On National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day and Every Day, D.C. Must Do More to Save Lives

Posted on Dec 19, 2023 in Action Alert, DC Policies and Plans, Events, Featured, Homelessness, Housing, Hypothermia, In Memoriam, Justice, Law, People, Shelter, Wealth Gap | 0 comments

The Legal Clinic will stand with our friends at the People for Fairness Coalition this week at the 11th Annual Memorial and Vigil to commemorate those lives lost. We will continue to stand with our unhoused clients every single day to demand that the D.C. government prioritize the lives and needs of people by ensuring that everyone in D.C. has access to safe, accessible shelter and housing.

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Mayor Bowser’s Budget Fails Unhoused D.C. Residents

Posted on Apr 14, 2023 in Budget Cuts, Criminalization, DC Budget, DC Policies and Plans, Homelessness, Housing, Poverty, Shelter | 0 comments

Mayor Bowser’s proposed FY24 budget isn’t just tight, it is deeply and fundamentally out of balance– particularly when it comes to the needs of District residents experiencing housing instability and homelessness. Where the government has failed to follow the law or implement its programs, there is no consequence levied on the government-only on District residents. When cuts are made to critical programs, they are accompanied by...

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2023 Funding & Reform Priorities

Posted on Mar 21, 2023 in DC Budget, DC Policies and Plans, Homelessness, Housing, Justice, Law, Poverty, Shelter | 0 comments

It’s budget season again, and the Legal Clinic continues to advocate for budgets and laws that further housing justice for D.C. residents.  Along with our Fair Budget Coalition and Way Home Campaign partners*, we implore D.C. to “Meet the Needs” of all D.C. residents—particularly those who struggle the most to maintain their lives in the city. Recent housing investments and legislation during the height of the pandemic were crucial to minimize...

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Real Rapid Re-Housing Reform Is Finally Within DC’s Reach!

Posted on Sep 29, 2022 in Clients, DC Policies and Plans, Homelessness, Housing, Law, Poverty, Shelter, Wealth Gap | 0 comments

We have long advocated for substantial reform for the rapid re-housing program in DC. The urgency of that advocacy intensified last winter, when the Department of Human Services announced it intended to start terminating almost 1000 families for reaching a time limit in rapid re-housing, even though the agency knew that nearly all of those families would be thrown into crisis as a result. In the spring of 2022, 66 organizations and experts and...

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Despite Strong Community Opposition, DC Elected Officials Segregate and Exclude Immigrants from Homeless Services

Posted on Sep 27, 2022 in DC Policies and Plans, Homelessness, Law, Poverty, Shelter | 0 comments

On Tuesday, September 20, 2022, the DC Council passed The Migrant Services and Supports Emergency Act of 2022 without making any of the significant changes that we advocated for. Councilmember Pinto tried to amend the bill to remove many of the harmful provisions and to add in legal and safety protections for migrants. Councilmember Nadeau and Mayor Bowser strongly opposed the amendment, and managed to convince their colleagues to follow their...

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