.

I came to the United States in 2019 with hope for a better future.

Instead, I experienced fear, control, and violence in my marriage.

Leaving my abuser was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.

After leaving, I struggled to find safe and stable housing.

I stayed in temporary shelters and lived with constant uncertainty about where I would sleep.

During that time, it was very difficult to focus on healing or rebuilding my life.

When I was finally able to access housing support and other services, I began to feel safe and was able to focus on my mental health and rebuilding my life.

However, finding long-term affordable housing remained a major challenge due to the limited resources and long wait lists.

These services wouldn't exist without DC council funding them in the local budget.

The proposed budget cuts are devastating to survivors like me, and they must be reversed.

I ask the DC Council for 6.3 million to be restored to domestic violence and victim services in DHS and OVSJG.

I support the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence budget platform.

Across DHS and OVSJG, domestic violence services and housing supports need funding restored and increased by an additional 4.4 million over FY26.

Funding to sustain current services and address critical gaps, especially for immigrant survivors like myself.

In addition to domestic violence services, I also relied on housing support and financial assistance to meet my basic needs.

Cuts to these programs will make it harder for survivors to find stability and rebuild their lives.

This funding is critical to ensure survivors can access safe housing, stabilize their lives, and move forward with dignity.

Thank you, Chairperson Furman, for the opportunity to testify today.

Thank you.

We we recently had a briefing on crime, the council as a whole, and it was sobering in that in many categories of crime, crime is down, but in domestic violence, crime is up.

And so in very powerful testimony, thank you for reading the very personal testimonials.

That is powerful.

Nobody is in a position to make any kind of promises in this in this environment, but very powerful, and thank you for bringing it forward.

Ms.

Deming, thank you for the very specific suggestions.

And that's helpful to us.

Also on the power idea.

We are we do have a draft subtitle on that, and we're exploring, we need to see what the FIS is.

Nobody, again, very careful to not make promises.

Ms.

Dalton.

I actually want to reward you modeled good behavior because you ended by saying I have a lot more to say, but the clock is run out, and I hope others will take that.

And I want to reward that good behavior by giving you a short time to talk about the key points that you had won that you weren't able to get to.

Well, luckily, because Ms.

Deming is so um adept at her role, she covered what I missed, but I want to pick up on what you mentioned in the council breakfast about the increase in domestic violence crimes when crimes overall are going down.

Um we've had a number of conversations about perhaps why that is.

And I think it's important to look at this time last year.

The federal administration was doing a reduction in workforce that uniquely impacted DC, Maryland, and Virginia, obviously too.

We know when there is economic instability in domestic there is an increase in domestic violence.

And I think as we look at those stats in domestic violence crime throughout 2025, I think there's a link there.

So oftentimes domestic violence is not thought of as being connected to these sort of larger issues at play, but I think it's really important that we start connecting the dots on what's happening in our environment societally and how that impacts what happens in the home.

Thank you for that.

That is a really interesting observation.

I will say the connection that I went to, and it could be right, it could be wrong, is in our immigrant community.

There's a lot of fear and uncertainty, but I had not thought about the economic disruption that a lot of people are experiencing and what impact that might have.

Ms.

Deming, it looked like you were reaching out.

Yeah, I wanted to appreciate your comments at the breakfast related to the specific situation that immigrant survivors are in.

I know there was a powerful story in the Washington Post, and I know there's been some other coverage and a number of our survivor advisory board members and other survivors we speak with have very clearly described the situations that they're living in right now and not feeling safe, calling on the police department, uh going to the court system because of a fear that their information will be shared with federal uh immigration enforcement, does leave them more trapped in situations gives abusers more power.

Um, and so that's another situation where we see higher levels of violence, more lethal violence, and fewer survivors feeling comfortable calling out to the systems that are supposed to be there to support them.

Um, and it causes our service providers to have to be more creative, and some oftentimes that means needing additional funds to continue to meet the needs of those survivors who are not feeling safe enough to come in to receive services, and we have to get creative about how to meet the needs where they are in the community.

Thank you for that.

I I went yesterday to the MPD budget oversight hearing and raised this with the acting chief, and I I would and he gets it, and I think he's trying to build trust.

I do think there could be utility to people in your community reaching out to the acting chief asking for a meeting to try to underscore this.

Uh but it's a serious problem.

It's also going to be an incredibly long day if I have too long of a colloquy with each of the panels and the other people in the audience and my staff will not tolerate it.

So thank you very much for your testimony.

All right, I had two choices of saying from your left to your right or your right to your left, and I got it wrong.

It's from your It's from their right.

To their left.

All right.

So with that, uh Theresa Poor, Lynn Amano, Jean-Michel Girard, Karen Cunningham.

Okay, Ms.

Poor, when you're ready.

Good morning, Chairperson Fruman, members of the committee and staff.

My name is Theresa Poor, and I am the policy and systems engagement coordinator at the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Today I am also reading a testimony on behalf of a member of our survivor advisory board.

She reads, thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Shaharia Johnson.

I'm a domestic violence survivor and a member of the coalition survivor advisory board.

I am also a parent, award seven resident, and CEO and founder of a nonprofit organization here in DC.

I'm here to speak about DHS and the critical importance of funding domestic violence services, interim disability assistance, medical assistance, SNAP, and TANF.

In 2014, I graduated from American University.

I was 22 years old and preparing to apply to graduate school.

I had dreams, plans, and a future that felt wide open.

But on August 14th, 2015, everything changed.

I was kidnapped and stabbed at least 14 times.

The attack left me partially paralyzed with an incomplete spinal cord injury.

In an instant, the life I knew came to a halt.

During this time, I was introduced to resources that changed everything.

Domestic violence services were fundamental to my healing.

In addition, I relied on SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid to meet my basic needs.

These programs were not optional.

They were essential to my survival and recovery.

Other programs covered medical bills, lost income, as well as financial support to modify my home so I could live safely and comfortably.

With additional funding, I may have been able to relocate entirely, something that would have reduced the ongoing fear I experience knowing my attacker may one day return to the community.

Healing from domestic violence is not just about surviving the moment of violence.

It is about navigating the wrong road that follows.

Medical recovery, financial stability, trauma healing, legal advocacy, housing, employment, and rebuilding identity.

Survivors cannot do this alone.

These services exist because the DC Council funds them in the local budget.

The proposed budget cuts are devastating to survivors like me, and they must be reversed.

I respectfully ask the DC Council to restore $6.3 million to domestic violence and victim services, bringing FY27 funding in line with current FY26 levels.

Across DHS and OVSJG, domestic violence services require restoration of proposed cuts, along with an additional $4.4 million over FY26 funding to sustain current services and address critical gaps for underserved and underrepresented communities, particularly in housing, legal services, and direct cash assistance.

The proposed cuts to these programs mean that more survivors like me will face greater barriers to safety, stability, and healing, funding for domestic violence and victim services, as well as the broader social safety net, allow survivors to recover and rebuild their lives with dignity.

I stand before you today as living proof of what is possible when survivors have access to these resources.

For every survivor who finds healing because these programs exist, there are many others still waiting for support.

Continued and expanded funding ensures that survivors who choose life have the support they need to rebuild it.

I'm here today because these programs were there for me.

I urge you to remain to ensure they remain there for the survivors who come after me.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Chair Freeman, for allowing me to testify today.

I'm Linamana, the director of advocacy for Friendship Place.

We work closely with DHS in strong and effective collaborations to stabilize participants through local tenant-based and site-based permanent supportive housing.

This year's budget is especially harsh for those experiencing homelessness.

The mayor reduced our homeless services budget by 14.1 million dollars.

We not only have zero new permanent supportive housing vouchers or rapid rehousing vouchers for individuals, but we are also shrinking these programs through attrition.

We need more options for people, not less.

The current political and fiscal environments make the need for housing and shelter even more critical.

Fair budget coalition, the coalition formerly CNHED, and the Way Home campaign have built budget asks taking into consideration the increased need.

Increasing the personal needs allowance is another low budget way to open assisted living for our clients.

It's our sincere hope: should the money from decoupling become available to the council for the council to spend, the council will address resources to address these needs.

We are grateful to the mayor for the including the 25 million in capital budget and 3 million in operating budget for a new bridge housing facility.

Housing people as quickly as possible is critical.

88 people died while homeless last year.

While we are waiting for it to come online, please consider funding other support vehicles like PSH, Rapid Rehousing, or TAH, or additional capacity at the Aston, which would help people right now.

More permanent supportive housing vouchers would allow more individuals to exit bridge housing and create spots to bring more people inside.

As I mentioned at February's DHS Oversight Hearing, we can stretch local dollars and help more people by better tailoring programs to individual needs.

Less expensive immediate interventions include shared housing, cash subsidy, and job acquisition programs.

Friendship Place has modeled each of these interventions and can serve DHS as a resource to help develop these programs in the district.

Families and individuals experiencing homelessness need immediate employment to meet housing and federal safety net program requirements.

Councilmember Henderson noted at the DHS Oversight Hearing that the TANFTEP and SNAP EP programs could improve their job attainment, and our employment first program at AIMHIRE is perfectly suited to help families and individuals experiencing homelessness acquire jobs quickly.

Jean-Michel Giraud, Friendship Place's president and CEO will speak right after me about this.

But we ask DHS and the council to fund these more affected and effective and needed options.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Jean-Michel.

Good morning, Chairperson Fruman, members of the committee and staff, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify.

I'm Jean-Michel Giraud, the president and CEO of Friendship Place.

We are a premier provider of services for over 5,400 individuals who have experience or are at risk of homelessness.

We are thankful for our fruitful partnership with DHS on permanent supportive bridge and short-term housing for single adults and families.

Given the constraints in the local budget, now is the time for the district to adopt the most effective and lowest cost options to help our unhoused residents.

Shared housing and rapid employment are the most proven and cost effective tools for the current political and economic environment.

At Friendship Place, we have developed and presented nationally recognized models in each of these areas.

Shared housing allows people experiencing homelessness to start group houses in collaboration with local landlords with leases covering only bedrooms.

This model is flexible and allows for easier and quicker access to housing.

It can easily be replicated and could be developed at the district level to help people exit city shelters or divert from the system altogether.

We would be happy to tell you more about our experience with this model that goes back 15 years.

We encourage DHS to pursue this option further.

90% of the job seekers at AIM hire our job placement program want a job now.

Our job first model helps program participants achieve this goal.

We take a significantly different approach from that of traditional vocational training programs by assuming employability and helping stabilize people's lives.

We facilitate hires in less than 90 days, and we have been doing this and teaching people how to do it since 2011.

Our program works best for people who want to get back into the workforce who have experienced life challenges.

We build trust relationships with employers, match people's skill sets through pre-screening, and continue wraparound services to maximize retention.

Our privately funded program currently serves 125 people a year.

We have already achieved 71 job placements with an average income of 21 dollars per hour.

Thank you.

Ms.

Cunningham, thank you, Chairperson Fruman and members of the committee for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Karen Cunningham, and I am the executive director of Everyone Home DC, award-one resident, and a full council member of the Interagency Council on Homelessness.

This past Friday, we learned that funding for our day center, Shirley's Place was eliminated in the mayor's budget proposal.

This $254,000 loss is included in the cuts to the homeless services continuum individuals line.

We have received funding for this program through the community partnership since 1996, and have reasonably relied on these dollars to support our work.

This funding sustain sustains our core staffing and daily operations.

And if it is not restored, we may have to close our doors.

Located in a row home at 1338 G Street Southeast, Shirley's Place has been a stalwart in the Capitol Hill neighborhood for 30 years.

A low barrier, welcoming, come as you are space, open to all genders and ages.

It serves as both a drop-in center and a hub for our community street outreach team, providing a place for guests to take showers, do laundry, receive mail, charge their phones, use the computer, eat lunch, and connect with case managers and housing resources.

Our street outreach team extends this support and serves even more people in the neighborhood, providing housing focused case management, welfare checks, and connections to public benefits, medical and mental health services, and crisis intervention when needed.

Our small but mighty team of five makes magic happen every day.

In 2025, our team served an average of 811 guests per month, and we served 795 unique individuals and provided 1,156 showers and 633 loads of laundry.

A variety of partnerships allows us to respond efficiently and effectively to our clients' many needs.

A nurse practitioner with Unity Healthcare visits our day center and makes rounds with our outreach team every week, completing 209 engagements in 2025.

Our relationship with DC Central Kitchen enables us to serve nearly 10,000 meals annually.

Other partners include the Hoya Foot Clinic, Neighborhood Legal Services, Barbers from His Grooming, and Local Faith organizations.

We work closely with other homeless service providers and participate in the coordinated entry system.

DHS was clear that this funding was solely motivated by their need to cut costs rather than a reflection of our value in the community.

And while we recognize the city's economic challenges, funding our day center is a highly efficient and effective use of district dollars.

The public investment of just 254,000 is significantly leveraged by private dollars and assets.

We own our property and privately fundraised to support operations, maintenance, essential supplies, and our outreach team.

It would be a terrible shame that to see this relatively small amount of money in the context of a 24 billion dollar city budget bring an end to the wonderful community we have built at Shirley's Place.

I hope you will not allow that to happen.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

We also just became aware of this, and my team just briefed me on this just yesterday.

I'm need to be clear at every step along the way, no promises.

But we're focused on this, and we will see where it goes.

And thank you for your testimony.

Thank you also for underscoring the way in which the dollars leverage other dollars.

That's important.

Ms.

Poor, thank you for the powerful testimony.

Um Ms.

Mano and Jean Michel, thank you for your testimony.

I think it would be fair to say that half the people in this room have asked to meet with us during this budget season, and including you.

I we will we need to get together to talk about the shared housing model, which is one that I am not as familiar with, and we are very focused on uh the employment issues, so want to learn more about AIM Higher, which you have talked with us about before, but with more urgency in this budget season.

I guess I'll end by saying it was last weekend that uh I came out for the 20th anniversary of Jean Michel's work at Friendship Place from everybody in this room who's committed to these issues.

Thank you for all you've done over those years.

Thank you so much for sorting the fruit.

Thank you.

All right, and we will move to our next panel.

Uh Abby Saifek Maria Manansala, Michael Cone.

Kate Coventry.

Okay, Miss Sypeck, when you are ready.

Thank you, Chairperson Freeman, and members of the committee and committee staff for the opportunity to provide testimony on the DHS FY27 budget proposal.

My name is Abby Sipek, I'm award six renter and chief of staff at Everyone Home DC.

Everyone Homes DC sits on the steering committee of the Way Home campaign and is a member of the Fair Budget Coalition and supports both of their budget platforms.

We understand the immense financial pressures faced when developing this budget proposal.

And we know that when we do not invest in housing resources, we're not standing still, we're losing ground.

People are being harmed and they're feeling desperate.

Our team sees this every day, absorbing the pain and frustration of people who come to us desperate for help and are frustrated by a system that has little to offer.

We must restore cuts, including those to our day center, and make sustained bold investments in FY27 in order to prevent regression on the advancements we've made and to truly be able to help people.

We're incredibly concerned about the implications of no new housing options in this budget proposal.

This is the second year in a row with no new PSH resources for single adults.

Experience confirms that people in need of PSH do not get better the longer they wait for housing.

Homelessness compounds health crises.

People cannot reliably take medications, recover from illness, or simply stay safe without a stable home.

We're asking people to simply hang on with no timeline and no promise of relief.

Last week, DHS paused matches to the FY26 family PSH resources, and with no new slots budgeted for FY27, the consequences will be both predictable and serious.

Families who need PSH will struggle to stabilize and repeatedly come to homeless services system needing help that simply does not exist.

We are also concerned about the likely reduction to shelter plus care funding historically included in the HUD COC NOFO and urge the committee to work with DHS to ensure there's a plan to protect the subsidies for households currently in the program.

I would like to use this opportunity to note that we're still not using the ASTIN at its intended capacity.

We appreciate the inclusion of a new bridge housing site in the budget proposal and know that it will take some time before it's ready for people to move in.

Given the upcoming America 250 events and the likely heightened security and increased threats to our unhoused neighbors, we need solutions for people right now, and the Aston can provide that.

And it goes without saying that in order for bridge housing to be effective, we need housing resources to help people exit.

Relevant to the FY27 budget, everyone home DC has been actively engaged in the planning process for the ICH's next strategic plan, Home or DC 3.0, and we're supportive of its four key strategies.

One of those strategies calls for diversifying exit pathways out of homelessness.

It's worth noting that this budget proposal would do the opposite, reducing rather than expanding the very exit pathways the plan prioritizes.

We know that there are many unfunded priorities and spending pressures in the FY27 budget, and urge you and your fellow council members to consider all options for raising revenue to ensure we are able to meet the needs of our community.

Thank you again for the opportunity to testify, and I'm available to answer any questions.

Ms.

Maansowa.

Chairperson Fruman, thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Maria Manensala.

I'm a policy fellow at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, and I also co-chair the TANF is still lifeline coalition.

The mayor's fiscal year 27 budget maintains major cuts to TANF that will hurt 16,000 families with children.

My testimony outlines why these changes are harmful, misguided, and should be reversed.

To begin with, the mayor's budget proposal maintains the elimination of TANIF's cost of living adjustment, which will freeze TANF benefits at current levels.

By fiscal year 2030, the same $803 that a family of three currently receives will be worth 9% less due to inflation.

This is particularly concerning because inflation disproportionately harms low-income households.

And yet, lawmakers continue to fund inflationary adjustments that primarily primarily benefit middle and higher income residents.

The mayor's budget proposal also maintains increased sanctions for TANF enrollees who can't meet work requirements.

Evidence from other states overwhelmingly shows that work sanctions fail to improve employment outcomes.

That's because they do nothing to address the structural barriers TANF enrollees face to securing employment, including inaccessible child care, physical and mental health challenges, and a limited supply of jobs that offer adequate wages.

On top of maintaining increased sanctions, the mayor's budget proposes significant reductions to the TANF employment and education program.

Although sustaining investment in an underperforming agent or program may not be warranted, it's fundamentally unfair to impose stricter work sanctions on TANF enrollees while simultaneously making it harder for them to meet work requirements.

Finally, the mayor's budget proposal eliminates TANF benefits entirely for families who have hit the time limit beginning in fiscal year 2028.

Imposing a time limit limit is a flawed policy because it unrealistically assumes that families can achieve lasting stability within just five short years.

In reality, the barriers that feed keep families in poverty are rarely short-term, and financial security can quickly unravel due to sudden emergencies.

Thus, time limits can sever support not when families have fully stabilized, but simply when they've reached an arbitrary cutoff date.

A robust hardship exemption policy can mitigate some of these harms, but we are not confident it will reach all eligible households due to implementation challenges.

For all these reasons, the DC the DC council should reverse the cuts to TANF beginning in fiscal year 27 and reject the deeper reductions the mayor proposed.

DC FPI also encourages the committee to interrogate the proposed cut of 55 FTEs and DHS's eligibility determination services unit.

It's difficult to understand how DHS can afford to lose dozens of staffers when the agency is in the process of implementing SNAP and Medicaid work requirements along with the TANF changes if they're not reversed.

Thank you, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chairperson Fullman.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Michael Cohen.

I am the senior housing policy analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute.

Many DC households are facing housing instability, and the programs meant to keep them stable are failing.

The numbers of district residents paying substantial amounts of income of their income and rent is unacceptably high, and that burden falls disproportionately on black and brown residents.

From 2019 to 2023, more than one in four black renters and one in five Hispanic renters were extremely rent burdened.

Meaning they paid over 50% of their income in rent.

This high rate of rent burden is contributing to the rise of evictions in the district.

Analysis by New America found that that completed evictions.

And eviction filings, while not at pre-pandemic levels, have risen since the eviction moratorium of 2020.

The 7 million proposed in the FY2027 budget for the emergency rental assistance program represents a 20% cut from FY 2026, which itself was a 70% cut from the year before.

Underfunding the URAP will result in more families facing the extreme trauma of eviction and homelessness.

ERAP funding must also be considered in the context of flat funding and other housing programs that serve the most vulnerable households.

The FY 2027 budget includes no new housing vouchers for families or individuals, no and no new permanent supportive housing.

Council in action on these housing supports for households with low incomes will have dire consequences for housing stability in the district.

Yearly cuts to funding emergency rental assistance have accompanied yearly increases and completed evictions.

Mayor Bowser initially proposed a $5 million budget for ERAP and FY2026.

The council wisely allocated additional funding.

And then also added a provision that directed an additional 2.9 million of FY 2025 revenue growth to ERAP.

The proposed FY 2026 supplemental budget redistributes those funds away from ERAP, leaving the original $8.6 million in the current ERAP budget.

This funding, while inadequate to meet the need, prevented eviction for 747 households in FY26.

We know that the need for these emergency funds is much greater.

As the Urban Institute estimated the need to be somewhere in the range of 76 to 108 million in 2024.

The FY2027 budget funds ERAP at its lowest level in a decade.

While the district is facing budget challenges due to federal intervention, increasing costs, and declining revenues.

Ignoring the need for rental assistance will only lead to more evictions and their accompanying harms in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms.

Coventry.

Chairperson Freeman, thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Kate Coventry, and I'm the director of legislative strategy at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute.

While the district has made strides in ending homelessness among individuals, particularly improving voucher implementation, launching a second bridge house and launching a second bridge housing program, a complete lack of housing vouchers, lack of bridge housing beds, harsh income requirements for assisted living residents, and new roadblocks for attaining identity documents or undermining progress.

I want to flag that black residents bear the brunt of these problems.

Just over 76% of unaccompanied adults counted in the district 2025 point in time count were black.

This is the result of the enduring legacies of structural and individualized racism, such as racist zoning and residential segregation, redlining, restrictive covenants, and practices barring federal employment that for years prohibited black families from equitably accessing the housing and employment markets.

The Department of Human Services housed 1,322 households in FY 2025, the highest number ever.

And they're on pace in the first half of 2026 is even higher, with 722 households housed.

They've also reduced the average length of time.

Individuals experience homelessness from 279 days in 2024 to 264 days in 2025.

But a lack of housing resources threatens this progress.

The agency had just 336 new vouchers for families in FY26, but is pause matching after filling just 44% of the vouchers.

The FY2026 budget included no new PSH vouchers for individuals, and many turnover vouchers, those available due to churn were effectively unavailable to new households in need because the district had improperly budgeted them.

The committee should push for new PSH resources in FY27 to ensure that all current vouchers are properly budgeted, so turnover vouchers can be reissued.

The committee should also urge DHS to make it easier for unhoused residents to obtain identification.

I testified on this during performance oversight.

I do want to acknowledge that yesterday advocates met with the Department of Human Services and the DMV to discuss the the challenges with the ID form.

DHS is committed to working with domestic violence and LGBTQ plus service providers to create safe access points for these populations.

They also reported they would make sure each social service agency has a sufficient supply.

These are both positive steps, but we believe DHS should also hold surveys, focus groups, or interviews with clients experiencing homelessness to gather feedback on how the new process is working and and if needed ways to improve the process.

Thank you for your testimony.

And and thank you for acknowledging the progress that DHS has made.

But uh there's been real effort and there's actually been real progress.

I do think focusing on it it is a shame to see how we have improved and are placing people more quickly, and then all of a sudden there's no there aren't new new vouchers to be used, and so we've gotten the systems working, but then there's not fuel for the systems.

