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  • The Face of Homelessness

    by Bobby Jackson, Summer Fellow

    I remember biting my lower lip as hard as I could in an effort to hide my emotions, hoping that the water building up in my eyes wasn’t noticeable.  I peered down at my notepad for a few seconds and scribbled some non-descript words on the page. When I finally gained the courage to look back up, I saw the face of a tearful woman who confided in me that she had absolutely no where to turn and was in “desperate” need of the Clinic’s help. Within a few days she would become homeless.

    This woman sitting across from me did not have the stereotypical “look” that so many ascribe to that of a person who is homeless: her clothes were not tattered, she was not asking for money while on the street.

    Although she wasn’t exhibiting any outward “signs” of experiencing homelessness, this woman is representative of the majority of District residents who are homeless or in imminent threat of homelessness.   She looks like the sister you played with growing up, the mother that sits across the table from you at Thanksgiving, the niece whose birthday parties you attended, or even the grandmother that would pick you up from school if your parents were running late. Walking past her on the street, you would not fathom her struggles to keep a roof over her head.

    She also defies the all too common and ill-informed stigma that many associate with people who are homeless: she is not lazy; she is not irresponsible.   This particular client had been self-sufficient for years until a series of unexpected events left her physically disabled and financially devastated, unable to sustain full time employment or keep up with her rent.

    Her story highlighted for me a very valuable truth that’s critical for both city leaders and District residents to understand: homelessness can happen to anyone. Statistical data supports this contention. According to a MoneyWatch poll, roughly thirty-eight (38) percent of Americans are currently living paycheck to paycheck.[1]  Many District residents may not think about how one single, unexpected change could drastically alter their financial, and consequently their housing, situation: the onset of a costly medical condition, a sudden increase in rent, or the unforeseen loss of gainful employment, among others.

    While I’ve learned many valuable lessons and gained a variety of experience from my fellowship at the Legal Clinic this summer, the most important lesson I learned was that homelessness can and does affect every single one of us.  In order to successfully eradicate homelessness as a society, we must break down the stereotypes and realize that the face of homelessness is simply a human face.

    CBS News, Study: Nearly 40 Percent of Americans Living Paycheck to Paycheck (July 24, 2012), http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/07/24/study-nearly-40-percent-of-americans-living-paycheck-to-paycheck/ (last visited Aug. 2, 2012)

     

  • My Summer Fellowship: Making Real Change Happen

    by Robert Medine

    I have always been drawn to advocate on behalf of those who find themselves in situations where often the only thing left to hold onto is hope. My summer fellowship at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, thanks to Crowell Moring, LLP, has given me the opportunity to do this work and has become a valuable part of what I hope will be a long journey of using my law degree to help those most in need.

    My fellowship began on the eve of the D.C. City Council’s vote on the budget proposed by Mayor Gray. Although I was new to the fray, I could sense the concern of my co-workers that struggling families would literally have food taken out of their mouths because of budget cuts to TANF, and that people who are homeless would find themselves sleeping outside of the Wilson Building because of budget cuts that could lead to the closure of several low barrier homeless shelters in D.C. Out of this concern came hope and a determination to fight for the rights of low-income and homeless residents. There was news that, with a good revenue forecast, there would be enough money to fund these programs as long as the D.C. Council had the political will to prioritize them. It was our job as advocates to help them find this political will.

    Not fully understanding the magnitude of the impact these cuts could have on D.C.’s most vulnerable, I assumed the city leaders would ultimately find the extra funds (especially with all of the traffic cameras they have throughout the District!).  As my fellowship progressed, I began to attend weekly advocacy meetings with one of my managing attorneys at a prominent D.C. area homeless shelter.  I heard first hand from homeless advocates who were themselves living in shelters, about the impact these cuts would have on their ability to survive and I admired them for not giving up the fight against this injustice. When a city representative announced at a town hall meeting in June that the city’s revenue forecast had not changed for the better, and so programs prioritized on the Council’s list would not be funded, I was heartbroken and felt that the city had betrayed its own residents.

