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    Human Services Committee: Roundtable on The Eligibility Determination Process at the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center

    Testimony of Charisse Lue, Policy and Advocacy Attorney, Brit K. Ruffin, Legal Director, Systemic Advocacy and Litigation, and Joshua Drumming, Policy and Advocacy Attorney, The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless October 8, 2026 Since 1987, the Legal Clinic has worked towards a just and inclusive community for all residents of the District of Columbia–where housing is a human right, housing is a human right, racial justice is a reality, and all people have true and meaningful access to the resources needed to thrive. For years, The Legal Clinic has provided daily advocacy and legal representation when the Virginia Williams Family… Read more…

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    Committee on Human Services: Oversight Roundtable on Eligibility at Virginia Williams -Testimony of LaJuan Brooks 

    Committee on Human Services- Councilman Matt Frumin Oversight Roundtable on the Eligibility process at Virginia Williams  October 8, 2026 Good Morning Councilman Frumin and others, my name is LaJuan Brooks and I am the Director of Community Engagement with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.  I am here today testifying on behalf of my experience in this role and the many families our organization has encountered and or represented due to being denied shelter placement. Some of their stories you will hear firsthand today.  In addition to the community engagement, and systemic advocacy work that we do, a large portion… Read more…

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    FY27 Budget: Limited Housing Wins, but Scarcity Continues to be a Feature, Not a Bug

    By: Brit K. Ruffin, Legal Director, Systemic Advocacy and Litigation On July 7, D.C. Council made its final decisions on D.C.’s FY27 budget.  Yesterday, D.C. began its new fiscal year. For the last few years, budget conversations and decisions in D.C. have been discouraging. With the release of Mayor Bowser’s proposed FY27 budget, the budget season forecast was even more bleak than in previous years. Once again, investments that respond to human needs and save lives were the first ones eliminated when reductions in the budget were contemplated. Those who need the most support and face the most harm from… Read more…

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    Committee on Human Services Public Roundtable: The Future of the Interagency Council on Homelessness

    Committee on Human Services Public Roundtable: The Future of the Interagency Council on Homelessness 9/30/26 Testimony of Amber W. Harding My name is Amber Harding and I am the Executive Director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless envisions a District of Columbia where housing is a human right, racial justice is a reality, and all people have true and meaningful access to the resources needed to thrive. While much has changed since the ICH was enshrined into local law in 2005, the need for cross-agency collaboration and government leadership on ending… Read more…

  • One Year Later: Statement on the Impact on People Without Homes of the Federal Takeover in the Nation’s Capital 
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    One Year Later: Statement on the Impact on People Without Homes of the Federal Takeover in the Nation’s Capital 

    Amber W. Harding, Executive Director On August 10, 2025, President Trump posted on Truth Social that: “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY… We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.” The next day, the President announced that he would be sending 800 National Guard members to D.C., deploying federal law enforcement officers, and taking over D.C.’s police force– all with instructions to clear all the homeless people off of D.C. streets and to end D.C.’s alleged violent crime problem. Thus began the federal police occupation of the nation’s capital that continues to this day, one year later.… Read more…

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    D.C. v. Trump Circuit Court of Appeals: Amicus Brief

    https://www.legalclinic.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/As-Filed-DC-v.-Trump-DC-Cir.-Amicus-Brief.pdf Read more…

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    This Budget Sends a Clear Message: Unhoused People Are Not Welcome in D.C.

    The following is an excerpt of the oral testimony of our Executive Director, Amber Harding at the final budget hearing at the D.C. Council. Since delivering this testimony, we learned that homelessness has increased by 4% this year, with a 15.8% increase for families. The FY27 proposed budget lays out a vision for a D.C. that few low-income residents will be able to call home. This budget promises a D.C. with street sweeping but no homes for people living on those streets, homes for sports teams but not for families, and more and more law enforcement to enforce the increasingly… Read more…

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    D.C. Council Committee on Housing-DHCD Budget Oversight Hearing-FY 2027

    Testimony of, Charisse Lue, Attorney, and Brittany K. Ruffin, Legal Director, Systemic Advocacy and Litigation, The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless envisions a District of Columbia where housing is a human right, racial justice is a reality, and all people have true and meaningful access to the resources needed to thrive. There are concrete economic and affordability challenges facing the District of Columbia and the nation. Now, it is more critical than ever that D.C. Council remain steadfast in its commitment to create and preserve affordable housing. The proposed budget neglects to… Read more…

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    D.C. Council Committee on Housing-DCHA Budget Oversight Hearing- FY 2027

     Charisse Lue, Attorney, The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless and Testimony of Brittany K. Ruffin, Legal Director, Systemic Advocacy and Litigation, Since 1987 the Legal Clinic has worked towards a just and inclusive community for all residents of the District of Columbia–where housing is a human right and where every individual and family has equal access to the resources that they need to thrive.             The District of Columbia is currently facing unprecedented challenges, including the most economically devastating proposed budget that D.C. residents have had to face in decades. Unfortunately, D.C. public housing residents have had to endure deplorable and… Read more…

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    2026 Funding and Reform Priorities from the Legal Clinic

    1. End Homelessness: Housing Vouchers With a cost of living substantially higher than the national average, D.C. is one of the most expensive cities in which to live. Despite an early Bowser Administration promise to end all homelessness by 2020, D.C. residents are still experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness at alarming rates. The vast majority of people experiencing homelessness in D.C. need permanent housing assistance to maintain housing stability. Additionally, due to laws providing for more opportunities for release from incarceration, there is an urgent need to fund housing for D.C. residents returning home and rebuilding lives post-incarceration. Funding housing… Read more…

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