We need to figure that out.

I do think we also need to be focused on efficiencies.

You bring up efficiency around the Ashton.

Um I think, and I hope folks in this room can be allies.

We need to be careful about overpaying landlords in some settings in which which means there are fewer dollars.

It's not that we get an allotment of vouchers, it's that we get an allotment of dollars.

And if we overpay some folks, then there are fewer people we can serve.

So the spirit of looking for efficiencies in this in this process, I think let's try to be partners together on.

Also, thank you for acknowledging the work on the forms.

Hopefully we can get to a place where everyone is comfortable.

Um Mr.

Cohn, in the same vein on EREP, yes, last year we put dollars in in order to bring it up to inflation adjusted to pre-COVID.

We do face we still face an environment where we have rent delinquencies that are at crazy high levels that are putting pressure on the housing system in all kinds of ways.

And we all do uh actually also have to be partners on how do we solve that, because if we don't solve that, then we have a whole nother set of problems.

Ums Sypic also, you know, thank you for you described the landscape similarly to the way that Ms.

Coventry did.

We get it.

We're trying to do what we can here.

Uh Ms.

Manansala, you referred to other places where inflation adjustments are remaining that benefit a different set of people.

Can you help me understand what you were referring to there?

Yeah, so I can tell you about two examples.

So the first is an automatic increase to the zero bracket amount for estate taxes tied to the CPIU.

Um, the zero bracket amount is the portion of an estate tax exempt from taxation.

The more specific numbers I actually just sent to Ella in a brief the other day, so you can refer to her for those.

Um the second example I have is recordation taxes for first-time home buyers.

DC charges first-time home buyers, excuse me, a reduced recordation tax, um, which applies only to homes under a certain maximum purchase price, and DC increases that maximum purchase price price also tied to a CPIU each year.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Yeah, of course.

All right, so thank you to this panel for your testimony, and I'm gonna turn to our next panel.

Monique Jackson.

Yes, mine homes.

Lara Pukatch.

Okay.

Uh Dana White.

Looks like we have one more slot.

Uh Andy Wassenich.

Wasn't it?

I'm sorry.

One day I'll get it right.

Okay.

Monique, when you are ready.

If you could uh I'm sorry, if you could push the button.

Good morning, Councilman Ferman.

How are you?

Um it's a pleasure to speak before you today and before this committee.

My name is Monique Jackson.

I am a native Washingtonian, dedicated mother and community advocate.

I want to be clear that TANF is literally just what the title states, temporary assistance for needy families.

And in the economy that we are currently in is barely enough to meet basic needs.

Any cuts would place me lower below the poverty line than I already fall in.

TANF helps me pay for household items, telephone and internet service, utility payments, portions of rental payments, extracurricular activities for my son, and clothing, among other things.

I receive $629 a month, which can only cover two or three of these things in any given month, and it's always a question of what takes the highest priority.

Cuts to TANF will tremendously affect me and my family in a truly devastating way.

If I'm not able, for example, if I'm not able to pay for internet because I have to pay the phone bill, I will not be able to complete the mental health coaching training course that I'm currently enrolled in, and I would be more restricted in my employment searches and overall connection to the outside world.

What worries me the most is the fear of the unknown.

It is already very stressful trying to survive in an economy where cost of everything are increasing at a significantly significantly high rate.

Cutting TANF assistance will make families more insecure about how their basic needs will be met.

My son's in our mental health and general well-being will be greatly impacted.

There would be disruption to my educational schedule, increased anxiety and depression, disruption of my son's extracurricular activities, and misquality time with him, among other things.

I will have to add other jobs to my schedule affecting how my son performs and behaves in school because of the drastic disruption to his routine.

I possess three master's degrees.

I'm certified in electrical wiring, HVAC, and stationary steam engineering, and I am a paralegal.

I have operated a nonprofit organization, owned a self-care business, and served as a community advocate and organizer.

I literally received TANF assistance, secured a position under $83,000 a year, lost that job due to budget cuts, became seriously ill, and had to refile for public assistance.

I work every day to take advantage of every opportunity presented to me so that public assistance is not something that I need to rely on.

Until my physical health is fully restored and a stable opportunity comes along, I remain in need of the maximum amount of assistance that I receive.

But I want to make space for the fact that not everyone has the same opportunities.

The barriers are high from quality child care access and complicated subsidy requirements to transportation, learning disabilities, criminal backgrounds, and mental health challenges.

And it's worth noting, I do not receive the child support payments granted by the court order because I receive TANF, which could assist me in meeting my son's needs.

The proposed cuts to TANF would impact my life so significantly that I'm not able to envision all of the ways that me and my son's life would be affected.

I do know and can tell you that it will have a devastating and significant impact on multiple areas of our lives.

Thank you for your testimony.

Good morning, Councilmember.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Yasmine Holmes.

I'm a DC resident.

I'm a mother of five boys and a tanner participant.

Tana helps me take care of my children's basic needs.

I use my benefits for things like food, diapers, clothes, transportation, and household essentials.

With five kids, especially young ones, everything adds up fast.

TANFs helped me make sure my children are fit, safe, and have what they need day by day.

If my tender benefits are reduced or cut, it will seriously hurt my family.

It would mean not being able to afford enough food, struggling to keep up with base basic necessities, and falling behind on things my children depend on.

My younger kids are still in daycare, and my older ones are in school.

Um, pre-K4 and first grade.

Without support, it becomes harder to keep them in stable routines.

It will directly affect their well-being, the comfort, and their ability to feel secure.

One of the biggest challenges I face in trying to leave TANF is balancing work with child care and transportation.

I am actively trying to build a stable life for my family, but with multiple young children and limited support is not easy.

Reliable trans reliable transportation is also a challenge, especially after losing SSO vehicles, which makes cancer work, daycare, and school more difficult.

Those cuts feel unfair because family like mine are trying to try us already doing everything we can to move forward.

We're not trying to stay stuck, we're trying to survive and visibility.

Taking away support means that makes that harder, not easier.

I want lawmakers to understand that TANF is not extra, is necessary.

It helps parents like me keep our children safe, fair, and careful while we work towards something better.

Cutting those benefits doesn't just impact adults, it impacts it impacts children the most.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh, Mr.

White.

Chairperson Fruman, staff and members of the Committee on Human Services.

Thank you for your attention to community concerns about DHS investments for fiscal year 27.

I'm director of advocacy at Miriam's Kitchen, where we convened the Way Home Campaign, Chair of the Housing Security Issue Group with Fair Budget Coalition and award six resident in Capitol Hill.

The Way Home Campaign and our partners in advocacy warned the council coming into this fiscal year that our unhoused neighbors would suffer Mayor Bowser's devastating refusal to expand permanent supportive housing.

That existing bridge housing in Ward II operating far below capacity places the comfort of a privileged few over the human need of many.

That continued closures of encampments without permanent housing solutions for the displaced are an expensive non-solution, that ICE cooperation with MPD coinciding with National Guard occupation of the district would endanger our neighbors without homes, and that this mayor should not be given any indication that abandoning those most at risk is an acceptable way to balance a budget.

Mayor Bowser has now proposed more cuts to a social safety net that she has gravely weakened, with housing solutions and homelessness interventions again bearing much of that fiscal sacrifice.

Despite unhoused constituents with critical needs dying on our streets every year, the mayor has again proposed that no permanent new permanent supportive housing vouchers be funded and seems determined to scale back the program overall.

Despite housing here being less affordable than ever, as well as tenant rights and access to resources challenged by the rental act.

The mayor has proposed further cuts to programs that keep individuals and families housed.

Despite a claimed commitment to public safety, year after year, we're seeing exorbitant investment in policing, while the human services that keep us safe and healthy that prevent crime by creating intergenerational stability are pitted against each other.

The Way Home campaign urges you to do what's in your power to restore cuts to life-saving programs, to invest in pathways to housing, and demonstrate the political will to raise revenue that supports a strong social safety net.

We have a data-supported list of budget priorities that course correct us toward ending chronic homelessness, which we look forward to discussing with this committee and with each council member's office in the weeks of head weeks ahead.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Mr.

Westenich.

Thank you, Chairperson Ferman and members of the committee for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Andy Wasnick.

I am a Ward 4 voter and the director of policy at Miriam's Kitchen.

With apologies for some repetition as the committee is aware.

The mayor's proposed budget has zero dollars for permanent supportive housing vouchers for single adults or families.

And there is no money for turnover vouchers, meaning the programs will continue to shrink by attrition.

There's no new money for rapid rehousing for singles or families.

Youth homelessness programs are facing significant cuts across the board, and over 200 households are at risk of losing their housing due to HUD cuts to shelter plus care for which DHS might find an alternate solution.

There are also cuts to ERAP and other programs to keep people from becoming homeless.

Federal cuts and changes, such as work requirements for health care and SNP benefits leave more people on the precipice of becoming homeless.

As the committee is also aware, there are no PSH vouchers for single adults in this current budget year, and there are no turnover vouchers for singles this year either.

And DHS has just paused the matching of the remaining family vouchers budgeted for this year after budging slightly less than half of the 336 family vouchers that were budgeted for this year.

We are a few weeks shy of a full calendar year since a chronically homeless individual was matched to a PSH voucher.

In that time, people have continued to time in and qualify as chronically homeless.

Those with at least 12 months of homelessness and a qualifying disability.

And more people become homeless every day.

Many of them are seniors.

Our low barrier shelters are full.

There are well over a thousand people sleeping outside, and we just put 618 people back on the street with the closure of the hypothermia shelters, with legislation looming in Congress that would jail people for 30 days and a $500 fine for so much as unrolling a sleeping bag in public in the district.

Miriam's Kitchen and the Way Home campaign support the immediate expansion of compassion of a capacity at the Aston Bridge Housing site.

This is now long overdue.

We also generally support investment in a new bridge housing site.

We believe the new the non-congregate bridge housing model is what the system should be moving towards.

And the need is also urgent.

As of yesterday, there were over 350 pending referrals to the current bridge housing programs.

But investing in the buildings and in the case management services of these programs is only half of the investment because bridge housing is intended to be short term.

We must also invent invest in the pathways out of homelessness.

And that means we must invest in permanent supportive housing.

Yes, we should leverage other kinds of interventions and pathways out of homelessness, but the need for PSH vouchers is crucial and real.

There must be significant movement through the homeless services system, or it becomes overwhelmed.

If the mayor's proposed budget were to go ahead as is, we would not be matching anyone to a PSH voucher for another year and a half if we're even that lucky.

By that point, it will be two and a half years since for single adults with no PSH interventions and one and a half years for families.

And if that happens, we will have a humanitarian crisis on our hands, one that will cost far more money and effort to handle than it would to fund those vouchers today that are needed today.

The Way Home campaign in Miriam's Kitchen, therefore urges the committee and the council to invest in 1,260 PSH vouchers for singles and 782 for families, as well as investing in 700 rapid rehousing subsidies for individuals as well.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony.

And Mr.

White, Mr.

Wilsene.

I hear you, and I also am frustrated by where we are in this budget.

I do think it is also worth acknowledging that Mayor Bowser, through her tenure as mayor, has increased investment in this area over time pretty significantly.

So it's it's not the situation we want to be in today.

But I think we want to be careful with our brush because I think that this is an area that she had committed to.

We'd like to see her continue that commitment and made a lot of progress.

And here we are today in a challenging situation.

Ms.

Jackson, Ms.

Holmes, thank you very much for your testimony.

Ms.

Jackson, uh one thing that troubled me, and maybe you could reach out to our team was your reference on child support and lack of access to child support, because that is a thing that we have done legislation on, and I hope that that legislation has been helpful to you, but let's make sure that that can be.

So if you'd reach out to our team afterwards so we can focus on that, I'd appreciate it.

Thank you to all of you for your testimony.

Uh and I will call up the next panel.

Uh Derek.

Thank you very much.

Uh Harry Robertson.

Cesar Toledo.

Aaron Whalen.

Okay.

Mr.

Iems.

Good morning.

Oh, your microphone.

Good morning, everyone.

My name is Derek Allenis, and I am a native Washingtonian, born and raised.

I'm here to ask the DC council to include more funding for homeless street outwards in the fiscal year 27 budget.

I am currently a chef who has created a company that serves the homeless and needy families in the DMB area.

I also offer peer support that one needs to navigate through the system.

I connect them with the resources that will assist them in the journey of moving forward in life.

I deal with the chronically homeless individuals and the homeless community individuals that have been sleeping outside for five years or more.

I know this because I was there with them on the park vents.

They were my friends, they were my roommates.

Most importantly, they were my inspiration because I saw the need for major support for anyone to go from nothing to having one thing that we all had in common, and that is permanent housing.

By the grace of God, I was led to Miriam's Kitchen.

My case manager, Ms.

Jessica Ralph navigated through the system for me.

And I was able to acquire my birth certificate social security card, which led to me getting my ID.

I let Jessica know on a meeting that I was a military veteran, and at this time I was sleeping behind CBS in DuPont Circle behind this trash can, which was my refrigerator and food bin and shelter from the world.

Just made a call to the VA, and the VA called me and met me the same day, presenting me with a hotel key for room reserve for a month.

I was in the hotel for two days, and the second day I received the call stating that they had found me a unit.

I went and solved the unit, one of the most beautiful places I've ever had the opportunity to live in my life.

And I was asked when would I like to move in?

She gave me the keys and said you can move in now.

And just like that, I was no longer homeless.

Two evenings before this, I was sleeping behind a trash can.

It took me five days from the time Jessica Tontacted the VA to meet being housed.

Others haven't been as fortunate.

People have been waiting for 12 months to five years for housing.

It's because Jessica loves her job, Jessica loves people.

We need more people on the ground and more funds for outreach because there is a population of housed people that need a well-trained person with unconditional love to reach them.

So I ask you respectably to provide more funding for street outreach.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for your testimony.

Harry Robertson.

Good morning.

I would like to say that I'm a born and raised Washingtonian from the Anacostia side.

I am a peer recovery specialist through DC and also a certified peer specialist through DBH.

None of this wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for PSH, PSH, Permanent Support of Housing.

I'm presently employed part-time at RAP Incorporated, where I've been employed at since May 19, 2022.

With that being said, I'm also a PHP client through Mary's Kitchen, also, like my friend Derry.

I'm here to act to D.C.

Council to include funding for the permanent supporting housing for individuals in the fiscal 2027 budget also.

Before getting housed, I was homeless for over 10 years of my life.

And with that being said, in 2021, I was able to get into the PEP V program with my service animal box.

And I'm very grateful for them for the DC Council's support of the PEP V program during the pandemic.

I wouldn't be here today without without it.

You wouldn't, I wouldn't be the man that I am today without it.

Going forward, after six months in the program, I was matched to a permanent supporting housing voucher with Merriam's Kitchens and for my housing provider.

Four months later, I was moved into my I moved into my own apartment.

Since being in the PSH program, it's it has been a life-saving experience for me and my service animal.

I no longer feel abandoned, worthless, or with no hope.

Getting house for me, working with Marriage Kitchen caseworkers has given me hope and inspiration.

With that being said, I sit on two guests, guest advisory boards.

One is with Marion's Kitchens, who is my voucher, who's my permanent supportive housing voucher through, and one is with my uh mental health services, which is MBI Health Services.

I was allowed to come on board with them.

Uh I also work at the drug treatment place where I help people like myself with mental illness and homelessness and uh substance abuse.

Uh I'm also currently the advocacy fellow at Marion's Kitchens, which is uh internship for six months uh presently, where I can go back to those who still are living outside, which I do as an advocate.

Um, with that being said, all of this wouldn't be possible because I got housed through a permanent supportive housing voucher.

In closing, I would like to say getting housed changed my life.

The mayor's budget proposed no funding for PSH vouchers or file PHF vouchers.

No one that's coming up behind me will have the opportunity to fulfill their hopes and dreams.

I'm asking the DC council to include funding for the permanent supporting housing for individuals who are still left behind.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Uh Mr.

Toledo.

Yes, uh good afternoon, Councilmember Freeman.

My name is Cesar Toledo, and I serve as the executive director for the Wanda Austin Foundation.

We provide housing and support services for DC's homeless LGBTQ plus youth.

I'm a member of the Youth Economic Justice Coalition convened by DC Action as well as the DC's LGBTQ plus budget coalition.

Thank you, Councilmember Fruman for visiting our facility a few weeks ago to see the impact, the growth and the progress we've made in the last year.

Your leadership and partnership is now more urgent than ever as we all work together to really curb the rise of LGBTQ plus youth homelessness.

Today, in the gay city in the world, our queer and trans youth continue to be disproportionately impacted by homelessness in our city.

About 40% of all homeless youth in DC identify as LGBT plus.

And in last year's point-in-time count report of homeless people, we saw a 9% increase in this vulnerable population.

As one of the smallest housing providers in all of DC, the foundation punches above its weight.

Really rubbing pennies to make magic.

As you saw firsthand, Councilmember, our organization doesn't have a bloated administrative team, including a development, communications.

We're very small and nimble, but we deliver the services.

Every dollar contracted to or donated to the foundation really goes a long way.

For background, the foundation's sole source grant managed by the community partnership has largely remained flat for four out of the last six fiscal years.

Across those years, our city has faced unprecedented challenges from the pandemic to inflation to now the reduction of the Federal workforce impacting all of our social services and the ability to raise tax funds.

With the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget cuts, we're having real hard conversations.

It's been shared that youth homeless service providers will be asked to make six percent budget cuts by DHS.

The reality of that cut for a small nonprofit like us reduces our programming pact by over $60,000, which could mean reduction of staff that monitor the housing facility.

Pause in raises for all of our staff for the second year, lowering health care insurance benefits, really scaling back the client support services that our youth deserve.

The district's transitional housing and extended transitional housing programs are one of the most effective programs for our LGBTQ plus youth homelessness.

Recently, the foundation conducted a community survey to identify and understand the urgent issues facing DC's LGBTQ plus young people between the ages of 18 to 30, and we found some really disheartening facts.

One in four said that they experienced housing instability in their lifetime, and among those, 67% experienced housing stability in the last 12 months.

I'm happy to share more of these findings to really underscore the clear urgent need for targeted accessible housing solutions to ensure that we are supporting our most vulnerable members of the community.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony.

Ms.

Wayland.

Good morning, Chair Councilmember Fruman and members of the committee.

My name is Erin Whalen, and I use she, her pronouns, and I serve as the executive director of SMILE, where we support LGBTQ youth across D.C.

through affirming housing, mental health services, and youth development and community building programs.

I'm also a proud member of the LGBTQ budget coalition and DC Actions Youth Economic Justice Coalition, representing more than 25 organizations serving youth and the LGBTQ community.

I want to start here.

This budget is not responding to a decrease in need.

It is responding to a constraint and asking young people to absorb the impact.

Across our organization, across the city, we are seeing the same thing.

Demand is increasing, complexity of the need is increasing, and the system is being asked to do more with less.

At the same time, the proposed budget reduces investment in the very parts of the system that create long-term stability, including permanent supportive housing and transitional housing for youth.

And that creates a real tension.

We say we want outcomes, stability and dependence and long-term housing success, but we are scaling back the investments that actually produce those outcomes.

So what happens?

We don't reduce homelessness.

We extend it.

We don't reduce costs.

We defer them to systems that are more expensive and less effective.

It may stabilize the budget in the short term.

It destabilizes lives in the long term.

And for LGBTQ plus youth, the stakes are even higher.

We know they are disproportionately impacted by homelessness.

We know they face higher rates of family rejection and trauma, and we know that youth-specific affirming programs are what actually changes trajectories.

Smile recently worked with a young person who had done everything right, engaged in services, work towards their goals, including getting a job and addressing their mental health goals.

They were ready for the next step.

But that wasn't, but there wasn't a next placement available.

So instead of moving forward, they stayed stuck longer in crisis, longer in uncertainty, not because they weren't ready, but because the system didn't have somewhere for them to go.

That's what these cuts look like in practice.

So when those system contracts, so when those systems contract, the impact is not neutral, it is concentrated.

I also want to name what this looks like for an organizational standpoint.

Providers are being asked to plan for 6% reductions before budgets are even finalized, creating uncertainty across staffing services, and operations.

That instability doesn't stay at the administrative level.

It shows up in the consistency and quality of care that young people receive.

So the question in front of us isn't just about line items, it's about alignment.

If we believe in prevention and equity and long-term stability, then our investments need to reflect that.

So our ask is straightforward.

Reverse the proposed cuts to youth housing programs, restore funding for permanent supportive and transitional housing, restore funding for the education workforce program for transgender and gender expansive youth, and fund the system in a way that matches the reality we are all seeing on the ground.

I'll close here.

At SMILE, we talk about helping young people move from surviving to thriving.

Right now, too many are stuck in survival, not because they aren't ready, but because the system isn't resources, resource to move with them.

Success should be measured by how many young people leave with stable housing, not how many recycle through crisis.

This budget makes that outcome harder, and we have a chance to change that.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony, Ms.

Willen.

Uh, and to Ms.

Well, and then Mr.

Toledo, uh thank you for highlighting the circumstances for our LGBTQ youth.

Already this morning, we've heard about two uh vulnerable groups, domestic violence survivors and LGBTQ youth, and we see those numbers.

We see those the reality of that vulnerability and the numbers, and thank you for coming out to advocate on their behalf.

Uh Mr.

Robertson and Mr.

Ayamas.

Uh, thank you for your stories, and they are great illustrations of how it can work.

Where you know you are able to get on your feet, you're able to achieve independence, get to work, and then also in that spirit, uh go back and try to help others who are in a similar situation.

All very inspiring, and thank you for your testimony.

With that, I'm gonna move to the next panel.

Thank you very much.

All right, you too.

Uh Rachel White.

Mary Catherine West.

Jorge Membran Breno.

Kelly Sweeney McShame.

All right, and when you are ready, Ms.

White.

Thank you.

Um, good morning, Chairman Fruman and members of the committee.

My name is Rachel White, and I'm the deputy director of youth advocacy at DC Action.

I'm here today to urge the committee to reject the mayor's proposed cuts to the youth homelessness system, restore funding to at least fiscal year 26 levels, increase investments to reflect inflation and real operating cost, and protect the long-term stability of one of the district's most important prevention systems.

The mayor's proposed budget represents a significant reduction in the youth homelessness system and capacity.

The proposed fiscal year 27 budget reduces from 24.2 million to 21.75 million, an overall reduction of 12%.

Specifically, there's a 1.53 million dollar cut to extended transitional housing, a $755,000 cut to transitional housing, including the elimination of the current $600,000 investment in the transgender and gender not conforming workforce development investment.

An additional 6% provider level reductions were communicated by DHS as well through implementation remains unclear.

If these cuts are concentrated entirely within the extended transitional housing line, that would represent approximately a 35% reduction to programs that serve youth with the highest needs and are among the most intensive housing interventions available in the system.

These are not marginal budget adjustments, they are direct reductions to core youth homelessness services.

Youth-specific programs must be understood as prevention infrastructure.

DC Action State of Youth Homelessness Report demonstrates that young people experiencing homelessness often navigate housing instability while simultaneously, fixing barriers to education, employment, mental health stability, and the transition to adulthood, highlighting the need for developmentally appropriate youth-specific intervention, and that is what the district's youth homelessness system was intentionally designed to do.