    As I write this, things are still unsettled and the outlook is bleak for the ever-increasing segment of D.C.’s population which struggles to make ends meet, but I refuse to give up hope for them because I know there are people fighting every day to protect the rights of all D.C. residents to safe and secure shelter and housing. I know this not just from my experience with the budget, but also from the positive progress I witnessed in some projects I worked on this summer.

    One case I was fortunate to work on involved a landlord who was and still is attempting to forcefully evict occupants from an apartment building he owns. I visited the apartment building, which had been so poorly maintained that the conditions made it almost unlivable.  The landlord refused to make repairs, but his tune quickly changed once we got a court order requiring him to do so. A little advocacy can go a long way! The eviction case is still ongoing, but the residents are already more empowered in seeing their landlord finally do some of what is required of him by law.

    Repairs of housing conditions may seem like a minor victory when compared to the possibility that thousands may soon be forced to sleep on the streets, but as with other stories I’ve encountered during my fellowship here, it has shown me two fundamental things: The nation’s most powerful city is also home to some of the most powerless.  However, there are people who have the ability to make real change and who are committed to doing so.

    I will never forget this experience and I look forward to continuing to make real change happen for those who need it the most.

  • A Mother’s Plea to City Leaders

    Ed. note:  The city’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is currently in the process of implementing the D.C. Council’s mandate to move families from the shelter system into housing in order to open up much needed shelter space for new families this summer. However, the city’s progress has been too slow for many “priority 1” families who remain without a safe place to go in the meantime.  Ms. S’s is one such family.

    by Guest Blogger Ms. S*

    I’m 21 years old, have two children, and my family is currently homeless. My daughter is 5 years old. She attends school and spends many of her afternoons with my grandmother. My son is 1 year old and has been diagnosed with asthma, a congenital heart condition, and a cleft foot — disabilities that are made worse by our current situation. I have a third child on the way with my husband, Dave. Dave and I married in December of 2011 and have been struggling to find work and shelter since then. We’re searching for a stable and safe situation in which to raise our children but we haven’t been able to find anything despite looking for months.

    I haven’t had a very easy road to travel. Many of my extended family members have problems with drugs, including my mother. I lived with my grandmother until I was 15 years old.  I had my daughter at 16 and was moved to foster care until I was 18 years old, caring for my daughter while I was there. When I was 18, I moved back in with my mother because I had nowhere else to go. Her drug use and other problems eventually forced me to move out. When I had my son, I was living with his father who was abusive to me. After an incident during which he assaulted me, I called the police and moved with my children into temporary shelter through the Crime Victims’ Resource Center, but like I said, it was only temporary.

    Dave and I have been searching for a stable place to live and for steady work in the past year. He’s trained in EMT work and has applied for several positions in the DC area but there are always too many applicants and not enough spots, so he’s been unsuccessful so far. Adding to our problems, my doctors have identified my pregnancy as high-risk and have recommended that I be on bed rest until November – advice that is hard to follow without a stable place to live. We rely on TANF and Food Stamps as our only income to survive.

    We stayed with my mother-in-law for a time, but her home was smoke-filled and crowded already and soon we were asked to leave. Every single day is a struggle and we’re never sure if we’ll have a safe place to sleep at night. I’m worried about the health and safety of my children in this summer heat.

    We sought shelter from the city and have been classified as “Priority 1” by the Family Resource Center but haven’t been placed anywhere. I’m also on several other waitlists for low rent housing but so far, there hasn’t been any good news. We’ve contacted our city leaders, but no one seems to have any solution for us. I feel like I’m doing everything I can and coming up against a brick wall every time.

    As each day passes, Dave and I continue our search for safe housing, and we won’t give up because we simply cannot afford to. We just hope our city leaders will come through for us.

    * The names of Ms. S and her husband have been redacted/changed to protect their privacy.

  • The Real Life Hunger Games Continue in DC

    In April, we told you about the unprecedented rise in family homelessness and the District’s (non)response to the crisis: no new shelter placements until next winter and a new puzzling and punitive policy to report every family who requests shelter because they have no safe housing to Child Protective Services (CPS). Then we shared our solution to the crisis: provide long term affordable housing to 250 families to move them out of shelter and create room for new families in crisis.  This solution would meet the family’s immediate need and avoid any risk of family dissolution based purely on poverty—an approach that’s sensible and consistent with DC law, which forbids a foster care placement based on poverty alone.

