What you need to know:

 No children will be provided lifesaving shelter until next winter. The Administration has no plan to change that policy.

  • Families requesting shelter who have no safety plan for where to stay will be reported to CFSA.  CFSA currently has no housing resources to assist such families.
  • The Mayor’s budget proposal has a $7 million funding gap for homeless services. The Administration is suggesting cutting food, transportation, outreach, medical and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness— which will hurt people already desperately in need of services.
  • The Mayor has no plan in place to provide long-term affordable housing to help lift people out of homelessness.
  • More info can be found in WLCH blog posts: http://bit.ly/reallifehngrgmes and http://bit.ly/endhungrgame.

 What you can do:

>>Wednesday: Tell the DC Council to put money in the budget to help DC Residents in need!

1)   Restore the $7 million funding gap in FY13 to make Homeless Services whole, AND

2)   End Homelessness for more than 500 children (250 families) with a Housing investment of $4 million in FY13.

 Sample message: Please pass a budget that protects DC residents and responds to DC’s crisis of skyrocketing child homelessness by: 1) Restoring the $7 million gap in homeless services money so all adults and children experiencing homelessness have the services they need to survive and 2) Placing at least 250 homeless families into long-term affordable housing as an effective and cost-efficient response to homelessness.

Chairman Kwame Brown, kbrown@dccouncil.us, 724-8032, @KwameBrownDC

Councilmember David Catania, dcatania@dccouncil.us, 724-7772

Councilmember Phil Mendelson, pmendelson@dccouncil.us, 724-8064

Councilmember Michael Brown, mbrown@dccouncil.us, 724-8105, @CMMichaelABrown

Councilmember Vincent Orange, vorange@dccouncil.us, 724-8174, @VincentOrangeDC

Councilmember Jim Graham, jim@grahamwone.com, 724-8181, @JimGrahamWard1

Councilmember Jack Evans, jevans@dccouncil.us, 724-8058, @JackEvansWard2

Councilmember Mary Cheh, mcheh@dccouncil.us, 724-8062, @MaryCheh

Councilmember Muriel Bowser, mbowser@dccouncil.us, 724-8052, @MurielBowser

Councilmember Tommy Wells, twells@dccouncil.us, 724-8072, @TommyWells

Councilmember Yvette Alexander, yalexander@dccouncil.us, 724-8068, @CYMYA

Councilmember Marion Barry, mbarry@dccouncil.us, 724-8045, @marionbarryjr

>>Thursday: Come to the Department of Human Services budget hearing at 11AM in Room 123 at1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW to show your support for this proposal.

>>Spread the word! Blog, Tweet, Facebook, talk to your neighbors– whatever you can!

Tweeting: Use the hashtag #dcfy13. Here are some sample tweets:

1.  End the Hunger Games: restore homeless services gap and put 250 families in housing! #dcfy13

2.  Looking forward to @JimGrahamWard1 supporting homeless kids at DHS budget hearing! #dcfy13

3.  Cuts hurt in #dcfy13. Please restore homeless services $ [insert Councilmember handle]

4.  Don’t gamble with kids’ lives: invest in affordable housing for 250 families in #dcfy13.

Contact the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless at 328-5500 for more info on this campaign or Janelle Treibitzat makeonecitypossible@gmail.com to get involved in the Fair Budget Coalition’s campaign to prioritize human needs in DC’s budget.