These interventions are not simply emergency responses.

Reducing these programs weakens the district's ability to intervene effectively at one of the most pivotal points in a young person's life.

Investing in services that stabilize youth and propel them toward financial independence, we have the best chance of reducing the pipeline of individuals who become eligible for individual permanent supportive housing vouchers later on down the line.

Housing cuts are happening alongside reductions to behavioral health supports as well.

We see reductions in school-based behavioral health services, crisis response infrastructure, broader youth behavior health supports.

For youth experiencing homelessness, housing and behavioral health systems are deeply interconnected.

When both systems are weakened simultaneously, housing placements become harder to sustain.

Youth mental health needs escalate, and crisis intervention becomes less accessible, and long-term instability becomes more likely.

Lastly, flat funding has already reduced capacity.

Even before the proposed reductions providers have been operating for five years of stagnant funding while facing rising rents, increased staffing costs, inflation, greatest service demands.

We recommend the council to fully restore all proposed cuts to the youth homelessness system, the one point 1.53 million to PSH, 755,000 to transitional youth housing to include restoration of the TGNC workforce investment.

Thank you so much.

I have submitted my testimony and also provided a chart that shows you what a six percent cut looks like for um every program and the youth homelessness system.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Ms.

West, when you're ready.

Good morning, Councilmember Fruman.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Mary Catherine West, and I'm a policy analyst at DC Action and award-one resident.

I am also a member of the TANF is still a lifeline coalition.

The coalition is asking the council to restore funding for TANF to reverse policies, increasing work sanctions, removing the COLA, and implementing time limits to TANF.

We are alarmed to learn that the Budget Support Act proposes that an FY28, a family who is on TANF for 60 months will have their benefits reduced to zero dollars instead of the original proposed step down.

These policies are harmful to district children and families and are not rooted in evidence and will further increase administrative burdens on an already strained agency.

The committee and the DC Council must act now to ensure DC families continue to have access to life-sustaining cash benefits.

I will now read the testimony of a TANF recipient who cannot be here this morning due to her parenting responsibilities.

My name is Sean, and I live in Ward 8.

I became a young parent of two when I had twins at 17.

I experienced homelessness for two years when I first had my twins, and I am now a mom of four.

I need TANF to support my family.

I spend my TANF benefits on things like rent, electricity, gas, and utilities.

All the things that I need for my household and my children, like clothes or school supplies.

If my benefits were reduced or cut, I might not be able to make payments on the utilities and other things.

I've worked hard to build a stable life for my children.

This cut would have a big impact on my children because they need the shelter, power, and food that TANF supports.

I really don't know what I would do or how I would make ends meet and keep my utilities on for my kids.

Being a single mom with multiple children has been a barrier to getting a job.

I have two children with autism, one of whom is nonverbal.

When they were young, I didn't have anyone to watch them and support their needs, which meant I couldn't go to a job.

When I tried to put my autistic son in school, I had so many meetings about his IEP and the care that he needed.

When he goes to school, I constantly get calls about his behavior and have to go pick him up when the teachers can't control him or when he refuses to do things.

It has taken a lot of time and advocacy for me to try to find a school that can support him.

When I met with the work program at TANF and shared the barriers to getting a job, they told me that there wasn't a job that I could do that would fit my schedule or how I need to be available to take care of my children.

Transportation to a job has also been a barrier for me.

I think these cuts are harmful because families are not willingly on TANF, but we need it to support our families, especially when there are so many barriers to get connected to work.

These cuts will impact my four children the most and their access to a stable life.

Please reverse the cuts to TANF.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you for your testimony.

Good morning, Chairperson Fruman and members of the committee.

My name is Jorge.

I use He Him Pronouns.

I'm the director of youth advocacy at DC Action.

I'm testifying today on behalf of our Youth Economic Justice Coalition as a practicing mental health clinician and as someone who has directly managed youth housing programs.

I want to focus my testimony today on the very necessary clinical role that youth housing programs play in stabilizing young people and what happens when those interventions are reduced or cut altogether.

As a quick trauma science lesson, after repeated trauma, the brain shifts into a chronic survival state.

The amygdala, which is your fight or flight center, becomes overactive, while the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision making and impulse control, becomes less effective.

At the same time, the hippocampus, which helps process memory and distinguish past from present, can be impaired, leading to heightened fear responses, difficulty regulating emotion, and constant sense of threat even in safe environments.

The mayor's proposed budget is directly leading to repeated trauma.

It includes a 2.5 million reduction across youth homelessness continuum, including cuts to front door services, transitional housing, and most significantly, a 35% reduction to extended transitional housing as you've heard today.

These programs function as a coordinated continuum of care with each intervention designed to meet different clinical, developmental, and basic human needs.

Front door services are where engagement begins.

Outreach teams, drop-in centers, and shelters are not just access points at larger system, they are therapeutic entryways.

Case managers build trust with young people who often have long histories of system involvement, trauma, and institutional mistrust.

They assess needs and connect you to the appropriate level of care and housing intervention.

Transitional housing provides a next level of support, stable rent-free housing combined with case management.

Clinically, this is where stabilization begins.

Many young people entering these programs are experiencing symptoms of trauma like difficulty regulating emotions, impaired decision making, anxiety and depression.

A stable living environment allows a nervous system to begin to regulate, making it possible for young people to engage in goal setting, employment, and mental health support.

For many of them, it's also the first time they are unpacking their belongings and their feelings.

Extended transitional housing serves as a youth with the highest level of need.

These are young people whose mental health challenges, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and chronic anxiety are significant barriers to independent living.

These programs are staffed by trained professionals, including licensed clinicians.

From a clinical perspective, reducing access to these programs has immediate and long-term consequences.

When young people lose access to stable housing and consistent support, their stress response systems become chronically activated.

This can result in hypervigilance, sleep disruption, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive impairment.

As a secondary science lesson, untreated PTSD and major depressive disorder can become chronic and lead to adverse physical health outcomes like a weakened immune system, chronic pain, gastrointestinal issues, and cardiovascular disease.

Therapeutic progress depends heavily on consistency and trust.

When housing stability disrupts that process, young people often disengage from care entirely.

Housing is one of the most effective mental health interventions we have.

Thank you for your time and I welcome any questions.

Thank you for your testimony.

Good morning.

Good morning.

I'm Kelly Sweeney McShane, CEO of Community of Hope.

Today I'd like to provide comments on the FY27 DHS budget through the lens of my role as co-chair of the strategic planning committee of the Interagency Council on Homelessness.

These priorities are drawn from a full day convening on February 6th with 51 people attending, nine committee and work group meetings in March, with 351 people participating in 33 breakout groups, 63 survey responses, and detailed letters from the women services providers, domestic violence providers, and crime victim services.

We have gotten this down to four priorities, and my written testimony includes details on some of the strategies.

I would really suggest and recommend that we use those primary priorities as a framework as we're looking at making decisions.

And you'll hear a lot of the themes have already come up today.

The first priority is ensure that there are multiple effective pathways for people to exit homelessness.

As we've heard today, this includes housing with supportive services such as transitional housing, bridge housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing.

Explore and pilot new models and best practices such as shared housing, and including options such as DC Flex and rental supports without services as appropriate.

The second priority is to provide year-round access to shelter for those who are experiencing homelessness.

This includes ensuring there are sufficient beds and shelter to meet the need, providing essential services that must include case management, security, and meeting basic needs.

Other key strategies are strengthening outreach and drop-in centers to connect people sleeping outside and in unsafe places to shelter and services, and creating connections to address physical and mental health needs, identification documentation, training, employment, et cetera.

The third priority is to improve coordination between DC government agencies and with homeless programs to efficiently and effectively provide housing, behavioral health, health care, and employment services.

Strategies include sharing and using data to understand the overlap with people served and services provided, exploring ways for agencies to work together, including co-locating services, and clearly communicate communicating to clients and the community about how to access services.

The fourth priority is to maintain and expand homelessness prevention and diversion programs.

It's important to note that these priorities are all interconnected and needed to create systems that effectively and quickly move everyone out of homelessness.

Defunding one of these creates additional costs in other areas.

So not having the effective pathways, which means more people in shelter.

If there's not services and shelter, they stay longer, and how these are all connected.

Unfortunately, the mayor's budget does not adequately address these key priorities in this budget.

There are reduction in the pathways for people to exit homelessness that we've heard a lot about today.

I do want to note there was a lot of interest in this shared model housing, and I think it would be great to spend the year really looking at best practices, looking at what regulatory barriers there are, and looking at uh innovation as well.

In terms of agency coordination, the DHS budget shows a reduction of 500,000 for ICH staff.

We'd like to know whether funding for staff is included elsewhere, and if not, what the impact will be in terms of implementation.

So overall, I urge the council to reserve the reserve restore the $34.6 million been removed and to work collaboratively to address these community priorities.

Thank you.

All right, thank you very much for your testimony.

I will say in the way you talk about how each of the pieces fits together.

We are concerned about cost pressures that are inherent even in the budget that we're seeing, where you could have a cost pressure in one area that leads to a challenge in another area.

So the way in the interconnections are critical.

Looking at your written testimony, it reminds me of how remiss I have been with every panel.

And for those who are still here or those who may be listening, if you have not submitted your written testimony, please do so that we have it for the record.

In my binder, we're missing a fair amount of written testimony.

So for those who have not submitted it, please do.

To the folks from DC Action, thank you for your testimony.

Uh Jorge, the way you walk through the biology of it is always useful.

I think you've I've heard that testimony before.

It's very helpful.

Uh and for DC Action, I am sorry that in this budget season, it's going to be a pretty big busy season for you as you focus in different committees on different issues that are out there, whether it be child care or here in public benefits.

But thank you for your testimony and for your advocacy.

Okay.

Catherine Landfield.

Sheila Hook.

Abel Amin.

Okay.

Okay, Ephemi.

Good morning, Councilmember Fruman.

My name is Afini Evans.

Um, I'm a community organizer with a fair budget coalition, and I'm here today because you stated, as you stated, the mayor's proposed budget cuts of 100 million dollars from DHS is unattenable and unacceptable.

And if this budget is implemented, it will be devastating to our most vulnerable residents.

DC is facing an economic crisis, and the working class and low-income families are bearing the brunt of callous policy choices that are made by the mayor and this council.

This current budget proposal seeks deep cuts to programs like TANF, permanent supportive housing.

This decision to turn our backs on our unhoused and low-income community is not only a portrayal, but is an active and dangerous alignment with the interests of the fascist federal regime.

As President Trump has said, he's looking to incarcerate our in-house neighbors for the crime of being unhoused and under resourced.

The mayor did not fund any additional permanent supportive housing vouchers, which align with her legacy of cruelty and dehumanization towards anybody who is not a wealthy developer, restaurateur, or billionaire team sports sports owner.

The job of this council is to protect the people of DC and provide everyone with the resources they need to not only survive but thrive.

Temporary assistance for needy families provides monthly cash assistance to and services to DC families with the lowest incomes.

The Mayor Bowser has proposed and the DC Council approved, but delayed by one year, new program restrictions in the DC budget, including eliminating the COLA adjustment, raising penalties on parents who can't meet work requirements, and reinstating the time limit.

These cuts will go into effect in FY27 or October 1st, 2026.

TANF is essential income for families with the fewest resources.

Mayor Bowser's growth agenda is actively shrinking the safety net and chipping away at the foundation for family and community stability.

This is happening in the midst of cuts to the emergency rental assistance program, which would be a deadly a deadly blow to families who are already living on the margins.

Amidst these severe cuts to essential programs, Bowser has proposed a 15% raise to MPD's budget, an investment that reflects her continued capitulation to the Trump administration and strengthens ongoing federal the ongoing federal occupation of DC.

People are not animals.

They do not need cages.

They need support, care, and a functioning human infrastructure that allows everybody equal opportunity to a dignified life.

The community is enraged by these deep cuts.

Um and the budget should not be balanced on the backs of working classonians.

DC has the fourth highest rate compared to all states of extreme wealth concentration in the country.

This wealth is largely untaxed and could be used for investments in our community to make our community more affordable, culturally rich and safe, only if our leaders have the courage to make the right decisions.

I will thank you when you step up, but for now, I will just ask you to be brave and fight for the real DC.

Thank you for your testimony.

Um Catherine Landfield.

Good morning, Chair Freeman.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Catherine Landfield.

I'm a longtime Ward 3 resident and the senior advocacy strategist at Fair Budget Coalition.

We advocate for budget and social policies that address systemic, racial, and economic inequities through the collective power of community members and organizations.

Fully 25% of our budget platform recommendations fall under your oversight of DHS, which is a testament to how deeply important DHS programs are.

Oopses.

DHS programs are to the black and brown working class and poor residents that are at the center of our work.

The mayor has systematically gone after just about every type of human needs program that makes up the social safety net or a closely related critical service.

You know far better than most about the range of hideous cuts to programs running through DHS, and new work requirements are just cuts by another name.

It would be a crisis even if these were the only cuts, but the mayor has eliminated or hobbled many other essential programs outside of DHS, which you can see on the handout that I shared with you.

Like a Jenga game, DC is slowly removing all the supports to see how long before communities fall and fail.

But this is not a game, and the costs in human misery, lost economic growth and productivity, and a long-term harm to community health and well-being will be far higher than anything related to investing in community now.

We need you to take that big picture approach.

We need you to be ringing the alarm bells with your colleagues about the situation overall.

The system only works overall, not in pieces, like a Jenga tower.

We need you to lead on helping your colleagues understand the urgency to uplifting the danger to the system and to taking effective funding measures.

We have many solutions very close at hand.

New revenue policies, taking $90 million from the 15% increase in new wish list MPD funding, using the unspent millions being hoarded by events DC, getting the decoupling revenue back online, undoing the mayor's business subsidies, putting guardrails on all of the Demped incentive programs you now oversee.

Not a penny can be wasted in the mission of protecting our communities.

I will close with the same question that Councilmember Allen raised in the administrative meeting on Tuesday.

What does this budget ask of my family?

It is a deep shame that the answer is absolutely nothing.

This budget is a travesty unless the council takes a different pro approach this year.

The details of our recommendations are in my written testimony, which you will soon have, and I welcome your questions.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Sheila Huck.

Thank you.

Good morning, Councilmember Freeman, and to my neighbors and colleagues, both in the chamber and watching at home.

My name is Shylah Huck, and I'm a proud Ward 7 resident and a member of the Fair Budget Coalition, who I know you know is committed to pushing all of our local leaders to do their part to build a budget centered around care and sustainability.

It is an honor to speak here today, and I appreciate the opportunity to share my piece on how DHS funding could be used to better support our communities as we face violent cuts to our social safety net.

We certainly have our work cut out for us as we have a mayor that has spent the last 10 plus years perfecting the trickle-down hate the poor approach displayed throughout her FY27 budget proposal.

I'm now looking to the council and you, as chairman of DHS to rise up with courage and conviction in defense of a people-centered budget, one that invests in and restores essential safety net programs, many of which fall under DHS, to give our most vulnerable communities a fighting chance.

My neighbors, and this isn't some broad platitude, I mean my real fucking neighbors, are skipping meals and stretching $20 bills across a week to survive as SNAP and other food programs are slashed.

They're foregoing life-saving medications and appointments because of cost or aneligibility for new Medicaid work requirements, and they're dying.

Families are being separated because they're getting priced out of my neighborhood.

Elders are getting kicked out by slum lords by e-rapid slash and other housing programs are underfunded or completely cut.

I know some of what I mentioned above does not fall under DHS, but Councilmember Fruman, I would be remiss not to use my time to draw attention to the point my colleague Kathleen raised, that our social safety net operates more like a tower of Jenga than anything else.

With individual cuts and changes to programs like TANF, child care, and homeless services, compromising the overall structure and safety of the safety net.

When we pull one block or program out, it isn't some discrete thing that has zero external impact, which I'm sure you can understand and empathize with.

Because the kids are not alright, and our local budget will decide whether we are resourced enough to change that.

I know there's been a lot of talk in the media about and around our children, but we're not meeting their basic needs.

Housing, food, safety, shelter.

Until we can say that we have met those basic needs adequately with our budget choices, quite frankly, the rest ends up becoming fodder to make Trump's job easier and strengthens the argument for the ongoing federal occupation.

Fair budget recommends that you consider the following actions to protect programs that support our youth and strengthen the overall safety net, prevent cuts to TANF to protect 14,000 children from losing their benefits, sustain and expand the DC Childcare Subsidy Program, fund and expand our youth homelessness systems, and I know this is a big one, but end chronic and family homelessness, which I know we can do.

I urge you to also rise up and champion council to explore bold and innovative revenue raisers that we need to raise the money to effectively fund these essential services.

Thank you for your time, and I also will submit my written testimony after this.

Thank you.

And I also look forward to thanking you at the end of this budget season for investing in DC.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Mr.

Amin.

Thank you.

Um my name is Abel Menne.

I'm a World 4 resident, and I also work at Fair Budget Coalition as the policy fellow.

I may be new to Fair Budget, but I'm not new to this game.

Uh I know what it means when I look at the mayor's proposed budget and see increases in police funding, especially over time, while we have cuts to every program that truly supports our community, uh, which are in this committee's purview.

Uh the proposed budget makes cuts to every program that Fair Budget Coalition recommends that this uh that this committee protect.

Uh our budget platform calls for increased funding for domestic violence prevention.

Our platform demands no cuts to TANF, expansion of the child care subsidy, improved access to alliance, Medicaid, and health uh healthy DC programs, expanded funding for youth homelessness system, and increased funding for uh emergency rental assistance.

Uh but the council seems poised to cut every one of these programs.

As someone who has uh who was homeless and who for the past decade has continued to struggle with housing insecurity while on the brink of again becoming unhoused, I find the proposed budget to not only be cruel, but simply nonsensical.

Uh the false narrative that the mayor is spreading to give corporate businesses uh more profits uh is just simply that.

False.

In my neighborhood of Kennedy Street in Brightwood Park, a neighborhood that has gone through decades under uh of under investment, I have many neighbors struggling with homelessness.

Um I have you know, I have local businesses like small grocery stores, cafes, and restaurants, most of which have which have opened in the past two or three years, whose biggest concern is those same unhoused uh neighbors, some with substance and uh abuse issues and uh and addiction issues.

Um in response to this solvable issue of homelessness and addiction, what the district government provides in response is just more police.

I want to state clearly, my neighborhood does not need more cops.

It needs easier access to housing vouchers and needs rest rental assistance, as well as wraparound services to address housing insecurity and poverty.

Ask even the local businesses in my neighborhood if more police would be more helpful.

And I'm thinking about real businesses, and I could introduce you to them.

They will tell you without missing a beat that even the police officer that's parked across the street from them does nothing to prevent an unhoused neighbor taking money from the tip jar.

That police car parked on 7th and Kennedy certainly does nothing to make my neighborhood even feel more safe, let alone be more safe.

Uh the business is not to uh found to be a more friendly place to visit, but just because the police officer is parked across the street.

Put simply, contrary to the narrative pushed by the mayor, calling the police does nothing to solve the real issues in my neighborhood.

My unhoused uh neighbors, and they are my neighbors, need housing, not handcuffs.

My unhoused neighbors need alcohol and drug addiction counseling, not police chasing them away from the neighborhood they have lived in for decades before new people moved in.

My unhoused neighbors need resources for steady f uh to find steady full-time employment, not quote unquote community policing.

In conclusion, I want to urge this committee to expand funding for emergency rental assistance program by at least 10 times the current level.

Fund domestic violence prevention, as it is the issue that often leaves to out housing insecurity.

Fully fund teneth, expand child care subsidy, expand funding for youth and family homelessness prevention, improve and remove barriers to accessing medical and mental uh health care.

We certainly have the money to fund all these programs if we can imagine a district with fewer cops and more care.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And thank you to all of you for your testimony.

Um, your uh creative way of expressing it.

Uh thank you very much.

I'm gonna move to our next panel.

Uh Maya Brennan.

Jackie Wright.

Amanda Chesney.

Portia Robertson.

Uh and Chris Thompson.

I'm sorry.

Okay.

Um Ms.

Wright.

We'll come back to Ms.

Ms.

Wright.

Good morning.

Thank you, Councilmember Fruman, and for your staff for allowing me to testify today.

My name is Jackie Wright.

I am the Social Justice Programs Manager at Foundry United Methodist in War II.

I run our ID Ministry, which sees over 2,000 people every year helping them to acquire their vital documents, so birth certificates, social security cards, with the ultimate goal being an ID.

Um as you've heard me say before, one of the biggest obstacles for our unhoused neighbors right now, trying to get an ID is trying to prove residency, trying to get the social service proof of residency form.

As we know, if in order to get housed, in order to get a job, in order to get health care, in order to get education or enroll your kids in school, you need an ID.

It's a huge problem.

About 13 months ago, DHS shrank the number of providers of this social service proof of residency form from 30 to about 11.

Only three of those agencies are places where you can just walk up and request a form.

The others are a little trickier.

They're either outreach providers that you have to hope you'll find or specialized agencies.

The good news is that this is not going to cost you any money, this fix.

What we have been asking DHS to do for a while now is to re-expand the list.

We have been working to meet with the DMV and DHS on this problem.

It's been like pulling teeth, but it did finally happen yesterday, and I'm very grateful for that.

The DMV did make a big change.

They did agree to make IDs free for those who are identified as homeless.

In the past, you could only have one of those social service proof of residency forms one every eight years, and that has now been changed.

So we are thrilled, and we are looking forward to seeing that that is followed through on, and that DHS has agreed to not restrict the number of forms they will give an individual.

They need their own place.

Lastly, the main problem is still the main problem.

Wonderful agencies such as Christhouse, some Georgetown ministries who used to be able to provide the form can no longer.

For somebody who is on the margins to make the effort to go and get case management from one of these places and to take the time to build trust there to be able to then be told they cannot get proof of residency there is a huge unnecessary barrier.

There is over 120 social servants agencies who can input into HMIS, so certainly at least another 15 can be trained to do it properly to DHS's requirement.

It truly is an unnecessary barrier.

So to reiterate, we are asking that the list of agencies be re-expanded.

And this whole thing has been a really interesting eye-opening experience.

We have a lot of knowledge, the service providers, those of us on the ground, and we were not brought into the conversation until pretty late.

This happened without any conversation ahead of time.

So it's just a good reminder that we do have some knowledge that can be helpful and we can work together.

It doesn't have to be like this.

So again, thank you for your time, and I just want to reiterate that there's this is an unnecessary barrier.

There's no reason, there's no real reason why these other agencies cannot be allowed to give out this form.

They can be trained.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms.

Chesney.

Good morning.

Um my name is Amanda Chesney.

I'm the executive director of housing and homeless services at Catholic Charities.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I'm here with my single adult homelessness providers and women's housing providers as well.

Nearly half of the women who enter homeless services report that domestic violence, intermittent partner violence, or sexual assault is the reason for their becoming homeless.

For these survivors, case management is essential.

Case managers provide immediate safety support and help women access services that allow them to permanently exit homelessness.

Across our gender-specific shelters and programs, we are serving clients with increasingly complex needs.