    Thank you to our many readers who took action to persuade the DC Council that the District’s budget should reflect our values and support families rather than penalizing them for facing a housing crisis!  Because of your efforts and the leadership of Councilmember Michael Brown (special shout-out to Kilin Boardman-Schroyer) as well Jen Budoff in the Council’s budget office, the Council passed the Housing for Homeless Families Amendment Act of 2012.  This amendment to the Mayor’s Budget Support Act directs $4 million towards 250 Local Rent Supplement Vouchers for homeless families currently residing in DC funded shelter or transitional housing.  The money is specifically directed to relieve the pressure on the family shelter system by requiring the Department of Human Services (DHS) to select families and place them in housing now so that spaces will open soon for newly homeless families with no safe place to go (“priority 1” families).

    In addition to this big win for homeless families, we also convened a group of advocates to meet with representatives of DHS and the Child and Family Services Administration (CFSA) to talk about the District’s new policy of reporting parents to CPS for abuse and neglect investigations for not having a safe place to sleep. We learned that, sadly, CFSA had no new housing resources to add to the mix for these families. DHS and CFSA agreed to draft a more formal protocol for the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, the shelter intake site for families, to use in determining when and if a report to CPS is appropriate.  Advocates, including the Children’s Law Center, the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project encouraged the city agencies to tailor this protocol so it does not have a chilling effect on families in need of shelter.  Everyone at the meeting agreed that the solution to this “Catch 22” was to increase shelter and affordable housing for families.

    You may have read the recent Washington Post story featuring families faced by this very Catch-22. We were surprised to read that the number of families requesting shelter who were reported to CPS because they had no safe housing more than tripled since we met with DHS and CFSA in April.  At the time, ten families had been referred.  Two months later, the number has jumped to thirty-two.  As Ruth Ann White from the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare points out in the article, “[DC] is using its new warning to reduce the number of families in its system by scaring away parents…”  What the article doesn’t tell us, and what we will never know, is how many families leave the FRC every day because they (rightfully) fear such a reporting or how many opt for cars or abandoned buildings and don’t even seek help because they’ve heard of this practice.

    Here’s the bottom line: the District’s current policy does not serve children well. Families who turn to the government for help – usually as a last resort—should not be threatened with a CPS referral simply for being homeless.  By making referrals to CPS rather than finding ways to invest in affordable housing for all DC residents, the DC government is punishing children for being poor.

    Fortunately, the solution is simple and the money is in the budget. The Gray Administration just needs to place families in housing as quickly as possible, and start placing “priority 1” families as soon as there are vacancies in the shelter system. Of course, if the Gray Administration hopes to solve this crisis beyond this year it will need to invest in affordable housing each year. In the meantime, though, The Gray Administration can ensure that every family has a safe place to stay and no family is broken up due to poverty alone if it uses its current resources quickly and wisely.

    If you agree with us that Mayor Gray’s number one priority this summer (and beyond) should be to end this crisis, share your concerns by sending an email to mayor@dc.gov.

  • In Memoriam of Shirley Riley: One Client’s Legacy

    Last Sunday my client, Shirley Riley, passed away. In speaking with her daughter and her mother this week, it struck me that her family may not know the profound impact she had on the lives of other D.C. residents.  I’d like to share a small part of her story so that they and others will know more about the legacy of her fight for justice.

    I first met Ms. Riley in 2009 when she was staying in the D.C. General family shelter with her daughter. Ms. Riley had a number of medical conditions, some of which caused her to need a wheelchair to get around and to have dietary restrictions. When she arrived at D.C. General she discovered that the facilities were not accessible, and that the shelter would not accommodate her special dietary needs. As a result, she struggled to do the simple daily activities that you or I might take for granted and her health began to deteriorate. For instance, every time she needed to use the bathroom she had to ask for help just to open the door, not to mention use the shower or toilet. Her teenage daughter helped whenever she could, but Ms. Riley never wanted her daughter to miss school just because she needed her help. She often had to ask staff or other residents to help her.

