Category: Advocacy

“Ending homelessness just takes political will.” – Mayor Muriel Bowser This simple, and in our view, correct, statement came from Mayor Bowser at the March 18th affordable housing rally organized by The Way Home Campaign and the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED). Mayor Bowser uttered these words before hundreds of rally attendees, Read more…

Last Tuesday, the DC Council made changes to the Mayor’s proposed legislation to close the DC General family shelter and voted unanimously in favor of the bill. (It requires two votes to become law). We strongly support the changes to the bill and urge the Mayor and Council to work out any remaining kinks and expeditiously Read more…

On October 28th, the DC Council’s Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs held an eleven hour hearing on raising DC’s minimum wage and expanding the District’s paid sick days law. The Legal Clinic testified in strong support of these measures at last week’s hearing and you can read our testimony below. Tomorrow at 9:00am, Read more…

Today, Councilmember Jim Graham, Chair of the Committee on Human Services, is holding a public oversight roundtable on “The Winter Plan: Protecting the Lives of Homeless People in the Winter of 2013-2014.” You can tune in to the roundtable here.  Amber Harding and Scott McNeilly of the Legal Clinic testified before the Committee earlier this morning. Read more…

The following is testimony delivered by Scott McNeilly at today’s Winter Plan Roundtable. In addition to being a Legal Clinic staff attorney, Scott is also a member of the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) and a member of the ICH’s Operations and Logistics Committee and Capacity Subcommittee, both of which were involved in developing the Winter Plan. Read more…

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Legal Clinic is proud to join the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCAADV) and others in honoring victims and survivors of domestic violence for the 8th annual observance of Purple Thursday. Domestic violence is the second most frequently stated cause of homelessness for families, and one in four women in DC Read more…

From February to May of 2013, one local youth service provider turned away at least 150 unaccompanied minor children due to lack of emergency shelter space, many of whom also had children of their own. When made aware of this unmet need in September, the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) responded by making the adoption Read more…

The DC Council Committee on Human Services is holding a hearing today on Bill 20-414, the “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Cost-of-Living Adjustment Amendment Act of 2013.” Legal Clinic staff attorney Becky O’Brien submitted the following testimony to the Committee. I want to thank you for introducing Bill 20-414, “TANF Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Amendment Read more…

This week, the Housing Complex exposed the troubles DC is having placing homeless families through its Rapid Rehousing program. The director of the Department of Human Services (DHS) is quoted in the article, opining that the biggest obstacle for placing families is the lack of affordable units that families could afford on their own after the program Read more…

Tomorrow, the DC Council has the opportunity to override the Mayor’s veto on Bill 2-062, the “Large Retailer Accountability Act of 2013” (LRAA). On Friday, we blogged about the high cost of living in the District and how without a livable wage, it is nearly impossible for DC residents to find and secure affordable housing. But it Read more…