As the number of chronically homeless singles grow in DC, we are also seeing older adults attempt to navigate homelessness with comorbidities.

Many individuals have serious medical conditions, significant mental health needs, or both.

These challenges increase their length of stay in shelter and require more intensive case management.

However, at the same time, client needs are growing.

The resources to help them exit homelessness are shrinking due to continued DHS and TCP budget reductions to these services.

Since spring to uh 2025, the single adult emergency homeless shelter system has experienced significant funding cuts.

Most alarmingly, our low-barrier shelter case management funding through TCP via DHS has been cut in half.

To put that into perspective, at Harriet Tapman, we serve 180 women nightly.

There are only three case management staff for that team.

At St.

Josephine's, our 25 residents have one part-time case manager.

It's similar at our men's shelters as well.

New York Avenue, 245 men have six case managers, down from 10.

At 801 East, 360 men rely on only seven case management staff in Adams Place, 150 men, three case management staff.

Without adequate adequate case management, these individuals cannot realistically navigate our shrinking resource system.

Without adequate adequate case management, these individuals cannot realistically navigate our shrinking resource system, access medical or behavioral health care, or secure the long-term housing exit resources they need.

And this crisis is worsening.

In the past two years, chronic homelessness for single adults and overall number of single adults experiencing homelessness has risen in the district.

While the district has rightly invested in permanent housing for families, these investments have come at the expense of single adults and the women's system.

There are no new permanent housing vouchers for singles in last year's budget, and there are none again this year.

Same for rapid rehousing for individuals.

If these cuts continue, shelters will become bottlenecks with no viable exit strategies.

Compounding this for providers, we are asked to increase contract costs for the newly imposed Federal Service Contract Act obligations.

This will force us to reduce staffing and bed capacity at programs to afford these costs.

Please restore, if you can, the $400,000 in case management funding to DHS and make practical revisions to C TCP and DHS contracts to meet the urgent needs of now for a vulnerable residents.

Thank you very much for your time and for allowing us to testify.

I am happy to answer any questions, and I will submit written testimony.

Thank you very much.

Portia Robertson Mikas.

Yeah.

Good morning.

And thank you for the opportunity to testify today, Chair Fruman.

My name is Portia Robertson Migus, and I'm the CEO of N Street Village, where we serve women in low barrier, transitional, and permanent supportive housing programs at six different locations across the city.

My women's housing provider counterparts and I represent the full continuum of care for women experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C.

To effectively address homelessness and prevent it from recurring.

It's essential that we invest in case management and other supportive services that target the root causes, including mental health, domestic violence, substance use, and economic instability.

Our greatest opportunity for effectively engaging a client is when there is a relationship with case managers, behavioral health professionals, and others who are embedded in our programs.

This service delivery model increases a woman's ability to access the resources that she needs.

Decisions around how we provide or how much we cut case management and other supportive services will impact outcomes for real people.

People like DeAndra Smith, who was 42 years old when she first came to Pat Handy Place for Women Emergency Shelter.

DeAndre says she was ready to die until she had the opportunity to engage with case managers, and she began to plan a future for herself.

DeAndra moved from low barrier shelter to permanent supportive housing at the village's flagship location.

She began working with our behavioral health professionals and focusing on her overall well-being.

In June, DeAndre will be graduating from the DHS Peer Case Management Institute, a program that trains individuals with lived experience to become case managers themselves.

In her own words, DeAndre's life has been transformed.

But this sort of progress through our system is not possible without the support of services.

These services can be as fundamental as helping women secure the IDs that are necessary for accessing benefits for employment and for moving forward.

And these services can be life-saving, helping a woman access critical physical and mental health care.

When the women we serve have housing paired with supportive services, they're far more likely to decrease their use of emergency health care systems to gain employment, and they're far more likely to remain housed.

Without wraparound services, women are more likely to cycle back into homelessness.

That's ultimately more costly in more ways than we can count.

So today I join my colleagues in respectfully urging the council to preserve funding for the full housing continuum along with funding for case management and other supportive services.

Thank you again for the opportunity to provide testimony, and we're happy to answer any questions.

Thank you very much.

Chris Thompson.

Good morning, Chairman Fremen.

Thank you for the opportunity to give testimony today.

My name is Chris Thompson.

I'm the CEO at Calvary Women's Services, and I'm also a Ward 6 voter.

I'm happy to be with my colleagues of women's housing providers today, who you're hearing from Calvary Women's Services, New Endeavors by Women, House of Ruth, Catholic Charities, and N Street Village.

Together, we provide safe housing and trauma-informed gender-specific services for women in DC.

We represent the full women's continuum.

With the community partnership, we are leading the 2026 women's needs assessment that will inform the priorities for women's housing in the new ICH strategic plan, Homer DC 3.0 that Kelly McShane noted earlier.

From the 2025 point in time count, we know that homelessness has increased for women, even it has even as it has decreased for men and families.

And half of the women who report domestic violence as the cause of their homelessness, which you have heard multiple times this morning.

Further cuts to the DHS budget will have a significant and tragic impact on the lives of women in our city.

At Calvary and among my colleagues, we know what it takes to end women's homelessness.

With case management, therapy, addiction recovery support, and employment services, women are empowered to end their homelessness for good.

Our transitional, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive houses serve women and domestic violence survivors.

Calvary depends on DHS funding for two of its programs, a 45-bed transitional housing program and a domestic violence PSH program, one of only two DV PSH programs in the city.

Today I stand with my colleagues to urge the council to reverse the drastic cuts to human services in the mayor's budget.

First, restore $34.6 million to DHS to preserve the full housing continuum.

As you've heard, that full continuum is what makes a difference for people in our city and is what will lead to the ending of homelessness.

This includes restoring $14 million to budget line H03003 and $153 to budget line H0304, which are homeless services general and homeless services individuals.

Second, I would ask that you reallocate the $3 million for a new bridge housing to help close the funding gap for existing services.

While creating new housing is important, it shouldn't happen at the expense of vital housing and services that are facing cuts, such as case management in our low barrier shelter system.

And finally, the DHS director has explained that one cost saving strategy includes reassigning domestic violence survivors in the domestic violence PSH programs that are operated by Calvary and House of Ruth to another PSH provider.

In doing so, these survivors will lose the specific domestic violence services, therapy, workforce development, and intensive case management that they currently receive and need to maintain housing stability.

I urge the council to restore 685 to budget line H03007, which is domestic violence line that includes the domestic violence PSH program, to restore 1.07 million to budget H03010, which also includes funding for the domestic violence PSH program, and to direct DHS to maintain the domestic violence PSH program with domestic violence housing providers who have the expertise to best serve survivors in our city.

Urge the council to make these housing and services a priority and recognize that they are vital infrastructure supporting the larger goal of economic growth and vitality in our city.

Thank you again for your leadership.

I will submit written testimony, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

And please, for all of you, please do submit the written testimony.

Your testimony is very specific, and so it would be helpful to have it on paper.

Some of this reassignment of vouchers, this is I I have not dialed in on that, so we wouldn't need to look at that, the reassignment of domestic violence vouchers.

On the forms issues, we have tracked this.

There's been a fair amount of back and forth encouraged to hear that there was a meeting yesterday, and we'll continue to track this issue and follow up on it.

Um the case management issues we need to dial in on uh as we're digging in on this budget, but thank you for elevating those things in your testimony.

So thank you to all of you.

None of these folks can do that.

Okay.

Umda Steptow.

Sandra Jackson.

Fatima Bahn Norisa.

Someone said that's not here today.

Okay.

Trisha Long.

Okay, Ms.

Steptoe, when you are ready.

Is it still morning?

Good morning, Chairman Freuman and committee.

My name is Wanda Stepto, and I'm the executive director of New Endeavors by Women.

And together with my colleagues from Calvary Women's Services, Catholic Charities, House of Ruth, and In Street Village, we represent the full women's homelessness services continuum.

Today I joined my colleagues in respectfully urging council to restore the $34 million to DHS to preserve the full housing continuum as well as reallocate funding for a new housing bridge housing program to help close the funding gap for existing housing service housing and services.

Together the entire women's homeless services continuum.

Our organizations have a combined 231 years of experience serving unhoused women in DC.

We asked that the council fully fund programs with a proven track record with proven track records as ours have has had with serving women.

Cuts would reduce and eliminate critical safety nets for residents who no longer have option, any options other than to return to the streets.

When new was opened our doors in 1988, it was a district that believed in the vision of a women's only transitional housing program.

They understood that programs dedicated to serving women are a critical piece of the housing service ecosystem and remain vital vital to ending homelessness for hundreds of women every year.

This need for excuse me, gender specific housing has only deepened.

Please excuse me.

Since 2021, the rate of women experiencing homelessness has increased almost five percent.

In 2017, a survey led by the community partnership examined the needs of women experiencing homelessness homelessness in DC and found that gender-specific women's housing programs was just as necessary as they were in 1988 when new first opened our doors.

According to the survey, 76 percent of the women surveyed indicated they were survivors of violence or threats of violence, and about one-third of women indicated that they were homeless because of gendered violence.

Also reported experiencing at least one act of violence against them during periods of homelessness.

Unhoused women have continued to advocate for gender-specific housing that helps them to feel safe, secure so they can focus on rebuilding their lives.

The mayor's proposed spending on non-gender bridge housing will limit the number of women willing and able to receive services.

Again, I asked the council to reallocate funding for new bridge housing to programs that exist in gender-specific housing and services.

We provide safety and stability that they need to learn critical skills such as increasing their education, improve the employment, and move on to permanent and other stability stable housing.

Our clients trust knowing knowing they are safe.

It's critical to six to the success of our programs.

Without this, women seeking shelter will have nowhere to feel safe, no place to find support and resources.

They will return to living on the streets, and there will be dire quant consequences to them.

To conclude, I respectfully ask council to restore DHS funding and reallocate new bridge housing funding to programs with proven outcomes.

Thank you again for your time and your leadership.

Thank you.

Ms.

Jackson.

Good morning, Chairman Fuman and members of the committee.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today.

My name is Sandra Jackson.

I'm the president and CEO of House of Ruth.

Since 1976, 50 years, we have empowered women, children, and families rebuild their lives and heal from trauma, abuse, and houselessness through a continuum of services.

Service enriched housing for both single women and women with children, a trauma-informed therapeutic child and family development center, a counseling center that offers free counseling to empower anyone who is a survivor of trauma and abuse and affordable housing for women and families who achieve their goals through hard work and supportive services and are ready to live independently and exit the system.

As you have already heard from my colleagues, Calvary Women's Services, Catholic Charities, Instreet Village and New Endeavors, we also make up the women's housing continuum.

Together, we provide safe housing and trauma-informed gender-specific services that empower women in the District of Columbia to end their houselessness.

We also, with the community partnership, as my colleagues spoke about, led the 20 or leading the 2026 women's needs assessment, which will assess the current needs of women and set priorities for women's housing in the new ICH strategic plan homeward DC 3.0.

The 2025 point in time count shows that women's houselessness has increased while decreasing for men and families, and over half of women report domestic violence as the main cause of their houselessness.

We know what it takes to end women's houselessness.

Case management services, multi-generational therapy, substance use recovery support, workforce and career development, and financial literacy.

Our organization depends on funding from DHS for transitional housing program and for women and an additional permanent supportive housing program for women who are domestic violence supporters, survivors.

House of Roof DV permanent supportive housing is one of only two PA PSH programs funded by DHS and specifically serving survivors of domestic violence and abuse at the hands of family or intimate partners.

These programs are critical for women, children, and families fleeing domestic violence who need a safe, ready place to go when they decide to leave a violent and abusive relationship, saving their lives and the lives of their children.

Today I concur with my women's housing providers' colleagues and urge the council to reverse the drastic cuts to human services in the mayor's budget.

I will provide uh my written testimony.

I won't go over all of the uh the numbers because they specifically were spoken about before.

Uh but I wanted to say that we urge the council to restore those budget items that are being cut.

Lastly, we collectively provide the safety net for women, children, and families in the District of Columbia.

It is critical that we ensure true partnership and collaboration with government.

We know how changes in one part of the system, and I'm glad you spoke about that, will impact another part of the system.

Child care subsidies, teacher pay equity, housing, and case management services.

Um we can share options for consideration.

My work in supporting women, children, and families succeed is valuable to the city because when women and families are healthy and thriving, they succeed and their children succeed.

When they are not, the impact on future generations is catastrophic.

We have witnessed transformation and progress because what works works.

Let's not go backwards and remove what we know works.

That is a price we cannot bear.

Thank you for your leadership, and I welcome any questions.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh hi, good morning.

Oh, your microphone.

There you go.

Hi, good morning, Councilman Fruitman.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify to testify today.

My name is Iman Noisa.

I live in Northeast DC.

I'm a mother to an incredibly smart son.

I'm also a domestic violence survivor and also a homelessness survivor.

I have been participating.

I have a participant.

There you go.

I've been I have been participating in the pro in the TANF program for about five years.

I'm also uh a student working to obtain my high school diploma still and working hard right now to build a career that will provide long-term stability for my family.

For my family, TANF is a vital life, a vital lifeline.

It fills in gaps that my income can't cover in an expensive city like DC.

I use these base I use these benefits for basics like utilities rent and even the high cost of laundry and uh and other expenses.

When it is consistent, it gives me mental space to focus on my school work and my son's education, rather than just worrying about survival.

Preparing for these upcoming budget cuts while trying to meet the tanned work requirements is incredibly challenging.

Being a single family being a single parent means limited support, which means I'm constantly balancing school parenting and program compliance.

We are already just scraping by.

If these benefits are reduced, it will be a direct direct to our stability and uh and the roof over our heads again.

My son is my joy and the reason I'm in school with these cuts.

It would take away from the stability that he needs to thrive.

It seems unfair that the city finds millions for projects like RFK stadiums while proposing cuts that leave families like mine on the financial cliff.

Leaving TANF is not just as simple as find the job.

I've had I have experienced how the financial cliff makes it nearly impossible to transition into the work into the workforce s safely.

I once worked a a job for one just one shift, and my benefits were cut immediately.

What and additionally, inconsistent DP DCPS schedules and the lack of child care for non-traditional hours makes it difficult to maintain stable maintain stable employment.

Nobody is looking to stay on a tandem forever.

We are ambitious, we are in school, we want to work, but we need a bridge, not a barrier.

Please consider reversing the cuts and invest in families who are the heart of the city.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you.

Uh Trisha Long.

Good morning, Chairperson Freeman.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Trisha Long, and I am director for policy and advocacy at DC Kin Care Alliance, and I am a Ward 3 resident.

Um DC Kincare supports the legal, financial and related service needs of relative caregivers who step up to raise DC children when their parents cannot do cannot do so due to many reasons, including detention and deportation, which is why I am testifying today to request full funding for the glee the CLEAR grant initiative.

It was completely omitted from the mayor's budget.

We understand uh the intent is to restore this funding through an errata letter, but that has not yet happened.

Um this funding is critical for DC families and cost beneficial to the district.

We are grateful for the $50,000 grant awarded to us for use during three quarters of this fiscal year.

Be assured we are using the funding efficiently and effectively, projecting we will help at least 100 DC families.

DC KinCare uses the funding to support and expand Project Stay, which provides legal services to DC immigrant parents to plan for a trusted person to care for their children in the event they are detained or deported.

We operate clinics where parents arrive scared and traumatized at the prospect of separation from their children.

With our pro bono team of attorneys, interpreters, and notaries, parents are guided through personalized legal documents, including powers of attorney and standby guardianships, ensuring guardians have the authority and support they need to care for their children.

Several of our partner DC nonprofits are also there to connect family to refor resources beyond which we can provide.

Parents leave with a binder of legal and practical documents, ensuring their children can be cared for by a trusted person who can enroll them in school, authorize medical care, and apply for benefits on their behalf.

This year we have conducted six legal clinics and provided legal safety planning representation to 47 parents across six wards.

We have trained over a hundred pro bono attorneys.

100% of our survey respondents report high satisfaction and said they would recommend our services.

Beyond clinics, we offer legal advice by phone and maintain interactive web pages where families can complete planning documents.

By helping parents plan ahead, we reduce the likelihood that DC will need to expend resources on foster care or other programs in the event of family separation.

Accordingly, we asked DC council to fund the CLEAR grant in FY 2027.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you very much.

Um for your testimony.

But and thank you for putting a personal face on the story and for the lovely reference to your very smart child, I think was the expression that you used.

The Nerata letter is a becomes a suggestion to the council, but we fully understand the gravity of the situation.

So and I think you may complete the roster of the women's housing advocates.

Thank you to the work of your organizations, House of Ruth, obviously a pillar in our community.

Thank you for all of the that you've done over the years and uh message received.

So thank you very much for coming out and testifying.

Joe Palka.

Elizabeth Homestead.

Sandra Benevente.

And Curtis Robinson.

Ah, great.

Okay, Mr.

Palka, when you're ready.

Thank you, Chairman Fruman and members of the committee virtually for allowing me to testify this morning.

My name is Joe Palka.

I've been a resident of D.C.

for 41 years.

I currently live in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Ward 3.

I retired in 2022 after a 30-year career as a science correspondent for NPR, and I still do the occasional freelance radio piece.

One of my activities in retirement has been to volunteer at the Foundry United Methodist Church ID Ministry.

We help people get the documents that are necessary to function in a modern society.

Documents like birth certificates, social security cards, ID cards.

Without these documents, it's hard to get a job.

It's hard, if not impossible, to get a bank account, enter many government buildings, or even buy an over-the-counter decongestion at CVS.

For most of us, getting or replacing these documents can be a pain in the neck, but it's rarely all that difficult.

By contrast, for the people we help at Foundry, the barriers are significant.

This is especially true for people experiencing homelessness.

Never mind the cost of replacing these documents cost by the way, which the church covers.

Many of the people who come to the church don't have a reliable mailing address, don't have a lease or rental agreement, don't have utility bills or mail from a government agency proving they are D.C.

residents.

The district government has recognized this problem and created the Social Services proof of residency form that can be used to get an ID.

But these forms can be maddenely maddeningly difficult to obtain.

One man I was helping told me he stood in line outside the downtown day services center for hours only to learn they had run out of forms and couldn't say for sure when more would be available.

That's a problem.

It's also a problem that formerly a person could only get one form every eight years.

Well, people who need the form frequently also live in circumstances where their IDs can be lost or stolen.

So they may need replacements more often than once every eight years.

I say that's formally the case because I understand that the policy has changed, and I hope so.

I also understand that DHS is working to find a place where victims of domestic violence can safely obtain the form.

That's an important step, and I congratulate the agency for doing that.

But as you heard from my colleague Jackie Wright, the most important thing DHS can do is to expand the number of places where the form is available, or at least make sure that the places that currently can distribute the form actually have them.

These forms are not a luxury, they're a necessity for people trying to get their lives together.

Thank you for your testimony.

Elizabeth Holmstead.

My name is Elizabeth Holmstead.

I'm resident three.

Oh, here, your microphone.

And I volunteer at the Foundry Methodist Church ID Clinic as well, where we assist over 2,000 unhoused and low-income DC residents each year in obtaining birth certificates, DC IDs, and replacement social security cards.

These documents are essential for accessing housing, employment, and basic financial stability.

Thank you to the Department of Human Services and the DMV for important recent progress, specifically making DC IDs free for those using proof of residency forms and not limiting how many forms an individual can receive.

We are looking forward to seeing these improvements fully in action.

We also appreciate DHS's efforts to ensure domestic violence survivors can access proof of residency forms safely.

At the same time, there is a need for additional women only access points for women who are not domestic violence survivors but still do not feel safe in mixed settings.

The most urgent issue we see is access for proofs of residency forms itself.

We see this at the ID clinic all the time, and our appointments are always full.

Young people, especially have no path forward without an ID.

They cannot get a job or open a bank account.

Older individuals cannot access their own funds.

I recently worked with a young man who had a job ready to start but could not be hired because he did not have an ID.

These individuals may not be sleeping outside, but they do not have an address they can use to prove that they are residents of the District of Columbia.

Right now, too many people must go to separate locations to get this form, even if they are already receiving services at trusted organizations like some or Georgetown Ministries.

That extra step creates serious barriers.

We respectfully ask DHS to expand the number of authorized agencies that can provide proof of residency forms, especially trusted providers already serving those individuals.

This is an administrative change within a powerful effect, and it would help thousands of DC residents move forward with dignity and independence.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Good morning, Chairperson Freeman.

My name is Sandra Venavente, and I'm a UDES advocacy manager.

As a nonprofit with 50 years of history of providing DC residents, many of them survivors of crime with legal, social and language access services.

Ayuda urges the council to commit to continued investment in both a clear program and the DHS domestic violence services funding line.

Today, immigrant families in DC face growing threats to their safety, health, and economic security.

In this environment, access to trusted, culturally competent legal and social services delivered in the language people understand is more critical than ever.

This is why clear funding is so essential.

Through CLEAR, a UTA provides full legal representation, brief services, know your rights presentations, and pro bono placements for DC residents seeking immigration relief.

Since the program began, we have provided full representation to 982 residents.

Even so, demand continues to far exceed capacity.

Each month, a UTAM has turned away eligible DC residents simply because resources are limited.

Clear funding also supports a UTAS Community Legal Interpreter Bank, which ensures language access for grantees.

In FY25, the interpreter bank facilitated 391 interpretation sessions and 400 or 43 document translations.

These services are critical.

Many clients have limited English proficiency, and without interpretation, they cannot meaningfully access legal help or participate in their cases.

As demand for services grows, language access needs are also increasing beyond available resources.

In addition to clear-funded work, Ayuda receives DHS domestic violence services funding to provide case management, counseling, and financial assistance to survivors, as well as prevention education in the community.

We are deeply concerned by the mayor's proposed 700,000 reduction to this funding line.

Domestic violence is rising across the district, particularly among communities that are already vulnerable and fe fear seeking help due to the federal enforcement and MPD's continued collaboration with immigrant immigration authorities.

DHS funding is essential to reaching these survivors and ensuring they can access safety and support.

We urge the council to restore the 700,000 to the DHS domestic violence services line.

Additionally, we join DCCADV in asking the Council to work with the coalition and DV providers to address and protect the specific program requirements and benefits of domestic violence service providers funded by DHS for FY27 in the future.

We also ask that you ensure that clear-funded is in clear funding is included in the final DHS budget at 3.5 million.

One grantee just mentioned the Arata letter.

We hope that we will underscore the importance of it remaining in the budget today.

Without it, families are left at risk of separation and instability.

Together, these programs make it possible for thousands of D.C.

residents to seek safety and build more secure futures.

We urge you to safeguard them.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you for your testimony.

Curtis Robinson.

Good morning, Councilman Foreman.

My name is Curtis Robinson.

I'm born and raised in Washington, D.C., true Washington.

I'm glad to share my test testimony with everyone.

Um I was a resident at 801 men's shelter for a year and a half.

And um at the time was no funding for rapid rehousing, so I had to do everything on my own, save my own money, and had to get resources to get aim higher to assist me with a job.

So now I'm an employee and I had to save my own money.

And when I went to the downtown day center and I asked them about rapid rehousing, they said it's been pause.

So I had to do everything on my own.

And um I saved money, got a job, and uh, as far as housing, I got I got my own housing in my own.