    When our office got involved, we successfully advocated for a transfer to a more accessible shelter unit. For many clients, that might have been the end of the journey. But when Ms. Riley learned that she never should have been placed somewhere that wasn’t fully accessible and that her federal civil rights had been violated, she grew very angry, and not just on her own behalf. She asked me what would happen to the next person with a disability who came into shelter. What would happen if that person didn’t get a lawyer?

    She decided to sue the city and its contractors for what happened to her in the hopes that she could prevent the same thing from happening to others. I explained to her that litigation can be incredibly slow and frustrating, that she would have to devote a lot of her time to it, and that we could not guarantee she would be successful. She didn’t care. She felt a responsibility to others and for this reason, she could not just “let it go.”

    It was a lengthy and sometimes painful process. Even when Ms. Riley felt like she might not succeed, she still went out of her way to encourage her family, her friends, and even strangers on the street to pursue justice for themselves and others. (As a result, I believe I have provided legal representation or advice to nearly every member of her extended family over the years, including her grand-nephew and his mother just this week!)

    Because Ms. Riley (and people like her) decided to pursue justice for herself and those who came after her, people with disabilities who need emergency shelter will not face the hardships she did. There are accessible rooms and bathrooms at D.C. General now, so no one has to ask for a stranger’s help to use the toilet or shower. Families are asked at intake whether they have any special dietary needs and those needs are promptly met—no one has to risk their health by not following their doctor’s dietary guidelines while they live in shelter.

    The D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS), one of the entities Shirley Riley sued, acknowledged the impact that Ms. Riley had on homeless services by naming an Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator position after her and putting a plaque up in the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center recognizing her contributions.  Even though Ms. Riley and DHS were on different sides of the issue, her commitment to ensuring that others in similar circumstances received the benefit of her experience was impressive across “sides.” One person who works for DHS had this to say about Ms. Riley: “I still recall the ceremony where she was presented with the plaque.  I was touched and impressed by the pride she took in the impact that she made.  That moment has stayed with me as one of those times when an individual’s voice represents the experience of a broader group of people, and brought home, once again, the importance of both the services we provide and the need to be vigilant and make sure we are doing the best we can by those we serve.”

    I will miss you, Ms. Riley. I hope you and your family know that your advocacy will continue to have a ripple effect for years to come, getting us closer and closer to ensuring justice for all D.C. residents.

    – Amber Harding

  • Budget Victory, But No Time To Rest

    Budget season is over and it’s been a pretty exciting ride.  This year, the D.C. Council really stepped up and, through restorations and investments, supported many programs relied upon by low-income and no-income D.C. residents.

    The Council put $4 million into the tenant-based Local Rent Supplement Program in order to provide permanent affordable housing to about 250 homeless families in the District and open up much-needed space in emergency shelters to accommodate families that are currently in crisis and not able to access shelter.  The Council also delayed TANF cuts and added new exemptions to sanctions so that families who are in crisis and cannot currently obtain employment (such as families caring for a child with a disability full-time or families experiencing severe domestic violence) will not be penalized.  While the Council did not fill the $7 million gap in homeless services, it did keep this funding as the #1 priority on the Council’s “wish-list.”  We remain hopeful that the $7 million will be restored with the next revenue forecast.  For a full list of budget wins by the Fair Budget Coalition, see here.

    One thing is certain.  We would not have accomplished these wins without the hard work and commitment of our partners, our clients, and concerned community members like you who put in the effort to make the calls, send the emails, show up at the D.C. Council, and talk to friends and neighbors about the difficult choices faced by D.C. residents every day.

    We want to extend the greatest thanks to the community members who bravely shared their personal stories of struggle on this blog, in testimony before the city council, and at visits with councilmembers and their staff.  Any success we’ve had in getting our city leaders to prioritize the needs of D.C. residents is a testament to their compelling advocacy. 

    Budget season may be over, but there is still much work left to be done.  Over the next few months, we will be monitoring the city agencies to ensure that families are moved efficiently into housing, that the TANF redesign is working properly to serve our clients, that shelter capacity for single men and women is not reduced, and that all shelter residents are given the supports they need to return to self-sufficiency.  D.C. still has a long way to go to live up to its commitment as a Human Rights City, but if this budget season is any indication, we’re headed in the right direction.

    Check this blog all summer to stay informed of ways you can help fight for a more just and inclusive D.C.

