Category: Advocacy

Dear Chairman Brown: In large measure due to your leadership, over 1500 District residents struggling with homelessness have been sleeping a little easier since May 25th.  Especially in these challenging fiscal times, we at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless want you to know how very grateful our community is that the Council was able to make significant progress in closing the funding gap for homeless services, averting a potential crisis for DC’s shelter and transitional housing programs.  We appreciate your efforts to restore some funding to IDA and TANF, as well. But our collective work is far from… Read more…

Guest blog post by Stephanie Niedringhaus Each day, as I walk between Washington’s Union Station and my office, I see people who are either homeless or in difficult housing situations. I buy Street Sense from some, chat with others. Whether I am walking past or stopping to talk, I am always conscious of the U.S. Capitol just behind me. The contrast between what happens there and the circumstances of people on the street couldn’t be starker. Many of us know there is an enormous wealth gap in the U.S., but too few recognize this gap as a moral and political issue.… Read more…

Dear Friends: Many thanks for being so responsive to our many pleas for help during budget advocacy season. Because of your support and the efforts of so many concerned community members, the potential crisis in the shelter system has been averted! Here’s a quick report on what happened at Wednesday’s vote: The DC Council passed the Budget Request Act for FY2012. (Only one reading and vote is needed on the BRA.) The budget which council members adopted includes these important provisions: – An additional $17million for homeless services, to further close the gap left by the loss of one-time federal… Read more…

Several weeks ago, hundreds of residents called and emailed the D.C. Council demanding that it fill the $20.5 million gap in homeless services funding. The Council heard the message, but said it would only be able to find a few million dollars for homeless families; homeless individuals were out of luck. In response to the impending humanitarian crisis, community members, service providers, advocates, and even business leaders all have highlighted what would happen if the Council passed the proposed budget without additional funding for homeless individuals. On Wednesday, reality met politics when hundreds of community members descended on the Wilson… Read more…

Note: Larry Tanenbaum of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld has been named District of Columbia Bar Pro Bono Attorney of the Year. Below is his statement about the Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2012 proposed budget cuts. ______________________________________ I am an attorney in Washington, D.C. and provide substantial pro bono services to clients who are disabled and dependent on Interim Disability Assistance (“IDA”) and Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) to meet their needs for food, shelter and other basic necessities. I am writing out of concern that the Mayor’s FY12 proposed budget would eliminate any appropriation for IDA, leaving some of the… Read more…

Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown (D) said Tuesday that his “number one objective” is to keep shelters open for homeless families and victims of domestic violence. – Washington Post, Tuesday May 10, 2011 Because of YOU, people are listening. Nearly every DC Council member has expressed concern about the plight of priority 1 homeless families and we are hearing that the Council will restore at least some funding to keep emergency family shelter open year-round. Our deepest thanks to all of our friends and allies who took the time to urge the Council to adopt a budget that is fair… Read more…

Check out the May 2011 issue of “Listen Up” which includes information about the upcoming DHS mark-up and the Safety Net Walking Tour! Read more…

It is springtime in Washington: hypothermia shelters have closed for the season; the cherry blossoms have come and gone; oak pollen has sent allergy sufferers into great misery; and we at WLCH are frantically advocating with the DC Council members to protect vital safety net programs. While by some measures it appears that the country is climbing out of tough economic times, a close look at the FY 2012 budget proposal that Mayor Gray has submitted to the DC Council would suggest otherwise. To close a projected $330 million budget gap, the mayor has proposed a combination of revenue enhancements… Read more…

March 22nd, 2011 | by Aleksandra Gajdeczka of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmSekCCS4To&w=480&h=390] Imagine a disability that renders you unable to work, ever again. Now imagine you have no income, no savings, and no employer-sponsored insurance. You apply for federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI), only to find that the application process is long and complex. Chances are, you will have wait for a year or two, if not longer, before your first federal disability check comes. And in the meantime, how do you get by? The short video below, created by DCFPI and So Others Might Eat, features… Read more…