But I'm speaking here before um on behalf of the other homeless people that need help and that need, you know, um housing, um, food, things in that nature.

Um, is this the fact that you know what a you know, when the um budget cuts hit, um I was so you know I was concerned about the others, and I see them every day, you know, outside on the street, um benches and things like that.

Um I just want to um say that um as far as the budget cuts, please, please um reinstate the funding for PHS, uh rapid rehousing and uh other housing um programs.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your testimony and thank you.

Um we were together at the same time at the walk.

And uh and you told your story there in a very moving way.

Thank you.

Thank you for that.

You're welcome.

Uh Ms.

Uh Benevente, and we hear you on clear and the message about domestic violence has been loud and clear this morning as well.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Ms.

Holmstead and Mr.

Polka, great to see Ward 3 in the House.

Uh and thank you for explaining why it was your name was so familiar, Mr.

Pelka.

Uh a number of people have come forward to uh to talk about this ID issue.

It is one that we will continue to follow up on and the access for women at a sites at a specific site uh for them to get access to these forms.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Gabrielle Majewski, Leah Castellas, McKenna Osborne, and Molly Katchin.

Ms.

Bajewski uh when you're ready.

Uh good morning.

I'm standing in for Miss Miyoski today.

Um good morning, Councilmember Fruman, members of the council who are able to join us.

My name is Monica Palacio, and I am co-legal director uh for the DC Affordable Law Firm, also known as DCAF.

DC affordable law firm delivers free and accessible legal services to hardworking district residents to bridge the gaps in civil justice, delivering life-altering legal services that enhance the safety, security, and economic well-being of our neighbors across D.C.

As you will hear from us and many others today, funding provided through the clear grants administered by the Department of Human Services are essential to the continuation of these critical life-changing legal services.

As you are well aware, from any hardworking D.C.

residents, access to justice is out of reach due to household income, the very high cost of legal services, and the high demand for lawyers available to handle complex long-term administrative cases affected by federal policies and directives.

Clear funding is a key component in enabling us to deliver fully free legal services that help bridge the gap in the civil justice system and help clients attain safety, stability, and economic security while cultivating the next generation of public interest attorneys through robust training that cements careers in public interest, public service, and the core areas of law, which DCAF practices.

Although justice should be accessible to all, navigating our system often requires a lawyer because without such legal expertise, by their side, a person may have little chance of advocating for their needs and interests in a case that often dramatically impacts their lives.

Our clients at DC Affordable Law Firm receive free legal services because they earn just enough income, up to 400% of the federal poverty level, to disqualify them from other legal service providers.

For example, a single individual uh earning a hundred percent of the federal pottery level in the district earns $15,960 a year.

And four times that level would be $63,840 per year.

Given the high cost of living in our city and how expensive private attorneys can be, this means that many residents cannot afford someone to help navigate the very complicated civil justice system and its often overlapping areas of legal need.

Currently, nine out of ten low-income and modest income DC residents are forced to navigate complex legal proceedings alone, facing some of life's most serious challenges without a lawyer by their side.

For too many hardworking individuals facing life-altering legal challenges alone, not because their cases lack merit, but because the cost of counsel places justice just out of reach.

Eliminating the financial barriers that stand between a person being able to assert their legal rights with the benefit of skilled counsel standing alongside them in cases that can last upwards of six years alone.

This fiscal year, and I'll wrap it up pretty soon because I know the clock is ticking.

This fiscal year clear funding will directly subsidize the costs of 143 legal representations and 125 additional legal consultations with residents across DC, enabling DCalf to deliver more than 3,000 hours of free legal services to residents.

CLEAR grants funded our delivery of free legal services to 116 DC residents during the first half of this fiscal year, with DCalf serving multiple clients from every single ward in the city.

In closing, we want to express appreciation to our partners and the collective impact of the work we accomplish in aggregate.

We ask the council to continue funding for CLEAR because of the broader impact of this work.

When individuals have access to legal support, they are better positioned to maintain housing stability, support their families, and plan for the future.

In that way, access to legal services contributes to the overall strength and stability of our communities.

We appreciate the council's leadership in supporting CLEAR and respectfully and respectfully maintain this critical initiative so that organizations like ours can keep meeting the moment and meeting the needs of residents in the district.

Thank you again for your time and leadership, and we'll make sure to submit our written testimony today as well.

Thank you very much.

Good morning, Chairperson Freeman and staff.

My name is Leah Castlas.

I'm a senior policy attorney at Children's Law Center and co-lead the TANF is still a lifeline coalition.

At precisely the moment when a strong coordinated safety net is needed, the mayor's proposed budget includes no new housing vouchers for families, cuts the amount of cash assistance families receive through TANF, and significantly decreases funding for behavioral health behavioral mental health supports that children that help children learn and succeed.

My colleague McKenno will speak about the net loss of vouchers for district families experiencing housing insecurity, and I will focus on the reductions to TANF.

But before I turn to TANF, I want to highlight a positive from the proposed FY27 budget.

The BSA makes the truancy reduction pilot permanent.

However, the BSA does not specify if it lives in DHS.

We ask the committee to clarify during the government hearing if this will continue with DHS and to quite an inquire into necessary supports to ensure the program's success.

Now to TANF.

First and foremost, thank you to this committee and the council for delaying harmful TANF changes during FY26.

However, the time has come.

Beginning in fiscal year 2027, the district will implement implement three major cuts to TANF, NCOLA, reinstitute time limits, and increase sanctions.

The FY27 BSA proposes that instead of gradually setting stepping families down off their TANF benefits when they have received them for more than 60 months.

A family's TANF benefit will be zeroed out starting FY28.

DHS made this decision without allowing stakeholders to have a full understanding of the proposed changes to TANF.

Finally, the proposed FY27 budget makes CP cuts to TANF training and employment program while increasing sanctions for failing to comply with work requirements.

We have numerous concerns regarding these proposals.

First, there is no mention of the specifics for the hardship policy.

We remain unclear on what the hardship policy will be for TANF recipients and whether the agency is committed to transparency in developing these policies.

Second, we anticipate that the new TANF policies will face implementation barriers, ultimately causing the district to make significant investments in administrative costs to implement a harmful policy.

DHS is already a strained agency with a flawed computer system that often fails to process district residents' paperwork in a timely and accurate manner.

Third, DHS is endeavoring to impose such drastic cuts to TANF at a time when they will be already burdened by the logistics necessary necessary to implement the federal changes to SNAP and Medicaid under HR1.

This is a recipe for disaster from an administrative perspective.

Finally, the decision to implement changes to TANF are not data informed.

Will we appreciate the significantly more in depth performance oversight responses from this committee or questions from this committee?

The responses from DHS made clear the agency does not track data that would enable the agency to make to understand the realities of TANF.

These changes are rooted in budgetary needs, not in the actual needs of DC families.

Given these concerns, we asked the Committee on Human Services to restore funding to TANF in FY27 and reverse the proposed policy changes.

We cannot move forward policies that will have such negative effects on families when an agency is ill-informed and ill-prepared to take on these policies.

We would instead ask DHS to truly engage in partnership with stakeholders to create common sense policies for the benefit of district residents.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I welcome any questions you may have.

Thank you very much.

Ms.

Osborne.

Good morning, Chairperson Fruman and staff.

My name is McKenna Osborne.

I'm a senior policy attorney at Children's Law Center, resident of the district, and tenant in Ward 6.

I'm testifying today on behalf of Children's Law Center.

Childhood housing insecurity, experiencing homelessness, eviction, or forced moves, causes significant and lasting harm.

It's closely linked to adverse physical and mental health conditions, developmental delays, and lower educational engagement.

It's also linked to increased use of costly public services.

At a time when the amount of money the district has to spend is constrained, adequately funding the DHS programs that help families access and maintain stable housing, like our local vouchers, is one of the most cost effective investments the district can make in the well-being of our children and the DC community now and for years to come.

Unfortunately, the mayor's proposed budget does not include any funding for new vouchers for families, and because of two additional factors, the district is actually on track for a net loss of local vouchers in FY27, if not before the end of this fiscal year.

First, DHS has stopped turning over existing vouchers to new households when they are vacated and projects that in the current FY26 budget, they do not have the resources to rematch 326 PSH family vouchers that have turned over.

Second, DC received over 500 federal emergency housing vouchers via the American Rescue Plan and has been using them to pay the rental subsidy portion of local vouchers, including for 160 families in PSH.

Federal funding for those vouchers was supposed to go through 2030, but will now end in 2026.

DCHA has amended its administrative plan to add a preference for impacted families to receive federal HCBP vouchers.

However, that preference only applies if and when there are HCVP vouchers available.

And currently, DC's vouchers are fully leased.

So the preference is far from a guarantee.

We urge the committee to work with DHS, the Committee on Housing, and DCHA to assess what, if any local resources are needed in the FY27 budget and out years to ensure continuity in the rental subsidy for these families.

With no funding for new vouchers, let alone enough to maintain our existing stock, and no funding for new slots and other local rent local rent subsidy programs like DC Flex and a deep cut to ERAP.

Hundreds of families will be exited from rapid rehousing over the next year with no way to afford market rent.

And hundreds more will be stuck in lengthy shelter stays, which is harmful to children and costly for the district.

We urge the committee to prioritize funding new vouchers for families and to collaborate with the Committee on Housing to achieve the most efficient and effective distribution of funding across our rental subsidy programs so we can prevent as many DC children and families as possible from being evicted and becoming homeless.

Thank you, and I welcome any questions.

Thank you.

Ms.

Katchin's Good morning and thank you for this opportunity to testify.

My name is Molly Catchin, and I'm a supervising attorney in the housing unit at LegalAid DC.

I'm here to testify about the emergency rental assistance program.

ERAP is one of the most effective tools the district has to keep individuals and families in stable housing and prevent eviction.

In our landlord tenant practice, legal aid sees firsthand that ERAP funds are frequently the difference between housing stability and homelessness.

The mayor's proposed 2027 ERAP budget does not come close to meeting the need for rental assistance.

On average, households who need ERAP assistance require a little more than $7,000 to regain housing stability.

The mayor's current budget would provide assistance for fewer than a thousand families.

This is woefully inadequate given the historically high need for ERAP across the district.

That number also doesn't include administrative costs from the program, so the assistance available is likely less than that.

Evictions in the district are increasing with 2025 reaching record high levels.

Council must dedicate more funding to ERAP to protect low-income tenants from eviction and displacement during emergencies.

In addition to adequately funding ERAP legally has suggestions to improve the program's administration.

First, DHS must improve the ERAP application process and ensure it's accessible to tenants when they need it.

The current ERAT system is structurally inaccessible to many tenants.

This has been true for many years, but was unquestionably apparent during the November 2025 ERAP cycle.

DHS must find a more equitable way to administer ERAP and must be more transparent for its plans for opening ERAP in the future.

Council must also ensure that ERAP has sufficient funds so that the program can run all year long, and a tenant's ability to seek assistance does not depend on the time of year your eviction is scheduled.

Second, DHS must issue updated regulations.

These regulations should address the changes in the law and ensure consistency across ERAP providers.

The regulation should also set timelines for the processing and payment of EREP applications.

The Council must invest in long-term affordable housing solutions for D.C.

residents.

The need for ERAP will always depend on the investments the district and this council is willing to make in deeply affordable permanent housing.

Low-income tenants are often one emergency away from housing instability.

Car maintenance issues or medical costs quickly become emergencies that affect the ability to pay rent.

In these situations, ERAP is a crucial tool to keep families housed.

Reforms to ERAP alone will not address the root causes of the district's housing crisis.

We urge council to focus on making investments in preserving affordable housing and funding housing vouchers for individuals and families.

We know council cares deeply about preventing evictions and stemming displacement, and we appreciate council working with us to ensure that ERAP is adequately funded and available to tenants who need it.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I'm available for any questions.

Thank you for your testimony.

The level of EREP investment is one issue.

The operation of the ERAP program is another set of issues and hear you loud and clear on both of those.

Having adequate housing for our lowest income residents is an even bigger issue, and I uh hear you on that, and thank you for your testimony on it.

Um, Ms.

Osborne, I don't know if you listened to the administrative meeting where I tried to lay out exactly what you were talking about.

I mean, we are not in other years.

The question has been how many new vouchers will we have?

And this year the question is how many will we lose?

And that number, depending on lots of different things, uh could be between one and two thousand.

It's a lot.

So hear you and try thank you for elevating it.

I tried to elevate it for my colleagues.

I think for many of them, they're all focused on each of their committees, and so uh it was news, and I think news that is in the process of uh being digested.

Um uh Ms.

Castela's uh on truancy, and maybe this is a moment to kind of give a heads up to the agency who is here and listening to all of the testimony also, at which I think we should give them credit for that.

Um the truancy pilot with the data that we're seeing, I'm gonna be asking for an explanation for where the impact is and how big the impact is, because everybody wants to do something about truancy, and so it's it's a little it's nervous making to think about tampering with something in the truancy space, but it also things have to work, and so we need to all look at that data.

And if a thing we were trying isn't having the impact, maybe there's something different we should be trying.

So just uh heads up on that.

On the hardship policy and input, and I think the TANF working group, the agency brought together a lot of people, a lot of conversation in it.

I thought a very constructive conversation in that process.

We have not seen the report, which will reflect their takeaways from that, and we should hopefully we will see it soon.

So I think the jury is still out on whether or not we there's been a collaborative process around the hardship policy and what we see reflected in that in that working group report.

Uh Ms.

Palacio uh hear you loud and clear, unclear.

Uh also uh when someone from the DC affordable uh law firm comes forward, I feel a little uh nervous because as you know, we poached our committee director, Dan Passon from maybe this is a moment to just appreciate my team.

I mean, I think Dan has done a phenomenal job.

We and Ella and Emily also uh this last year was a giant challenge.

This year is a bigger challenge.

I think we should all be grateful that we have Dan and Ella and Emily in place because we're gonna do the best we can uh partly to the detriment of the DC Affordable Law Firm.

So thank you for your testimony.

Uh Jessica Berger.

Gillian Workman.

Gauche.

And Amatula Shabazz.

Okay.

And when you are ready, Jessica.

Good morning, Chairman.

Staff.

Uh, my name is Jessica Berger, and I'm a supervising attorney in the public benefits unit of Legal Aid DC.

Legal Aid is a proud member of the Fair Budget Coalition and of the coalition TANF is still a lifeline.

Today, we are seeing the largest attack on the safety net in decades.

And while most benefit cuts are due to federal changes, the cuts to TANF set to take effect in October are entirely district-led.

They can and must be reversed.

Additionally, DHS must be adequately funded to make sure implementation of federal changes does the least harm to district residents as possible.

I will be speaking about both of these issues today.

Legal aid urges the council to preserve the TANF cost of living adjustment, which would cost $5 million, reverse the imposition of harsher work sanctions at a cost of $2 million 35,584, rescind the reinstatement of time limits at a cost of 12.8 million dollars.

We also ask that if TANF cuts go forward, a hardship policy is included in the Budget Support Act, which currently it is not, that council increase funding to ESA so that they have the resources to implement all of the federal changes to public benefits.

And we ask that the council reject the mayor's proposed elimination of TANF in fiscal year 2028 for people subject to time limits.

First, the cuts to TANF will be devastating for district families.

Under current law, all TANF benefit amounts will remain stagnant through fiscal year 2030 despite the rising costs in the district.

This will quickly erode the purchasing power for people already living in deep poverty at 35% of the federal poverty level.

People will be unable to afford groceries, food, or diapers.

Time limits will harm as many as 8,000 households, the overwhelming majority of whom are people of color.

Only one percent of TANF recipients identify as white.

These cuts cannot come at a worse time.

People are also at risk of losing their SNAP benefits, Medicaid, and they won't have access to child the child care subsidy.

Where are these families to go?

How will they make ends meet?

This won't save money.

We will be paying for these costs for years to come as more people experience homelessness, hunger, and need more support.

Finally, the planning surrounding these cuts have been haphazard.

Most TANA families have no idea the cuts are coming.

DHS hasn't even defined a hardship policy, let alone come with a plan to implement one before October.

The TANF cuts will be catastrophic and must be diverse, must be reversed.

Turning to DHS's budget more generally, the proposed budget is unconscionable.

DHS does not is not meeting its current obligations.

We have one of the highest snap air rates in the country, slow processing times, high call center wait times, and unlawful benefit reductions and terminations.

Now the mayor proposes slashing DHS's budget further at a time when DHS's job will be more complex with the implementation of work requirements, immigration eligibility changes, plus TANF cuts if they go forward.

The proposed budget fails to account for these changes and provides DHS with less support when it needs more.

In conclusion, we recognize that the district is in a particularly difficult budget year, but this budget will inflict an unbearable burden on the backs of families who have the least resources to weather this storm.

This is not in line with district values.

We ask that the council be a champion for district residents and reverse the October TANF cuts, reject the mayor's proposal for further cuts next year, and provide adequate support and funding for DHS's ESA department to better serve district residents.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I will be submitting written testimony later today or tomorrow, and I welcome questions from the council.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Jillian Workman.

Good morning, Chairperson Freeman and staff, and thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Jelene Workman, and I am a staff attorney within the immigration law unit at Legal Aid DC.

I'm here today to speak about the critical importance of clear funding and the impact that it has on the DC residents that we serve.

Legal AIDS Immigration Unit began as a project in 2018 and became a unit in 2024.

Clear funding is integral to our operation as it supports our staff of five attorneys and one paralegal.

Despite constant new challenges and a changing legal landscape, we remain open for intakes and we continue to take full representation cases in a wide range of humanitarian areas, including deportation defense.

We also staff a once-monthly clinic at a local charter school and provide several know-your rights presentations annually to the DC community.

In 2025 alone, we conducted 500 immigration intakes, a 39% increase from 2024.

And since the current CLEAR grant period began, we have conducted 248 immigration intakes.

With clear funding during the first two quarters of this grant, we have taken on 68 full representation cases for DC residents.

We are on track to exceed our previous metrics, serving even more DC residents in need.

In the last two years, we've doubled in size and we've increased the scope of our representation to include removal defense and naturalization in direct response to a need that we saw from the community for free legal services in this area.

Rapidly changing regulations, the erosion of due process, and heightened immigration enforcement have made it significantly more difficult for the most vulnerable non-citizens, including children, survivors of domestic violence, and victims of human trafficking to access legal protection.

At the same time, we are seeing a rise in increasingly complex cases that demand new legal strategies, including advocacy in federal court.

As we've seen, DC residents unlawfully detained.

We have undertaken habeas litigation and are expanding the scope of our representation to build expertise in mandamus actions and district court appeals, ensuring we are prepared to meet the growing challenges our clients face.

We were only able to pivot and respond because we have access to the CLEAR grant, which helps to fund a portion of our team.

With our help, Mateo was released from detention.

Even with clear funding, the immigration unit is still underfunded, which makes it even more difficult to take on long-term cases, which can last anywhere between two to eight years on average.

Without stable clear funding, we would have to drastically reduce staff, significantly reducing our ability to take on as many full representation cases.

We urge the council to ensure a robust restoration of clear funding in the 2027 budget.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Critique Ghosh.

Good afternoon, Chair Prison Furman committee and staff.

My name is Krithika Ghosh, and I'm here as the executive director of the Asian Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project, also known as DVRP.

We have uh the DVRP is a survivor-led culturally specific organization serving API survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in the district for over 30 years.

We have been providing safety planning, case management, peer support, and language accessible services to survivors who often have nowhere else to turn to.

DVRP has a small but mighty team of eight full-time staff members.

Last year we served 240 survivors and provided outreach and education to over 500 community members across the district through 150 workshops.

I'm here as a grantee of DHS, speaking about the importance of funding culturally specific organizations such as ours.

DHS currently funds us with a grant of 184,500 in funding for fiscal year 26 to provide education and outreach services to our community to stop or prevent and stop domestic violence, intimate partner violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other conditions that are related to violence against our community members.

The funding supports our Rainbow Connections project, which is a culturally specific outreach for API and LGBTQ plus survivors.

Through this work, we train community members and provide providers in trauma-informed care, convene queer care circles for API queer and trans survivors, produce survivor-led multilingual zines, and build networks of culturally competent support to our volunteer to survive our matching mending circle program.

Our model is rooted in community leadership, guided by survivors in their own languages and lived experience.

Through this program, we reached out to over 200 community members and uh survivors already in this year.

The need for this work is urgent.

Um statistics show that 21 to 55 percent of API women in the U.S.

report experiencing intimate partner physical and sexual violence in their lifetime.

Um API and queer survivors experience additional barriers, immigration status concerns, language access challenges, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and deep cultural stigma around discussing abuse.

DVRP is the only organization in DC providing survivor-centered culturally and linguistically specific DV services for API queer and survivor trans survivors.

Our um work occupies a much needed space in the GBP ecosystem in the district.

We're also survivor run and led, use a trauma-informed lens in our work and provide services in multiple API languages.

We've built community trust and recognition through our um programs.

Despite being significantly, you know, DKS is an invite investment in culturally specific community-based programs such as ours demonstrates recognition that a one-size-fits-all approach does not meet the need of survivors.

This funding is critical to our work as we have recently lost federal funding that is specific to organizations serving immigrant refugee services and communities.

We have also received emails from the um DHS to consider um budget cuts of up to 30% in our budget moving into next year, which is really um you know unfortunate, and we hope that this can be something that can be reversed.

Um, we also ask for 685,000 to be restored to the DV services line in the DHS budget.

This will bring the funding uh for the FI27 level to the current level of funding we have in FY26.

And we know that this will still not be enough to meet the need of survivors.

We also asked that the council work with the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and DV providers such as ours to address and protect the specific program requirements and benefits of DV services providers funded by DHS for FI27 and the future.

Um, our our DVRP's work aligns deeply with DHS's missions through projects like Rainbow Connections and our mending circle program.

We're building not just services but community accountability and collective care.

And thank you for your time, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Uh Ms.

Shabazz.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Fruman and members of the committee.

My name is Anma Sula Shabez, and I am the director of program and operations and reporting at my sister's place.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My sister's place is the longest surviving domestic violence organization in the District of Columbia.

Since 1979, we've supported survivors and their children towards safety and stability.

Through DHS funding, we operate two 90-day emergency shelters, our RAS Transitional Housing Program, Resilient Futures Aftercare Program, and we offer workforce development and financial education, coaching.

A mother may come to us trying to protect her child while figuring out where they'll sleep that night.

A family may need shelter, transportation, counseling, and housing support all at once.

These aren't abstract needs.

They're the daily rela, excuse me, they're the daily realities of survivors in our community.

Just this past quarter, our hotline received 167 contacts for help.

Last fall, our team completed nearly 200 safety plans with survivors.

Right now, 26 survivors are waiting for shelter, and more calls are coming in every day.

Beyond every number is a person making one of the hardest decisions of their lives.

One of those calls could be someone like the mother who came to us after seeing a bench that read, if you need help, call this number.

She was ashamed, but she called.

Someone answered and provided the resources she needed.

Safety, stability, hope for the future.

Today she's a public notary, offering her services free to other women in our programs.

She came to us to receive support.

Now she gives back to her MSP sisters.

The story she's writing for herself, for her children, and for this community is a different one than the one that brought her to our door.