  • D.C. Council Votes 10-3 to Delay TANF Cuts!

    In giving final approval to the FY 2013 Budget Support Act today, the D.C. Council voted to delay additional cuts in TANF for a year.  Councilmembers Jim Graham and Michael Brown introduced the amendment with the one-year delay language, and all but three Councilmembers voted in favor of the amendment.  (Councilmembers Alexander,Catania, and Mendelson voted against the delay).

    In passing this amendment, councilmembers recognized that the District government had failed TANF families by not doing proper assessments and not having appropriate work supports in place. Councilmembers said that penalizing families for the District’s failures was simply unfair.

    The one-year delay will allow for improvements in the TANF re-design to take hold and for families to be properly assessed under the re-design.  We’re grateful to the D.C. Council for hearing the pleas of families like Ms. K’s and for voting to give kids a fighting chance!


  • My Message to City Leaders: Children Rely on TANF

    by guest blogger “Ms. K” 

    I’m a mother of six, and I first got on TANF in 2005 after my husband lost his job and my income alone wasn’t enough to make our mortgage payments. We lost our home and moved in with relatives. At the time I had a newborn and the stress on my family was enormous. For various reasons, I had to leave my job and TANF assistance helped us survive. We shuffled in and out of homelessness for several years and now live in a transitional housing program through So Others Might Eat (SOME) where we pay 30% of our income towards the rent. It’s definitely a step up from where we were a couple of years ago, but things aren’t easy.

    Right now, I’m a conference room coordinator at a law firm inVirginia. My boss expects me to be punctual every day, and I am because I don’t want to be unemployed again in this job market. But making that commute every day after making sure my kids are fed, dressed, and ready for school in the morning is a difficult schedule to juggle. I’m always looking for a job closer to home and my goal is to make enough money to afford my own housing and get off of TANF assistance completely.* I just wish that was easier done than said.

    TANF assistance has allowed me to provide necessities for my kids. It’s helped pay for childcare so I can go to work, it’s helped clothe my kids and get them school supplies, it’s helped me pay for transportation for my family and allowed me to get to and from my job. My paycheck from work goes entirely to pay bills. Without the modest TANF assistance I currently get, things will definitely be much harder for us. My husband was injured in his last job and so he’s unable to do certain work which hasn’t made it easy for him to find a job. Right now, my family is relying on me as the sole breadwinner and having my TANF benefits cut by another 20% this October feels like punishment for having bad luck.

    I spent the majority of my life in D.C., and I never had any knowledge of TANF or shelter. I never even knew there was a housing agency. It was all new to me when suddenly the rug was pulled out from under us, and I’m very thankful that we’ve had this assistance. If I could speak directly to my city leaders, I guess my main message would be this:

    There are children who rely on TANF.  These kids need the support so they can grow up and be motivated, so they can move in a more positive direction, so they know that they can succeed in life. You can’t understand how hard it is to survive when things fall apart until you’ve experienced it yourself.  I want to make sure my kids won’t have to rely on TANF when they grow up, but that means I need the assistance now to prevent them from needing it later. As a parent struggling in this economy, it’s hard when you’re forced to struggle even more because someone thinks you’ve taken too long to get back on your feet.

    * Editor’s note: “Ms. K” does not earn enough to be off of TANF completely. She continues to qualify for a fraction of the full TANF grant because her wages remain low. 

  • Give Kids a Fighting Chance: Tell The Council To Delay TANF Cuts TODAY!

    Last week, we told you about the impending cuts to TANF benefits for families that have received assistance for over 60 months. Today and Monday, help us convince the DC Council to delay these cuts and afford parents the opportunity to take advantage of the improved employment support services offered by the new TANF redesign.

    Councilmembers Jim Graham and Michael Brown are working with the Mayor to  ensure that families in crisis are not cut off of TANF before they receive appropriate services.  Please support their plan to use $5.6 million of the $14.7 million currently on the FY13 Contingency List for TANF to delay the October 1st cuts.

    The final vote on the FY13 Budget is this coming Tuesday, June 5th. This is our last opportunity before the vote to tell city leaders to give kids a fighting chance.

    CLICK HERE for a simple one-click action to email all DC Councilmembers!   