That is what sustained investment in survivors makes possible.

According to the 2025 DC Pit Count, 48% of adults in homeless families have a history of domestic violence.

And 77% say it led to their homelessness.

Without safe housing and support, survivors face an impossible choice, homelessness or returning to an abuser.

No survivor should have to make that choice.

The proposed 20% cut to domestic violence services will be felt by real people.

Make no mistakes.

When funding is cut, the need doesn't disappear.

What disappears is access to safety, shelter, and the trusted services survivors and their children in DC rely on.

We ask the council to restore the 685,000 cut to the domestic violence services line, bringing FY27 funding back to the FY26 level, and to go further, expanding investment in the services survivors need.

Domestic violence doesn't happen in one home alone.

It shapes the safety and future of entire families and generations.

When we invest in survivors, we are changing the story for children for families and for generations to come.

Thank you for your time and commitment to survivors.

I'm happy to answer any questions or provide additional information.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Thank you.

And thank you, Ms.

Gush, for your testimony.

We have heard a lot about domestic violence survivors and the great stories like the one that you told in the particular API world.

I don't know that we've heard it in the same way, so thank you for elevating that.

Clear, share your urgency, and the TANF issues that we said around the same circle.

So thank you very much for your testimony and your work.

I mean that's a reference to TANF working group that we work both on.

Uptake, Lamonica Jones, Lydia Gergese.

Okay.

Uh Sophia, when you are ready.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Kimberly Holmes, and I am actually testifying in behalf of Sophia.

Um thank you for this opportunity.

Again, my name is Kimberly Holmes, and I am a proud Ward 8 now Ward 4 resident.

I'm also someone who has been directly impacted by this very system and services by we're discussing today.

Over the past year, I experienced housing instability due to unsafe living conditions.

Despite raising concerns, the system in place did not provide the level of support that I needed to ensure stability at that time.

As a result, I became fully financially responsible for the security of safe housing for my niece and myself.

During this period, I developed I depleted my savings, my 401k, covering the cost of hotels and temporary stays, just to keep a roof over our heads.

It was not a matter of convenience, but as a survival.

And that's not just a unique story.

Every single day, hundreds of families across the district walk into the DHS seeking help.

There are mothers, children, caregivers, people doing their best by facing real economic hardship.

Cutting the DHS budget, specifically, housing programs will not reduce the need, but it will only increase instability.

What I have seen, both personal and through my work through the community, that DHS has already been making efforts to improve programs like the BHS and the DC Flex, for an example of internal shifts towards better financial management.

While still supporting families, there are there has been some movement towards accountability and stability.

So instead of cutting resources, I urge you to consider strengthening what we already are working with.

What we need is stability, funding for housing programs, continued program innovation and oversight, a pathway that both supports family and promote long-term financial independence.

Because when families are stabilized, they can work, contribute, and grow.

But when we well, when the support is removed too soon, it it creates a cycle that is much harder and more expensive to fix later.

I stand here today, just not as a resident, but as someone who has lived this reality.

DHS programs help me regain stability.

They gave my niece and me a chance to rebuild.

Please do not take the opportunity away from other families.

Thank you for this opportunity, and we can and continue your services.

Thank you.

Sonia Deshmuk.

Oh, and here's my block for housing.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Chairman Freeman.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to provide testimony today.

My name is Dr.

Sayyid Tadeshmuk.

I am a pediatric resident physician in the DC area.

And today I'm speaking on behalf of the DC chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

First and foremost, we would like to thank you for your continued leadership in protecting SNAP benefits, this budget cycle for families in the district.

Your commitment to preserving access to nutrition is a direct investment in the health and long-term health outcomes of children.

Today I am here to support your efforts to maintain SNAP benefits and to ask that consistency of benefits and eligibility programs like Give SNAP a raise and administrative rules that establish efficiency in recertification for SNAP continue to be a priority in FY 2027.

As a pediatrician, I know that food insecurity impacts child health.

I remember a five-year-old girl who was brought into the hospital one evening in her pajamas because she could not walk.

She was found to have critically low blood levels of good nutrition, which included vitamin D.

Over the next few days, I learned that her mom had lost access to benefits and was facing difficulty in re-enrolling, which led to difficulties accessing food for several months.

Mom herself would go several days with days without eating just to feed her daughter.

Food was the medicine that would prevent further impacts on her growth and development.

I have also led research studies on food insecurity in DC and in the DMV.

One of our most striking findings was that half of our new parents were experiencing food insecurity.

These struggles would go beyond missing meals.

I had one mother who had not brought her baby to over half of her newborn appointments.

She shared during her visit that she often made the difficult decision of putting food on the table instead of paying for the transportation fees to come to her child's appointments.

Enrolling her in SNAP and WIC benefits made sure that I could subsequently see this family in clinic for their two and four-month-old visits.

Stories like these are why SNAP is so important in this city.

We know that years of health research supports access to SNAP.

Children enrolled in SNAP are 30% less likely to experience food insecurity and less likely to have adverse physical and mental health outcomes.

The benefits of supporting SNAP outweigh the costs of food insecurity has on the health care system.

Children who use SNAP utilize the emergency department up to seven times less than children who qualify but are not connected to SNAP.

There's also strong research to support that this is truly an investment.

Children enrolled in SNAP are four times less likely to be food insecure as adults.

Studies also show that SNAP can save up to 1500 per person per year on low-risk patients.

Again, we thank you for your continued efforts to support SNAP.

We ask that this budget cycle that full SNAP benefit funding as well as funding for initiatives like Give SNAP a raise, as well as the funding for administrative roles that make sure that there's efficiency in providing SNAP enrollment benefits as well as recertification are at the front lines.

Thank you so much for your time today, and I welcome any questions.

Thank you for your testimony.

Greetings, Chairperson Fruman, members of the committee and staff.

My name is LaMonica Jones.

I serve as a director of DC Hunger Solutions, a district-wide nonpartisan nonprofit organization working to end hunger in the nation's capital.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony today on the Department of Human Services FY27 budget.

First, I would like to applaud the district for taking decisive action to protect residents by advancing legislation to implement chip enabled EBT cards and for investing $2 million in the FY27 budget to support this transition.

This commitment reflects a clear understanding of the growing threat of EBT theft and urgent needs to modernize benefit issuance.

Second, as the district moves forward in the FY27 budget, it faces significant federal policy changes that will materially affect how residents access public benefit programs.

As the district implements SNAP time limits for the first time in more than two decades, the need for sufficient administrative funding becomes critical.

Without it, DHS will not have the capacity to process applications and recertifications in a timely manner, train staff on new federal requirements, or maintain the level of case support needed to ensure compliance and continuity of benefits.

It will also limit the ability to properly screen and connect food and secure residents to assistance.

As a CBO supporting outreach efforts for families and households in the district, our work helps residents understand eligibility rules, complete SNAP applications, and navigate recertification.

This support is especially vital for older adults, individuals with limited English proficiency, residents with disabilities, and those experiencing housing insecurity.

Sustained investment in SNAP administrative costs ensure that residents are connected to the benefits they qualify for, ultimately strengthening the district's broader efforts to reduce food insecurity and uphold the effectiveness of SNAP.

Ensuring full funding of administrative costs also has clear downstream effects on the district's broader food system.

SNAP is one of the most reliable drivers of food purchasing power in local economies, with benefit redemptions in upwards of 160 million dollars in the district.

When that stability is weakened, grocery retailers, especially small and independent stores already operating on thin margins, face greater revenue volatility and increased financial risk.

Reduced SNAP participation or interrupted benefits can contribute to declining store viability, reduced inventory, and in some cases, store closures.

Over time, this weakens food retail infrastructure and deepens barriers to healthy food access.

Finally, ensuring full matching funds for summer EBT or Sunbooks in the FY27 budget is essential for maintaining stable and reliable summer nutrition support for DC's children.

SunBucks provides a critical bridge for families during the months when school meals are not available.

The district must ensure dedicated local matching funds to not only draw down the federal matching allocation but also to sustain program operations, outreach, and benefit delivery during the summer months.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Um Lydia Gurgese.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Lydia Gergis.

I and I am the manager of InSIC at the District Alliance for Safe Housing known as Dash.

Thank you to the committee, Mayor Bowser, Director Pierre, and the D and the DHS staff for your current support for home of homelessness and victim services.

Dash is one of the district's largest dedicated safe housing provider for underserved survivor of domestic and sexual violence.

Dash is a vital lifeline ensuring that all survivors have access to safety, dignity, and the resources they need to rebuild their lives.

Dash partnership with DHS began in 2015, and through this partnership, DASH training and technical assistance program has had outstanding successes in improving access systems and services for survivors in the district.

In physical year 25, DASH provided 44,123 safe nights for 186 survivors needing a safe place to call home.

Our ANTIC team also served 984 adults and 1,462 children, including through thorough our partnership with DHS at the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center.

In addition, DASH provided more than 100,000 dollars in requests for our survivor resiliency funds, which provide flexible financial assistance to help survivors eliminating deaths or cover expenses that would otherwise endanger their housing or safety.

This year we're on track to more than double this level of assistance due to unprecedented demand.

In physical year 26, Dash training and technical assistance grant was cut by four 40% while DHS introduced new requirements including mandatory physicians and expanded responsibility to comply with these requirements while absorbing a significant funding reduction.

To comply with these requirements while absorbing a significant funding reduction, Daesh was forced to eliminate several intake teams positions, significantly reducing our capacity to meet the growing demand for services.

As we prepare for fiscal year 25, Dash, like many other service providers under severe strain, rising cost of living, a deepening affordable housing crisis, and persistently high unemployment are contributing to increased rates of domestic violence and homelessness.

We are seeing this play out in real life in real time as more survivors seek support and fewer resources are available to meet their needs.

There has been a more critical moment to invest in victim services and housing.

Instead, the proposed physical year 25 budget, including widespread cuts across victim services, access to justice, domestic violence services, and family services, furthers training a system that is already stretched beyond capacity.

Those cuts will catastrophic especially for survivors of color.

Over 90% of the individuals Dash serves are people of color, and these cuts will disproportionately impact them, compounding the systematic barrier to safety and stability they already face.

We understand that difficult choices need to be made, and we stand with the victim access network and DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence in urging the council to continue investing in Survivor to protect the district's most vulnerable.

We urge you to reverse the proposed $685 cut and fund GHS domestic violence services at $3.299 million to maintain FY service level of FY26 service levers, those survivors who come to us can access the support they need.

Thank you again for the opportunity to test.

And thank you for your testimony and domestic violence survivors and support for domestic violence survivors.

It's been a very clear theme.

Thank you also for your personal testimony about your experience.

I mean, it is a actually it's a I'm glad that it happened, but it's it's striking that we're three and a half hours into the hearing, and this is really the first time that we heard a real focus on SNAP.

Um obviously very important priority.

There's a lot that's happened in the food space in this budget that we need to be addressing.

The Food Policy Council is defunded in this um in this budget.

These are really really important issues.

Nutrition, you know, you can't learn if you're if you're hungry, all kinds of things that we need to address.

I actually personally also uh my predecessor, Mary Che was a real leader in this area and built a lot of the infrastructure that now feels like it's being dismantled.

So I have I feel a personal obligation to her to try to be a defender of that infrastructure.

Thank you for coming forward with your testimony.

Uh alummy a kin quo.

I'm sure I got that wrong, but you'll help me.

Uh Kubay Nagade.

Eduarda Seraphim.

Bruce Finland.

Uh Bianca.

Oh, wait.

No.

Yep, here we are.

All right, thank you very much.

And me when you are ready.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Fritz uh Fruman and members of the committee.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Olubumia Kingquobo, and I am the chief program officer at Dash.

Domestic violence remains a widespread and deeply harmful issue affecting people in every community, regardless of age, income, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or nationality.

Rising costs of living, a deepening affordable housing crisis, and persistently high unemployment, are contributing to increases in domestic violence across the district and the country, not only in volume, but in severity and lethality.

Here in the district, domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness, and many survivors are left with an impossible choice, remain in an abusive situation, or leave with nowhere to go.

In the face of this ongoing crisis, Daesh serves as a vital lifeline, providing survivors with the safety, stability, and support they need to escape abuse and rebuild their lives on their own terms.

Dash values our long-standing collaboration with THS, but this year we sustained almost 470,000 in cuts to our DHS grants, more than a quarter of our fiscal year 25 DHS funding.

We currently receive two DHS grants, the DV Youth Transitional Housing Grant, which supports our scattered site, right to Dream program for 20 transitioning youth survivors aged 18 to 24, and the training and technical assistance grant, which enables support of more than 2,000 survivors and children annually, and allows DASH to train and support DHS teams at the intersection of domestic and sexual violence, ensuring survivors access life-saving resources.

Despite the essential role that these programs play, continued underfunding puts the core services we deliver in partnership with DHS in serious jeopardy heading into fiscal year 27.

Right to Dream has been flat funded since fiscal year 23, with the requirements to serve the same number of participants, even as the economic environment has grown increasingly challenging with the rising costs for housing, staffing, and basic needs.

In fiscal year 27, youth homelessness services is facing a 2.25 million reduction with an estimated 6% reduction to our right to dream grant.

For the youth survivors Dash SERS, this means fewer supports and pathways to stability at their most vulnerable moments.

The training and technical assistance grant also faces funding uncertainty, despite being cut more than 40% this year.

This funding isn't a luxury.

It's essential to ensuring the safety of thousands of survivors in the district each year.

We understand the financial challenges the city is facing, and we stand with the Victim Assistance Network and the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and join DC Action in urging council to continue investing in survivors and protect the district's most vulnerable.

We urge you to restore domestic violence services to 3.299 million and reverse cuts to youth homelessness services, so programs like Right to Dream and Training and Technical Assistance will continue without disruption.

Our sincere thanks to the chair to Chairperson Fruman and the entire committee, Mayor Bowser and Director Pierre for your concurrent support of housing and homelessness services.

Thank you again for the opportunity to provide this testimony.

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you very much.

Uh Kubay.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you today, Chairperson Ferman.

I am Kubain Gade, President and CEO of Dash.

Also serve as the co-chair of the Victim Assistance Network Policy and Advisory Committee, and as a proud um DC Access to Justice Commissioner.

Join my colleagues in thanking the committee, Mayor Bowser, Director Pierre, and the entire DHS team for your ongoing leadership and partnership.

Your support matters deeply to all of us working every day to keep survivors safe, as you've heard time and time again this morning.

But I once again sit before you to be clear about what the data and the budget tell us.

Reductions in investment in our safety net are eroding and destabilizing the systems that support survivors, even as demand continues to grow.

We recognize the fiscal challenges before the district, and I want to be clear.

Across our network, organizations like Dash have already taken steps to reduce costs to streamline operations and to improve efficiency.

But achieving savings on the backs of our most vulnerable is short-sighted and ultimately will be more costly in lives and in public resources.

Doing more with less, as you've heard us say, is not a sustainable strategy, especially for a continuum of care led largely by black and brown leaders and serving black and brown communities that have long shouldered a disproportionate burden without equitable investment.

The proposed cuts to DHS's budget, coupled, as you've heard on the domestic violence services line and the youth services line, coupled with DHS's plan to move survivors in the DVPSH program to non-DB specific providers, meaning that survivors will lose access to specialized services like therapy, workforce development, and intensive case management that are critical to maintaining housing stability every year.

We come before the committee and the council with the same data.

According to the district's own point-in-time count, domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness in the district.

Yet the services that are in DHS that are designed to address this represent less than one percent of DHS's housing and family services budget.

And those cuts, those that um percentage is now proposed to be cut by another 21%.

And this is not happening in isolation.

Survivors rely on a broader safety net, as you've heard, to stay to get and stay safe safe, including housing assistance like ERAP and basic supports like SNAP, like you've heard about in TANF, and so much more.

The mayor's proposed budget reduces funding across the entire system, cutting off pathways out of homelessness at multiple points.

As you've heard from my colleagues, Lydia and Olubumi, these cuts compound harm.

They are destabilizing for survivors and they are overwhelming the very systems that council and the entire city and all of us on the ground have worked so hard to build.

And yet we know what works.

You heard that from the women's providers.

The domestic violence response system, it is proven, and we know that this cuts will put the system at risk.

Taken together, we are prepared to fail if we go forward as planned, because we will reduce both the entry points and the exits for survivors seeking safety.

A statement is a but is a budget is a statement of priorities.

And the proposed budget makes clear that access to safety is not being fully prioritized, even as survivors are turning to us with nowhere else to go.

We urge and call on council to stand with us and to stand with survivors.

Restore the domestic violence services line by no less than 3.2 million, 3.299 million, restore the transitional housing youth line by no less than 12.563 million, maintain permanent supportive housing for families at no less than 61.413 million, and ensure that survivors in the domestic violence BSH program remain with domestic domestic violence service providers so that they can continue access to the services they need to stay safely housed.

We are proud to stand with you.

We know that you have a difficult time ahead of you.

We are um we stand ready to advocate in whatever way possible, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Uh Edward Seraphim.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Freeman, members of the committee and council staff.

My name is Edwards Seraphim, and I am the solidarity organizer at DC Jobs of Justice.

We are a coalition of labor, faith, student, and community organizations dedicated to building an economy that works for everyone.

As proud members of the Fair Budget Coalition, we seek a budget for care and sustainability which requires equitable revenue raisers to adequately fund the safety net.

The proposed cuts to DC's TANF program represent a devastating reversal of our city's commitment to ending child poverty.

For 15,000 children across the district, these changes would slash a family of three's monthly support from $803 to a mere $201, an impossible amount for covering rent, diapers, and bus fare in one of the most expensive cities in the nation.

While programs like SNAP provide food assistance, TANF is the only lifeline for basic cash needs to prevent eviction.

Without full funding, we are knowingly inviting an increase in child hunger, truancy, and homelessness at a time when evictions are already at a 10-year high.

We urge the DC Council to fully fund TANF by dedicating 106 million dollars over the next three years.

This investment is essential to ensure that landmark achievements like the child tax credit can actually help families thrive rather than simply acting as a stopgap for the erosion of our city's core cash assistance.

The need for a robust safety net extends directly into housing.

Last year's failure by DHS to provide ERAP to community members in need indicates exactly how critical and underfunded this program is.

DC Jobs with Justice understands that the underlying issue is that there is far more need for rental assistance than there is funding available.

ERAP must be funded with at least 100 million dollars, and those funds should be used to ensure the application process is both equitable and accessible.

An emergency rental assistance program that is only open for applications one day per year is an institutional failure.

Emergencies do not follow the calendar or the schedule that DHS determines.

This poor administration means more people will go unhoused and experience the trauma of eviction unnecessarily.

Fully funding ERAP with 100 million dollars and ensuring year-round access will prevent these devastating results and provide stability our neighbors deserve.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I am happy to answer any questions.

Thank you very much for your testimony, Mr.

Finlan.

Good morning.

My name is Bruce Finland, and I am managing member of MED developers, a developer and manager of affordable and special needs housing in the district.

We own and operate about two dozen multifamily properties in all quarters of the city.

We serve over a thousand residents.

It's my privilege to appear in front of you today to share my company's experiences with several service organizations you've heard about today that are working to end youth homelessness.

As I mentioned, we operate in every part of the city, but today I'll focus on one property in particular that I believe fully illustrates how these programs benefit not only the young people enrolled in the programs, but also the neighborhoods and the communities in which they operate.

In 2020, we purchased out of out of a public auction an 11 building assemblage.

It was crime-ridden, drug-infested, and basically uninhabitable.

At about that same time, we were approached by a service organization asking us if we would consider setting aside some residential units for a newly launched program, youth transition housing.

We made that decision to support the program and began the process of fully renovating each unit.

Over time, other service organizations such as Saucer Bruce, SMILE, Wanda Alston, and K Beck moved in with their own youth transition programs.

Today, these 11 buildings on Wayne Place Southeast, which I think you know about, Chairman, provide housing for over 100 young men and women who previously experienced homelessness.

It's safe, stable, and supportive, and affords them the opportunity to start the process to a better life.

But there's an added and perhaps unintended benefit that these programs have brought to this neighborhood.

This four-block area, which is previously a pretty dangerous part of the city, has been transformed.

Through pooled resources from each of these service organizations, we have been able to provide on-site 24, 27, 24 hours, seven-day a week security personnel, full-time maintenance, and constant property management.

We've been able to create and maintain this environment through a coordinated collaborative approach.

A partnership made possible by some of our own resources, but partnerships also with great organizations like Sasha Bruce and Wanda Alston, and perhaps most important, the district government funding of these critical programs, which by the way, we do not receive any direct funding from the city.

And that's why I'm here today to share with you from a developer and a landlord's perspective why these programs work and why they should continue.

Not only in giving these young people a chance in life, but also in helping to create and maintain stable neighborhoods.

These programs work and the dollars are well spent.

We I know because we support their own fund drives, and we wouldn't do so if we didn't see the results.

I'm asking Council to continue its support of these programs, not only for the program participants, but for the neighborhoods as well.

The city's investment in these programs has made our own investments worthwhile.

And as long as the district continues its support, we will continue to support and grow our commitments.

Thank you for the time today to talk in front of you.

And Chairman Pruman, thank you for coming on site.

And we invite you back.

It's spring spring planning.

A lot of great things happening.

We'd like to invite you and all your members and other council members to see what really works.

And it's pretty incredible.

Well, thank you very much for that.

Yeah, it was it was very, very impressive.

I believe must be your son, Max, uh, there on site doing gardening.

Uh so uh a very impressive model, and thank you for the work that you do in that area.

Uh I also visited Union Market where Eden's has a project where they're working with kids in the area to uh to uh prevent crime and working with the nearby KIP school.

And these kinds of models uh uh look very promising and particularly when you have the right people.

So there was a security person there who at your site uh on Wayne Place who had a natural ability to connect with the people who he was serving, and that but that's the key in the same thing at the Union Market Project.

On domestic violence, hear you, and thank you for pointing to the data about how many of our homeless people are victims of domestic violence.

So the connection is powerful, and we will look at this and do what we can.

And the Fair Budget Coalition, you guys know how to represent.

Thank you for coming out and testifying.

Uh and now I had said at the outset that I thought we would get to our break at 1.30, and the virtual witnesses would come after that.

I think we're going to run a little later than that.

So I want to keep moving things along to our next panel, but thank you for your testimony.

Uh Debbie Shore.

Bianca Fascio.

Natalie Flo White and Philip Johnson.

Uh Mr.

Johnson.

Oh, they are great.

Okay.

Debbie, when you are ready.

Thank you so much.

Chairman Freeman and members of the committee.

Um I am the founder and executive director of Sasha Bruce, which has for over 50 years operated programming for young people that support teens and young adults who are unhoused, which is our primary focus, but we also provide community programs as a means of stabilizing young people and families and preventing youth disconnection.

We are also a member of DC Actions many efforts to improve lives in the city.

I am here today to urge this committee to restore the youth homelessness budget.

A 12% cut means a serious disruption to the stable housing of at least, it sounds like 40 young people that are currently housed, would be unhoused.

It seems terribly misguided.

The young people we serve will not become chronic adult homeless people of tomorrow if solid intervention is in place.

We know this.

The statistics prove this.

The longer a young person stays in an unstable situation, the tendency happens for them to continue to do that.

We should not tolerate this in our in our world.

It is important to note that we have considerable success when we do enter young people into our programs.

We assure that they have wraparound services of all kinds that strengthen them on their journey to self-sufficiency.

I am again baffled by the cuts in the existing system that potentially is planned for additional shelter beds.

That's what I understood from the oversight hearing would be a potential.

It is especially worrying to me that the mayor's budget cuts the extended transitional living by 35%.

These programs serve youth with the highest need acuity, the highest acuity needs.

We need the youth to be remaining in stable housing and to, or else what we're doing is contributing to the needs down the road and a much more expensive investment.

Also, the transitional housing cuts that we're looking at of 7% would again simply translate to more homelessness.

Apparently, uh Director Pierre testified that the transitional housing programs serve youth over age 26, and I just want to be sure and be clear that that is not true and must have been a misunderstanding on her part.

Again, I would emphasize the planned lack cuts, lack of recognition that investing early in young people who are homeless is not only the most humane thing, but the most cost-effective way to reduce homelessness and many other ills in our future.

I also want to comment on that Director Pierre testified before this committee on the oversight that they would be adding 70 shelter beds in the next budget, which, if I am correct, comes to at least $2 million.

That they would pull funding from existing long-term effective programs to provide shelter is not a policy director direction that I can support, even though we need more services of all kinds.

Her testimony was the first I heard of this plan, and I'm not, I'm not sure that I've heard much about it since, but I have no idea on what basis or analysis it was conceived.

This is why we've wanted a youth plan so that there can be a thoughtful and open process of evaluating what is working and where investment makes investments make the most sense.

From where I sit, cutting any of the current housing we are provided, and to add significant shelter, does not stand up to a thoughtful plan forward, even though these services are certainly needed.

Which brings me to our drop-in center.

Since our drop-in center had its funding cut, I have spent a lot of time there to become closer to its operations.

I believe even more than ever that it must remain an essential part of the fabric of the youth services system.

It works wonderfully.

Youth trust us.

And if any of these cuts is allowed to stand, it will mean a large number of young people who will turn to the trusted people that they know in the community, and that includes our drop-in center.

I am very happy to be here today with our director of monitoring and evaluation who can talk a lot more about the particular ways in which we make an impact.

And we also have a wonderful case manager from our drop-in center who comes as a professional and with her own lived experience.

I am also so proud to have one of our landlords, Bruce Finland, who was willing to come and talk about the important ways that we have of building community for young people.

Thank you very much for your time today.

Thank you.

Bianca.

Chairman Herman and members of the committee.

My name is Bianca Fascio, and I am the director of monitoring and evaluation at Sasha Bruce Youth Work.

I'm also a member of the Youth Economic Justice Coalition convened by DC Action.

In Washington, DC in 2023, there was an estimated 9,726 youth who are homeless or housing insecure.

So at baseline, DHS homelessness systems are currently only serving approximately 21%.

21% of the total population of youth likely to be to need housing support.

Underfunding beds, vouchers, and services in our youth system means missing important opportunities to support young people in reaching their goals and failing to disrupt the pipeline of youth homelessness to chronic family or adult homelessness.

The $2.5 million in cuts being proposed is equivalent to fully eliminating the Healthy Babies Project and three of Sasha Bruce Youth Works core services.

Our crisis beds, which have 11 beds and served 140 clients in fiscal year 25, our independent living program, which has 12 beds and served 14 clients in fiscal year 25, and our transitional housing for parenting youth, which has 10 units and served 33 clients, including children in fiscal year 25.

A total loss of 41 beds or 187 people that would not be served.

The magnitude of loss would be catastrophic for vulnerable youth.

So who are the clients that we serve?

In fiscal year 2025, Sasha Bruce served 962 clients in across 12 projects, including residential programs, youth shelters, street outreach, and youth and two youth drop-in centers in Washington, DC.

All of our clients have acute needs.

At program entry, there were ages 12 to 24.

16% of our clients reported a disability.

This number greatly increases to 50% for our extended transitional housing programs.

Only 47% of our clients had graduated from high school, completed their EGED, completed some college, or had a bachelor's degree, and only 30% of our residential program clients had earned income.

Importantly, our clients think our programs are valuable.

96% said that they were satisfied with the quality of the services they're receiving.

96% said that they were receiving the services that they need, and 98% said that they were felt supported with the services that they were receiving.

Sasha Bruce works every day to prevent chronic homelessness.

Our programs are successful.

In fiscal year 2025, 76% of our clients exited one of our eight DC residential programs to positive destinations.

Additionally, 69% of our clients that exited our youth shelter also went to positive destinations.

The numbers are clear.

Cutting funds from the youth homelessness system will mean that the adult system will have to serve youth that are experienced in homelessness and could result in youth becoming chronically homeless.

When young people lose access to housing support, the consequences are immediate and long term.

Higher rates of unsafe survival strategies, worsening mental health, and a far likelihood of chronic adult homelessness.

Investing early when someone experiences homelessness is not just the right thing to do.

It is most cost effective.

It is far cheaper to stabilize a young person now than to respond later after repeated homelessness, trauma, and systems involvement.

Thank you for the chance to testify today.

Thank you for your testimony.

Natalie Flo White.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Furman and members of the council.

My name is Flo White, and I'm a case manager at Sasha Bruce's DC Drop in Center.

I am also someone who has personally experienced youth homelessness here in the district.

So when I speak today, I'm not speaking as I'm not just speaking as a professional.

I am speaking from lived experience.

I know firsthand what it feels like to not have a safe place to go, to not know where you're sleeping, and to navigate systems that are already overwhelmed.

I'm here because I am deeply concerned about the proposed cuts to the youth homelessness funding in the mayor's budget.

Right now, young people in DC are already waiting six to nine months just to get placed into a housing program.

Six to nine months is entirely too long for a young person trying to stabilize their life.

That is six to nine months of uncertainty, of risk, of trauma, and of survival mode.

And despite that long wait, our programs are already full.

Every single bed we currently have is needed.

And the truth is we don't have enough.

We need more beds, more programs, and more resources, not fewer.

When you cut funding to youth homelessness programs, you are not just cutting numbers on a spreadsheet.

You are cutting access to safety.

You're cutting off pathways to stability, you are pushing young people further into crisis.

And I want to be very clear about what that looks like.

It looks like young people sleeping outside, young people being forced to choose between unsafe situations in the streets, and it looks like increased exposure to violence, exploitation, and long term trauma.

We also have to consider how these cuts intersect with policies like the proposed youth curfew bill.

Homelessness does not start at 18.

I have worked with young people who have been on their own since 12 or 13 years old, sometimes even younger.

So I have to ask if a young person has nowhere to go and the one youth shelter in the city is full for the night, where are they supposed to be?

If they are outside because they have no safe alternative, should they be criminalized for surviving?

Are we prepared to give young people charges simply because they are homeless?

Because that is what this combination of policy decisions could lead to.

Punishing young people for circumstances that they did not create.

At a time when we are seeing rising rent costs, increased cost of living, and many families struggling to stay afloat, support systems are already stretched thin.

For many young people, there is no family safety net to fall back on.

That is why these programs are not optional, but rather essential.

And right now, more than ever, as we see shifts at the federal level that threaten human services, it is critical that the district steps up to protect its residents, especially our young people.

We cannot afford to move backwards.

I also want to challenge a narrative that I hear far too often.

Young people aren't lazy, they're not unwilling, and they are not choosing instability.

The reality is that many of them are navigating barriers that would be difficult for any adult.

Lack of stable housing, lack of consistent support, and limited access to resources.

But when given the opportunity, when given stability, when given support, young people show up and they lead.

I see it every single day in my work.

So today I'm asking the council to do what is right, protect funding for youth homelessness programs, invest in expanding housing options for young people, and ensure that no young person in this city is left without a safe place to go.

Because our young people are not just a part of this city, they are its future.

And they deserve more than survival.

They deserve stability, dignity, and the opportunity to thrive.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Mr.

Johnson.

Good afternoon.

Uh to the committee and Chairman Fruman, uh, Philip Johnson, a legislative advocacy fellow at United Planning Organization.

And today I'm here to give testimony regarding the proposed cuts to ERAP and why ERAP should instead be given more funding.

Um UPAO is concerned that the proposed cuts will harm families behind on rent, uh, especially children, and will contribute to the affordability crisis by continuing to fuel the increase in evictions that we have seen since the end of the pandemic.

Cuts to ERAP will increase evictions, homelessness, and long-term costs for the district, and we firmly urge the council to reject the proposed cuts to ERAP.

Um ERAP is not just aid, it's eviction prevention infrastructure.

When funding is drop, infrastructure I mean, evictions rise.

And the costs associated with eviction are shifted elsewhere as families go through a financial crisis.

That means more families in shelters, diminished health care outcomes leading to more emergency room visits, and increased contact and utilization of the court system.

Despite these risks, funding has been continually cut from ERAP over the last few years, um, while demand has remained high to a tune of a cut of 86% from 60 million in fiscal year 24 to 8.6 million in fiscal year 26, and that's only after the council added 3.6 million to it after there was a backlash.

So further cuts to ERAP don't reduce the need, rather they shift those costs to more expensive systems like homeless services and emergency care.

Um the demand exceeds the funding, as as I just demonstrated, and in fiscal year 24, residents applied for more than 20 million dollars in rental assistance in less than six hours.

That failure caused DHS to change the application process, but that change to the application process created more barriers.

Um that shows that it's not too large of a program, it's woefully underfunded for the demand that is demonstrated.

Um more cuts drive evictions.

So there have been more cuts and there have been more evictions as a result.

Um data gathered from National Legal Services program shows that evictions rose by one-third in 2025, and we're 64% higher than the average in the five years before the pandemic.

Um this highlights there's no debate in the whether EREP is needed, rather we are simply seeing the impact when it is inadequately funded.

Um prevention is cheaper than a crisis response.

Um, when the costs don't disappear, they're simply shifted to more expensive mechanisms.

There will be homeless shelters, emergency rooms, the court system, um, and issues like school instability and community disruption.

The policy changes made it to e made to ERAP due to complaints by landlords simply made the system less eligible and it created barriers for the disabled, for elderly and for people at work when the one time the portal was opened, they weren't able to access it.

So the arguments against ERAP is that it shouldn't be used for people experiencing chronic rental issues.

But the city has not funded alternatives at a level to offer an alternative.

And it leaves these people with no option at all.

So if ERAP is not for low-income residents facing eviction, where is the funded alternative?

There's also been little evidence of widespread fraud and abuse despite investigations.

Um and even those investigations have struggled to confirm it.

So the program challenges are administrative and they should be fixed with better oversight.

So in conclusion, um, as advocates, we have seen how quickly a short-term financial issue can escalate to eviction when there is no safety net.

Uh it's the only tool the city has to immediately address acute rental needs.

And therefore, we're asking that EREP be restored to the previous levels to move for to move towards proper funding of the program at an amount of around 30 million.

Um the district prides itself on not being like the current administration or you know, other jurisdictions that don't turn their back on the residents.

I don't see why these sort of cuts are anything but antithetical to the personal and political philosophes espoused by city leadership at least over the last quarter century.

Thank you for uh the opportunity to testify.

I'm happy to answer any questions, and I have submitted written testimony.

Thank you.

I I I do have your testimony.

Thank you for your testimony.

Thank you to Sasha Bruce for all of the work that you do.

Um my mother was Natalie, so I'm fond of all Natalie's.

Uh but thank you for your testimony, and I'm gonna call up the next panel.

Uh Ed Lazier.

Atenas Barola.

Elizabeth Clift Morgan Davis.

Okay, Mr.

Lazier, when you are ready.

All right.

Uh good after good afternoon, uh, Chairman Fruman.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Ed Lazier.

I am the legislative advocacy director at United Planning Organization UPO.

And I I want to go back to something you said earlier in this hearing this morning about reminding us of many positive things that have happened under this administration.

And so I have been thinking about that, and I am deeply thankful that in the early years of the Bowser administration, uh, she committed to closing DC General and replacing it with uh better facilities for families.

She invested deeply in the housing production trust fund and many years of investments in permanent supported housing.

That doesn't change the fact that where we are now is just such a different place.

I mean, you heard it today in the testimony.

This is not just a normal budget hearing.

I believe we are now seeing a dismantling of that safety net that Mayor Bowser built up in her early terms in many ways.

Uh and I in many ways I think it is both thoughtless and callous, and I don't see a clearer example of that than the cuts to TANF that you know so well about.

Ten years ago, we faced a similar situation with TANF time limits looming.

And a DC that I remember as more familiar than had a group of people who looked at that and said, TANF is a program to support children.

There's no reason and no excuse to time limit assistance to children.

And that and that working group rate made a recommendation that there should be no time limit at all, and that no family should face a reduction in benefits of more than 12 percent, even if parents are not complying.

Last year, the mayor's budget out of the blue, without any justification, called for reducing benefits for some families as much as 81 percent, and this year's budget would have an entire elimination due to time limits, so a hundred percent.

In the working group, you were there.

I asked DHS Director Priere why did the was this considered, and she said, I don't have a good answer for you.

I I don't have an answer that will satisfy you.

All she could point to were budget cuts.

And then when I looked at the budget, I saw that overall the FY26 budget called for a 4 percent reduction in expenditures in over four years, and TANF benefits were cut 40 percent.

I there's no other conclusion that you can make that the city's budget problems are being balanced on the backs of our lowest income residents.

It's also clear to me that DHS has not considered the impacts of these deep cuts on things like child hunger, homelessness, school outcomes for children.

I predict very clearly that any budget savings for TANF cuts will be outweighed by increased costs and crisis services, and a sad accounting of lost potential of DC's children.

We believe at UPL if that we want to improve the TANRA program, that we need to invest more in hard skills training so people can get in good jobs.

You were at the working group and heard TANF recipients say that the services they get for employment are not helping them find jobs.

I also believe that you should address, and the council could do that this year, the benefits, Cliff that you heard about from another TANF uh customer today.

When a when a parent earns 160 dollars a month, less than 10 dollars, 10 hours a month at the minimum wage, their TANFIT benefits starts to reduce.

Those are the kind of changes that I think will actually improve outcomes for DC residents.

I'll just conclude.

I know I'm over time.

You have you and the council have the same pot of revenue that the mayor had when she developed her budget.

I know you can make better decisions.

I urge you to tear apart the cuts to the safety net that the mayor proposed and come up with better solutions for DC residents.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Atenis.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Fruman and committee staff.

My name is Atenas Burrough Estrada.

I'm a deputy program director with the detained adult program at the Amiga Center for Immigrant Rights and a proud DC resident.

I'm here today to speak about the critical importance of clear funding and the impact it has on DC residents.

Amica Center is the primary provider of services for district residents in ICE detention, both in the DMV and nationwide.

Since 2021, with the support of CLEAR funding, we have provided individual screenings to over 300 district residents, legal consults to almost 200, and legal representation to over 100 DC residents in immigration custody.

I don't think I need to tell anyone in this room about the unabashed attack that the district's immigrant community and our entire city faced in the fall of last year.

In just August and September 2025, Amika Center received requests for help from almost 200 district residents who had been detained by immigrations and customs enforcement, double the number of the entire first year combined.

Due to this overwhelming need, we were not able to directly represent every individual, but with the help of our partners, we were able to ensure that every person who requested help at least received a legal consultation and had the opportunity to speak with an attorney.

This year, while the arrests of district residents by ICE have lessened, likely due to a lawsuit that my colleagues at Amica Center filed in won, arrests continue happening every single week, and district residents and families continue being targeted and torn apart from their families and children.

Through clear funding, since January of this year, we have been able to provide an intake to every single district resident who has been detained and reached out for help.

Our staff of over 50 people made up of attorneys, paralegals, and case workers, have provided legal representation, pro se support to those we were not able to match with an attorney so they could represent themselves, and wrap around services to the family members of detained DC residents and our released clients.

We have served individuals from every ward in this city but one, and have followed our clients as they are transferred far from their families and homes to detention centers in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, California, and elsewhere across the country.

In April 2026, over 60,000 immigrants were detained nationwide, a record high, up from 40,000 just a year prior.

Local communities like ours feel the impact of this mass deportation campaign.

ICE enforcement and arrests continue at sensitive locations like courthouses and hospitals, at ICE check-ins, and continue targeting predominantly immigrant neighborhoods, leaving communities like ours in constant fear.

In the past year, the federal administration has restricted immigrants' abilities to have their cases fairly heard, to get out of detention, absent federal intervention, and the Department of Justice's Board of Immigration Appeals have issued new decisions making it harder and harder to win.

Thousands of people, including DC residents, are facing indefinite detention.

And these changes, amongst others, means that the detained individuals face overwhelming odds in navigating complex legal processes, which we help them and represent them in.

The CLEAR grant is a relatively small but smart investment in the district with wide-ranging benefits, supporting access to justice, family stability, and workforce participation.

Without CLEAR, Amica Center would not be able to provide the representation that we do and to continue supporting district residents torn away by ICE.

We urge the council and you, Councilmember, to ensure that clear funding continues in the fiscal year 27 budget.

As you know, and as has been brought up by others, the mayor's budget currently does not include clear funding, and though we understand that that was a mistake and expect it to be corrected in the Arata letter, we ask that the council remain committed to making sure that the program is fully funded and that the clear grant is added back into the budget.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Uh Elizabeth, good afternoon, Chairperson Furman Fruman, sorry.

My name is Elizabeth Clift, and I serve as the family services director at Collaborative Solutions for Communities where we operate the only rapid rehousing program for youth here in the district.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I have been a social worker in DC for the past 15 years, and what I know is that individuals cannot thrive without stable housing.

This is Maslow's Hierarchy 101.

And this is particularly true for our unhoused transition aged youth who are working to build the foundation that will shape their future as residents of this city.

What we know, both from our direct service work and from broader system data is that the need far exceeds the current system capacity, and the proposed budget does not meet that need, nor does it support the building of needed capacity.

Funding for rapid rehousing for youth has remained essentially flat since at least fiscal year 2024, while we continue to see large cuts across the homelessness services system in general.

Data highlighted by the Fair Budget Coalition shows that more than 2,600 youth between the ages of 18 and 24 interact with the district's homelessness system each year.

And by the point in time count's own data, there has been a 13% increase in transition-aged youth experiencing homelessness from 2021 to 2025.

At the same time, youth bed capacity within the coordinated access continuum has declined by approximately 16% since fiscal year 2020.

Because of these constraints, only a portion of young people are able to access the level of appropriate and responsive services they need.

In other words, providers are being asked to do more with less, while young people are receiving less than what is needed to achieve long-term stability.

The Fair Budget Coalition also highlights that short-term housing models alone are not enough to ensure sustainable housing and income stability, particularly for young adults.

What is needed is a full continuum of care that includes longer-term housing options, higher intensity supports, and stronger coordination across our system.

That is not an argument to scale back or not invest in programs like rapid rehousing.

It is an argument to strengthen and expand the system as a whole.

Rapid Rehousing for Youth is not just a program, it is essential to how we care for and support young people in our district.

And when paired with expanded long-term housing options and wraparound services, it becomes part of a system that truly sets youth up for success.

I urge the council to increase investment in the youth homelessness system, protect funding for rapid rehousing, and expand access to longer-term housing options like permanent supportive housing.

Because when we invest in our youth, we are investing in the future of our city.

Thank you for your time and your commitment to the residents of this district.

Thank you for your testimony.

Morgan Davis.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Ferman.

My name is Morgan Davis, and I'm the program manager at Collaborative Solutions for Communities, where we operate the district-only rapid rehousing program specifically for youth.

For the past 25 years, we have been committed to working with district's youth with a focus on housing stability but also around values prevention.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

I want to take a moment to talk more specifically about what this program actually does and why it matters.

Many people may think that rapid rehousing is just a program that works that works to help someone find an apartment, and that's all.

But what that looks like in practice is much more than just helping someone find an apartment.

We are working with young people who are aging out of foster care, exiting the justice system, navigating family instability, or simply trying to survive without a support system.

Many have limited income, little to no rental history, and significant barriers that make access and housing on their own incredibly difficult.

Our program steps in to bridge the gap.

We help youth secure safe housing, cover moving costs, rental assistance, and provide ongoing case management, focus on employment, education, financial literacy, mental health stability, and independent living skills.

We also facilitate family group conferencing, which focus on strengthening families' connections and developing sustainable support plans.

We create opportunities for social engagement to help youth build peer connection and expand their support networks.

Right now we are operating a 22 unit with 100% of those youth currently housed.

73% of participants are either employed in a job training placement program or enrolled in school.

We have strong housing retention with many youth maintaining housing for over 12 months and consistent engagement in services and support long-term stability.

These are young people without these are young people who without intervention would be at high risk of chronic homelessness.

Instead, they are working, engaging in vocational training, building credit, and moving towards independence.

One young person in our program came with us with the goal of finishing school and finding stable work.

Through the support of the program, she completed training as a medical assistant, secured employment at a local hospital, and was ultimately able to move into her own apartment using her earned income.

These kinds of incomes do not happen without investment.

Raptory housing is a critical first step in a larger system.

It gets young people off the streets and into stability quickly.

But as we've discussed, we have must we must be paired with long-term supports to ensure stability and sustained stability and sustained.

When we invest in programs like ours, we are not just addressing immediate housing needs.

We are creating pathways to employment, education, and long-term self-sufficiency.

We are helping young people to build skills and stability needed to contribute to the districts, not just today, but for years to come.

Currently, we are seeing an increase in at in adverse behaviors among our youth.

Many are impaled and confused by what by what they see on the streets of DC.

We at CSC believe that we know that given the opportunity to find stable housing and to gain employment, our youth will choose the path that result in a better future.

The key to their success is to give them opportunities.

Too many times the city budget cuts undo years of work, which leads results in the youth losing faith in those who are supposed to care for them.

I plea with you that the that the council member lets try a different approach and budget cuts.

The vulnerable deserves a better a better response to the budget crisis.

I urge the council to protect and expand funding for Rapper Rehousing Youth and continue investing in programs that provide both immediate housing and long-term support.

Thank you for your time and continued commitment to the District of Columbia.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much to both of you for your testimony on the youth homelessness issue.

We've heard a lot about that this today so far and message received.

I assure you it is a very high priority.

It is obvious it is a focus for us in this budget process.

I think you sent me some material on that.

So thank you for putting them into circulation.

We're gonna keep it moving along.

I had said that uh anticipated a break at 1 30 and the virtual witnesses coming on at two.

That was optimistic.

Um maybe I talked too long, maybe I keep people let people talk too long, but we have a dozen more in-person folks.

So I think the target for when our in-person witnesses will finish is closer to two o'clock, and so that break would be between two and two thirty if my uh guesses right.

Also, I will say we are up to witness 68, and it may be a reflection of just how strongly people feel about all of these issues.

I think we've only had three people who have not appeared.

Um it's a full day and a lot of passion and a lot of information.

So thank you to all of our witnesses so far.

One last public service announcement to all of the folks who have not yet submitted their testimony uh for the record.

Please do.

I have been remiss in not reminding every panel of that, but um there's a lot of gaps in the record right now, and we want it as complete as possible.

Uh Robert Wiggins.