    Here’s some more information on how these cuts would affect DC kids:

    Who will be affected if the cuts go through?

    6,179 families, including more than 12,000 kids, will face a severe reduction in TANF benefits on October 1, 2012 because they have reached the time limit for assistance. (Assistance to a family of 3 will drop to $257/month.) This cut will affect every family who has reached the time limit, even if they are fully compliant with the TANF program requirements, are in school or job training full-time, or facing an extreme hardship (see below).

    What about families who haven’t been able to transition to work due to serious disabilities, caring full-time for a child with a disability, or domestic violence?

    Under the current law, there are no exceptions for any of these families. Their benefits will be cut too.

    What about the new “TANF Redesign” that was supposed to help families get better job training and jobs so they could support themselves without government assistance?

    Only 1,830 parents out of 15,000+ (or 12%) had been assessed as part of the TANF Redesign as of February 23,2012 and only 225 parents had been referred for services as of March 9, 2012.  Very few families slated for cuts in October have been referred for services.

    What is the impact on kids if these cuts go through and the law isn’t reformed?

    Kids will pay the price – Studies show that families who remain on TANF beyond 60 months in their lifetimes have severe barriers to work such as low literacy rates and high rates of mental and physical disabilities.  Studies also show significantly poorer child outcomes when benefits are cut due to time limits. Many families will be unable to pay to get their kids to school, much less pay for other basic needs. DC will end up paying more for costlier services such as emergency shelter and foster care.

  • TANF Cuts: Punishing Families With The Most Severe Barriers to Work

    DC’s TANF program is currently undergoing a long overdue redesign. As part of the redesign, each parent will complete an assessment to identify her or his potential barriers to work, any health issues of family members that impact work, talents and job qualifications, educational background, and the overall needs of the family. Once a parent has been assessed, they will then receive services crafted to fit her or his individual needs and skills, the goal of which is to move towards self-sufficiency and a living wage job. This new, individualized approach holds great promise as we move away from the “one size fits all” system of the past.

    Countless studies show us that the families who remain on TANF beyond 60 months have multiple and severe barriers to employment: recurrent domestic violence, low literacy, physical and mental health disabilities, caring for a disabled family member, and lack of affordable child care – to name a few. The redesign is essential to ensure that families get the specific support they need to address these challenges and make the transition back to work.

    However, the redesign and in particular the assessments are taking longer than anticipated. Only a fraction of the entire TANF population has been assessed and the Department of Human Services (DHS) acknowledges that the agency will not be able to assess every family before planned cuts to TANF benefits go into effect this coming October. Of those who are lucky enough to have been assessed, only a handful have been referred to newly designed services that will help them remove barriers to employment.

    What this means for families who have been on TANF for 60 months or more is that their benefits will be reduced by a whopping 40% before they’ve been connected to services that would help them move to work. For years, the TANF system in DC has been behind the curve in terms of providing support services to assist families, and the redesign promises to remedy this shortcoming. It would be foolish to sanction families now for reaching the lifetime limit of 60 months without first allowing them time to benefit from the redesign.

    Speaking of lifetime limits, here’s another area where DC is currently missing the mark. In 48 other jurisdictions, the months that a family receives TANF because health issues prevent the parent from working do not count towards that family’s lifetime limit on TANF. In DC, they do. In 43 other jurisdictions, the months a family receives TANF because the parent stays home to care for a disabled child don’t count.  Once again, in DC they do.  In 43 other jurisdictions, the months a parent can’t work because she’s experiencing or fleeing domestic abuse do not count towards that family’s lifetime limit.  In DC, they do. District families facing such challenges will see their benefits cuts severely on October 1, 2013 despite having very good reasons for needing further support.

    Reducing benefits this fall to families who face the greatest barriers to employment will only force those families to rely more heavily on already overburdened emergency services like shelter, food programs, and other emergency assistance – shifting the costs from TANF to other government agencies.

    Barring intervention by the DC Council, these cuts will significantly harm the most vulnerable DC families and will severely undermine the very noble goals of the TANF redesign: to assist families in moving successfully out of poverty and reduce their dependence on safety net programs.

    Stay tuned for more information on how you can help oppose these cuts.

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