Audrey Castleman, uh Claire Mills.

Lori Lee Boetz.

Mr.

Wiggins, when you're ready.

Good afternoon.

My name is Robert Wiggins.

I'm a participant in the Collective Solutions for Community Reperee Housing Program for Youth.

I want to thank y'all for allowing me to speak today before I entered this program.

I was going through a very difficult time.

I didn't have nowhere to stay housing.

I didn't I didn't have no stable housing to stay where I could go often in places not meant for living.

I stayed in multiple youth shelters.

I stayed in multiple use shelters in the District of Columbia, including DC duals, covering the house.

Sometimes I stayed with friends, sometimes not knowing where I go next.

It made it hard for me to focus on anything else, especially work and try and move forward with my life.

When I was connected to referee housing, things started to change.

The program helped me find places for my own and supported me with rent so I could get back on my feet.

But it wasn't just about housing.

I also had someone checking on me, helping me set my goals and connecting me with resources.

I was up I was able to obtain all my vital documents and attend classes and including workforce development, PNC financial education, and security training.

I also attend job is earned my CPR and first aid certification.

Because I had a stable place to live, I was able to focus on getting and keeping a job, even though my previous job just ended.

I have been actively working with work for workforce programs to secure new stable employment.

Had municipality had made a big difference in how I show up every day.

This program is also has also helped me build skills I didn't know I had, like budget and planning ahead and thinking about my future in different ways.

I have even been invited to speak to others on behalf of the program.

Without the support, honestly, I don't know where I'd be right now.

I also know that I also know I'm not the only one.

There are many young people in DC going through similar situations who just need a chance to get back on track.

Programs like this give people the chance to I ask that you continue to I ask you to to continue to fund the support of referee rehousing so that more young people like me can have opportunities to stabilize, grow, and move forward.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Audrey Kesselman.

Good afternoon.

My name is Audrey Castleman, and I'm a senior policy analyst at DC Action and with the under-three DC coalition and Fair Budget Coalition.

The child care subsidy program supports more than 7,600 families, allowing parents to work or attend school while the child while their child accesses safe high-quality care.

Notably, more than 60% of infants and toddlers enrolled in the program in FY25 come from families with incomes between zero and fifty percent FPL, making access to this program a critical tool for preventing deeper poverty.

But in less than two weeks, the district will implement a wait list for new applicants, effectively an enrollment freeze that will shut thousands of families out of the system.

At the same time, the proposed FY27 budget significantly underfunds the program.

While we appreciate that the mayor preserved the 24 million in DHS funding, the total funding level is only enough to serve about 6,000 children, a more than 20% reduction from current enrollment.

And it would require cuts to provider reimbursement rates.

The council must also address the weightless slash enrollment freeze.

In a city where infant care costs more than $26,000 a year, families cannot wait months or years for assistance.

Because DHS is the public facing public-facing agency for applications, eligibility determinations, and now wait list management.

The funding, staffing, training, and supports behind frontline staff matter enormously.

Implementing a wait list well will require sufficient staffing levels and targeted training and care coordination so that frontline workers are equipped to communicate difficult outcomes with clarity and compassion.

For many families, this will be the first time they are told they cannot access child care assistance that they're otherwise eligible for due to lack of funding.

That interaction carries real emotional and practical weight, and DHS staff need the time, tools, and institutional support to deliver it responsibly.

Chairman Freeman, I would urge the committee to examine DHS's staffing plan, overtime assumptions, and care coordination resources.

Clear communication, strong coordination with Aussie, and real transparency are critical.

Families need to know if they're on the wait list, what that means, and what to expect.

And DHS must put safeguards in place so that currently enrolled families do not lose their benefits due to administrative issues.

Because once a family falls off in a wait list environment, there may be no path back.

The subsidy program needs 177.1 million dollars, including the 24 million at DHS and FY27 to maintain current enrollment for families, allow new families to join, and to keep provider reimbursement rates steady.

Without closing this budget gap, the district will see fewer children served, less stable providers, greater barriers for working families, and fewer accessible high quality options for young children during their most developmental years.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Hi, good afternoon, Councilmember.

I'm a fair budget coalition member, and I support our platform recommendations, especially to raise revenue equitably and fund all of these essential programs for our people.

I keep hearing at the council this year that it's a tough budget year, that we have to make cuts and sacrifices to make it work with less revenue coming in.

And I was particularly struck by what Councilmember Allen shared this week about, you know, what is this budget asking of a family like mine?

This budget is certainly asking a lot of families that will uh not receive ERAP assistance or not receive TANF this year.

It's certainly asking a lot of families, you know, a black mother who needs uh funding for child care, who needs to pay her rent with EWAP, who needs TANF to cover diapers.

Um it's asking a lot of people like that.

It's not asking a lot of others who live in DC and do have the funds to contribute more so that these programs don't have to be cut.

Um, it's also also not asking a lot of many of the departments that are receiving more funding this year, like the police department.

So when we talk about it, it's a tough budget year, we have to make tough choices.

Of course, it's always difficult to balance the budget that is billions of dollars like DC's budget.

These are always tough choices, but they are choices.

The mayor's budget makes clear choices to prioritize certain people in DC over others.

And for me, I don't believe in making, I don't believe in prioritizing people who already have enough over those who really need the assistance of government.

I don't think that's the role of government.

I think it is um our role to take care of those who need help and um help lift them up and lift them through, and that is what programs like TANF and ERAP do and do successfully, um help move people through crisis points in their lives where they're at a tipping point.

Um often, you know, that step in of getting assistance is the difference between someone being able to make it through a very difficult temporary situation in their life and make it through to the other side to one day be able to contribute more back to the system and not.

Um I want to urge you to uh prioritize programs like TANF and ERAP that help DC residents to continue to live with dignity, particularly TANF is an extremely innovative program that has a lot of um flexibility that these other programs don't give.

And that flexibility is really important to allowing people to use assistance with dignity and with uh you know fulfilling those gaps that are often left behind by other programs for essential needs that maybe just aren't covered under something like Snap for Medicaid.

Um, and so I asked to I ask the council to fully fund TANIF with the 106 million dollars that it's that's needed over the next three years and to expand ERAP funding to at least 100 million so that ERAP can be open all year because emergencies happen all year.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Ms.

Liebowitz.

Good afternoon, Councilmember Fruman.

My name is Lori Lieblitz.

I'm the director of a medical legal financial partnership at Georgetown University's Health Justice Alliance and a longtime DC resident.

My program brings together health care systems, financial services, legal services, and advocacy organizations to work collaboratively to improve health by reducing health harving legal needs and racial health disparities for low-income children and families in DC.

This budget that you all just received seems poised to increase health harming legal needs and racial disparities for low-income children and families in DC.

Uh, there's a lot to dig into, but having met me, it will come as a great shock to you that I'm gonna focus on housing in my testimony today.

Uh and while I know you love numbers, I'm gonna focus on stories today.

I hope to provide you with a window into what I see every day, which is that access to programs when they run as designed is life-changing for families in all of the best ways.

And not having access to these programs is devastating.

I'll start with housing subsidies.

I have a client who has three children, all of whom have serious mental illness, and she struggles with mental illness herself.

When her family became homeless three years ago, everyone's mental health deteriorated, and her oldest child even had to be institutionalized because his mental health was so bad.

They entered rapid rehousing, and all of them started to stabilize.

The kids were back in school, they were getting supports, and then they hit the time limit without any plan for how they were going to be able to afford rent.

Mom's mental health started to stabilize again.

It was looking bleak.

But good news, we successfully got them into permanent supportive housing.

They were able to lease up in place, and they're staying where they're familiar and their routines are, and they can plan for the future and have the supports they need.

It's going really well for this family.

That three years ago, everything was falling apart.

But contrast this with another client of mine whose rapid rehousing ended over the summer.

About a month after the subsidy ended, DOB decided that deemed her building uninhabitable, and she had to move out with all of her neighbors.

For a while, the government was paying for a hotel.

And near the end of her hotel stay, she actually got a job.

It was looking good, but two weeks after she got the job, the funding for the hotel stay ended.

And with a single paycheck, she wasn't able to pay a security deposit or get into housing.

So she went into shelter.

When she got into shelter, they said, um, you can't leave your 10 and 12-year-old children here for an hour in the morning so you can get to work at 7 a.m.

You have to quit your job.

So she did.

Three months after being in shelter, she's back in rapid rehousing again.

She doesn't have a job.

She doesn't have she doesn't have prospects because no one wants to hire someone who quit after three weeks with no notice.

Um she's a person who would have benefited from Career Map or DC Flex, but those weren't available to her this year.

And we could actually keep many families becoming homeless in the first place and from having those situations with E-RAP.

Uh I have a client who is diagnosed with cancer and lost a bunch of income because uh he had chemotherapy and radiation.

As soon as he went into remission, his landlord sued him for eviction.

He didn't have any defenses, he just couldn't pay the back rent because of lost income.

He received ERAP, went back to work, and is now stable and plans to propose to his partner this weekend.

Shh, don't tell.

Um that client was a perfect candidate for E-RAP, but so is my client, who's a mom of three kids and also caring for her son's pregnant girlfriend.

She works as a server at two different restaurants to make ends meet.

But then she fell getting out of the shower and badly injured her knee and was on crutches for three months, so she couldn't work.

She fell behind on her rent.

She tried to apply for ERAP, uh, but she didn't want to miss any work, so she did it.

She called on the phone to get an appointment instead of going and waiting in line, and like everyone else who called on the phone, she didn't get an appointment.

Um and her landlord sat her down and said, I can't afford the mortgage without this back rent.

So she self-evicted.

They're now couch surfing.

The baby is due any minute, and they can't couch surf with a baby, and I think they're probably gonna end up back in shelter.

I have dozens of these stories, both great outcomes and terrible ones.

And I fear that if the council doesn't find a way to increase funding for E-RAP and housing subsidies, I won't have these good outcomes to share next year.

I'm asking you to work with your colleagues to find every dollar that you can, potentially some of the dent ed dollars that are in your committee this year, to invest in ending and preventing homelessness.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Mr.

Wiggins, thank you for telling your personal story.

Um really appreciate that.

Uh Ms.

Castleman, uh the people testified earlier about how everything is interrelated and the child care subsidy is wrapped up with everything else here.

When we're all talking about helping people get back to work and without the child care subsidy, so I appreciate you bringing that to the to the table.

The uh the fair budget coalition's well represented today.

Ms.

Lieberwood's not we've met.

But uh so and this is challenging time, and I I think you appreciate that.

I do want to be going forward a thought partner with you or have you as a thought partner.

Part of it is adding dollars, and part of it is using the dollars that we have better.

And so we need to be looking at both of the both sides of that coin.

And I'll give you a a minute or a couple of seconds to respond, and then we'll move on.

Um, I completely agree, and I would be happy to help you think about how we can be more efficient with how we use this money because I I do have a lot of ideas on that.

Well, I'm glad to hear that.

So thank you very much.

Thank you to all of our witnesses.

And if you haven't submitted your written testimony, please do.

Uh Martha Barrison.

Gabenga Ogunjimi.

Rebecca Diane.

And Eric Sheptuck.

Uh Ms.

Barrison, when you are ready.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Councilmember Fruman.

My name is Marta Berrison.

I'm the deputy director of Georgetown's Georgetown Walls Health Justice Alliance Law Clinic.

I uh our clinic students study racial health disparities in DC and represent low-income residents in public benefits, housing, shelter, and civil rights matters.

And I've worked with low-income families and represented them in public benefits and other legal matters for nearly 25 years in DC and reside in Ward 3.

So I'm happy to be here today to testify.

My testimony addresses the proposed severe cuts to the TANA program.

And I first want to say that I agree with Ed Lazier that this budget really dismantles our safety net for our most vulnerable DC residents.

So I'm here to ask the council to prioritize finding the funds for the planned TANF COLA and to reverse the time limit and work sanctions policies that will really push our most vulnerable DC families further into poverty, with the greatest harm falling on black women-led households.

There's extensive evidence documenting the harm of these proposals, including from the mayor's own 2016 task force working group, which rejected time limits and increased work sanctions due to harm.

Pushing families further into poverty leads to outcomes with much higher costs in the long run than the dollars that such policies save.

By pushing families into the child welfare system, for example, and our eviction system, these cuts push them into costly systems of racialized violence and create trauma that's often irreversible.

Much has been written in the past 30 years since welfare reform about how welfare reform was based on racist stereotypes about welfare recipients.

But DC, as you know, took a more progressive approach, and this was in part based on an assessment, which I've testified about before regarding TANF recipients who had been on TANF for long periods of time.

It was the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services that entered cooperative agreements with five states in DC to conduct in-depth studies of their TANF caseloads and the Urban Institute's study in DC found that many TANF recipients had enormous obstacles to steady employment that included severe recent domestic violence, physical or mental health challenges, lacking a high school diploma or a GED, caring for a child or a relative with health challenges.

DC consequently made a policy decision to put additional resources into place to support these families and to shift them to local dollars once they reach the federal time limit.

The mayor's budget for TANF would punish these very families in a time when massive federal workforce reductions have led to thousands of government layoffs, and DC's unemployment rate is the highest in the U.S.

among states and one of the highest among U.S.

cities.

I question D DHS's assumption that only 25% of families receiving TANF will qualify for a hardship exemption or extension, and I really fear that that will become a sort of goal that will lead them to severe undercounting of families in need of an exemption.

Tellingly, the Urban Institute found that uh 74% of families faced two or more barriers to employment that were severe.

We've had the information from this study and the Urban Institute's recommendations for more than 20 years now.

They were recommending not just identifying families with multiple barriers to work, but also conducting more intensive needs assessment for such families and connecting them to needed services through home visits.

The study also found that there are certain bellwether barriers that could be used to identify families who may benefit from more intensive needs assessment.

Work experience and child care challenges were the most significant challenges to study employment.

And 20 years later, we're enacting time limits and severe work sanctions while at the same time cutting these two supports that families need most.

Child care slots and training and employment.

This is certainly a double whammy punitive approach.

I understand revenant revenue is down.

I support the Fair Budgets coalition's call for tax reform to resolve that issue.

At times like this, we really need to care for our most vulnerable residents and not balance DC's budgets on their backs.

I hope the council will, as Ed said, tear this budget apart and create a budget that cares and reflects our values and our interconnectedness.

Thank you for your time, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Council Councilman Fruman and Council members.

My name is Benga Ogunjimi.

I'm a proud DC resident and the executive director of the Najuen Center, a DC-based civic institution, advanced in social justice, culture, and opportunity for all immigrant communities in Washington, D.C.

I'm here today to underscore a simple point.

Washington's DC approach to immigrant justice is on parallel.

And the CLEG grant is the key reason why.

I strongly urge the council to ensure CLEAR funding is included in the fiscal year 2027 budget at 3.5 million dollars.

While the mayor proposed DHS budget does not currently include CLARE, we anticipate this would be addressed in the Arata.

We asked the council to remain committed to fully funding this critical program.

With seed funding from CLER, we launched a year-round walk-in immigration clinic in Southeast Washington, D.C., bringing legal services directly to residents who would otherwise go without support.

Beyond legal services, we connect clients to essential resources, including driver's licenses, health insurance, micro lending, free tax preparation, and financial counseling.

CLIRE also enable the Nigerian Center to obtain the DEOJ accreditation and recognition status, one which is the gold standard for nonprofit legal services programs.

Without CLIR, this life change in services would not exist.

The African immigrant community remains one of the most underserved populations in the legal services landscape.

Nationally, there are only a handful of organizations equipped to serve this community with cultural and linguistic competence.

This funding helps change that narrative in Washington, D.C.

At the same time, demand is growing rapidly and outpacing capacity.

Immigration cases are increasingly complex, often taking months and years to resolve.

We are seeing increase in enforcement, families seeking assistance, and shifting federal priorities, impacting programs such as the travel bans and immigration odds.

As one of the few black-led immigrant service providers with subclients across African diaspora, including Afro-Latino and Caribbean communities.

Every day we encounter stories of resilience from survivors of domestic violence to highly skilled individuals contributing to DC economy, yet facing barriers to stability due to lack of legal access.

This investment is both moral, the right, and the smart thing to do.

This funding not only sets a national standard for immigration justice, it strengthens DC local economy by ensuring all residents can fully contribute their talent.

This is what investment looks like, expanding prosperity and opportunity for all DC residents.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you.

Rebecca.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Freeman.

My name is Rebecca Diane.

I was born in D.C.

I grew up in Ward 3.

I've worked as a legal assistant at Legal Aid DC for three years, and I'm the Secretary of Legal Aid DC's Union, which is part of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW 2320.

I'm also here today to speak on behalf of the Legal Aid DC Union about the importance of clear funding to our members.

This funding is crucial for providing immigration legal services for low-income district residents.

And it is also an investment in organized labor.

We are asking the council to ensure that clear funding is maintained at $3.5 million for FY 2027 so that our members can continue to provide vital services to our community.

In a city where many people work in the nonprofit sector, unionized nonprofits like ours raise the standards of labor for all nonprofit employers, which benefits DC's economy as a whole.

Our members are hardworking and skilled advocates who are committed to fighting for DC residents who are experiencing poverty.

CLEAR funding supports legal aid's work serving the district's immigrant population.

In the past year, our union members have represented clients in immigration matters amidst unprecedented hostility while working in a complex, constantly changing legal setting, as Jelene Workman spoke to earlier today.

Legal Aid DC's immigration unit focuses primarily on humanitarian-based relief for survivors of violence, crime, and persecution.

The unit includes six union members, two senior staff attorneys, three staff attorneys, and one senior legal assistant paralegal who have dedicated their careers to serving the public interest.

Through legal representation and advocacy, they help clients access legal status and safety and avoid separation from their families.

Our union members are showing up for the community at a time of pervasive fear and vulnerable vulnerability and a large need for free immigration legal services.

Without clear funding, DC residents would lose access to the free legal services our members and other organizations provide, uh, which for many would mean having to navigate a complicated system alone when the stakes could not be higher.

We urge the council to ensure clear funding is in the fiscal year 2027 budget at 3.5 million, as other people have spoken about today.

It was not included in the budget, and we've heard that this will be corrected, but uh we are asking the council to remain vigilant about this.

Reducing the clear grant would put our members' jobs at risk, especially in light of the mayor's proposed 85% cut to the access to justice grant, which would be devastating to our union members and our community.

Thank you again for the opportunity to share testimony today.

Thank you very much.

Uh Mr.

Sheptuck.

Hello, my name is Eric Sheptok.

I've advocated for DC's homeless since June of 2006.

So I'm coming up on 20 years.

And uh I want to start out by saying that I currently have seven homeless and displaced women living in my residence right now.

I know it sounds a little shocking, and I will say that it's it's not like herding cats, it's actually been quite peaceful.

But the reason is because Harbor Lights uh winter only seasonal shelter closed on the morning of April 15th.

And uh I should say that we have people in DC government that work on the homeless issue who take a census of the of the shelters every single night, you know, and they keep track of which ones are closing uh for the season from April 15th until at least October 15th, and and and they should have seen this coming.

Uh, but now that the winter only shelters are seasonal shelters are closed, uh the year-round shelters are bursting at the seams.

So what happened was uh a few days ago, I just happened to be in front of the MLK library.

I heard three women talking about well, they were all in their late 50s, uh up to 67 years old.

They were talking about riding the bus all night uh because they had no access to shelter, and they wanted to make sure it was a route that went past a 24 hour store where they could use the bathroom at 2 a.m.

And as I heard three of them talking, I said, why don't you come to my place?

They said we have a fourth woman who's on the way back to our group, and so the four came in and then three more got added.

Uh and so now it's up to seven, and it has stopped at seven.

Uh but then also I should point out that that uh of the seven women, one of them has a serious heart condition.

Uh she her medication makes her drowsy.

She needs day day rest, uh and she doesn't have uh immediate access to day rest.

I know that there is a respite bed uh section in the 801 East men's shelter.

So it's an all-male shelter.

But it has a male and female respite section, medical section.

Uh and the problem there is that uh as the women who are patients there go in and out, they get harassed by the horny men, and it makes them very uncomfortable.

Uh so that needs to be dealt with.

Uh and and then also I don't know if I mentioned, but I have a couple of women in the group who have leg issues where they have to elevate their legs uh when they lie down.

Uh and they can't do that at the shelter.

Uh and uh so anyway, uh I want to point out that there's a possible solution here.

Uh so I found out, well, I knew, of course, that at the beginning of the COVID crisis that many 12-hour shelters became 24 hours.

And for some strange reason, they remain 24-hour shelters even now.

Uh and and that that's wasted money.

Uh and so I would posit that we should take the the shelters that used to be 12 hours and make them 12-hour shelters again and take the funding that's used to to keep them as 24-hour shelters and put that funding toward uh opening the seasonal shelters year-round.

So if if you made all sh all of the non-medical shelters uh 12 hours, then you would have more money to reopen the the seasonal shelters, and you would even have some money to create a new respite section for women only, as opposed to having the one that's inside of the male shelter.

And I should also point out that I I I don't just nag and moan about what's wrong, but I've been told that the Bethany's Day Center for Homeless Women is a very good program.

Everyone who's who has spoken on it loves it, and and they all want to be somewhere close to that program.

Uh and and so uh I I would posit in in closing that that uh we should create a female respite section uh either in the N-street village where Bethany is or somewhere close where the m the women don't have to go through a male shelter to get to the the respite beds.

So so uh I didn't just bring a problem, but I I brought a solution too.

I will be in your office very soon, and I can be contacted at 240-305-5255.

Uh and anyone who wants to can call me about this issue because I I could use a whole lot of help, and I will I will close uh finally by saying only you can make this world seem right.

Only can make the darkness bright thank you very much, Mr.

Sheptabic.

I think I think you're in communication with our office, so hopefully we can be helpful to you.

Thank you to all of you for your testimony.

Um I think uh we're gonna move to the next panel, but really appreciate it.

Uh Chairman Moses, Caleb Cotton, uh Catherine Crossland.

Uh uh I see uh Maya Brennan has arrived.

Uh Ms.

Brennan, if you want to come to the table, we can get you now.

Uh is there is there anyone else here who has come to testify in person?

I'm sorry, people are pointing in the okay.

Would you like to come to the table?

And then we'll get you on the next one.

Okay.

Uh I don't know if you're if you are Chairman Moses or Caleb Cotton.

Caleb, Caleb, when you're ready to go.

All right, good afternoon.

Oh, my name is Caleb Cotton.

I'm here as a former client of Living Life Alternative, a low barrier shelter for the LGBTQ.

Um, and as a man of trans experience.

I came into that program trying to get back on my feet, like a lot of people do.

Um I wasn't looking for special treatment, just basic respect and a real chance to move forward.

But that's not what I got.

While I was there, I was constantly misgendered, disrespected, and honestly treated, just treated like it didn't matter.

Staff will say things that were out of line, laugh things off, or ignore it completely.

Um when I spoke up, it got to the point where I felt more stressed being inside the program than I did dealing with everything outside of it.

And then on top of that, I was wrongly I was wrongfully terminated.

No real accountability, no real explanation that made sense, just put out like I was disposable.

That kind of treatment does something to you.

It messes with you.

It messes with your head, your confidence, and your ability to trust the system.

That is supposed to help.