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Miriam's Kitchen
On August 10th, the DC Council voted on the Fiscal Year 2022 budget. We are thrilled to share that this budget will end chronic homelessness for 2,370 individuals and end homelessness for over 1,150 families!
Thank you!
This historic win would not have happened without your support. Together, you, our 110 Campaign Partners, and over 6,000 individual supporters successfully advocated for a budget that will end homelessness for over 3,500 households. This. is. Huge.
Historic investments to end homelessness
Half of these vouchers were funded by enacting a slight tax increase on our wealthiest residents which will not only end homelessness for an historic amount of people but will also make DC's tax structure more equitable and just. By leveraging DC's tax code to ensure that DC's growing prosperity is more equitably shared, the DC Council set a national example of what budgets and tax policy informed by a racial equity can look like.
Fiscal Year 22 Housing Investments
Please take a moment to say thank you to your Councilmembers!
We thank Councilmembers Nadeau, Lewis-George, and Allen for leading the charge for tax equity and Councilmembers Gray, Trayon White, Robert White, Silverman, and Henderson for voting "yes" on this important amendment.
We also thank Chairperson Mendelson for funding 775 PSH vouchers for individuals. And today, we thank the entire DC Council for unanimously voting on a budget that, when combined with the Mayor's budget, will end homelessness for 3,500+ households.
Please click below to thank your Councilmembers
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Miriam's Kitchen
On Sunday, we gathered to mourn the 43 members of our community who died without housing. Yesterday, we called, emailed, and tweeted our Councilmembers (and even filled up their voicemails!). And today at noon, the DC Council votes on the budget.
Over the past several months, our ask has remained simple: end chronic homelessness for 2,300 households. Today the Council will either show us whether they want to make transformative change and further housing justice or underinvest in life-saving housing programs.
Follow us at @thewayhomeDC for live updates.
Today is the last chance to take action for a moral budget!
We're asking you to again call, email and tweet at your Councilmembers (your Ward member and 4 At-Large members). Tell them you will be paying attention to today's vote. Let them know that you think the wealthy can pay a little more to fund programs that end homelessness. Let them know that you're looking for actions, not empty promises.
1. Email your Councilmembers and tell them to increase taxes to end homelessness
Chairman Mendelson released his budget yesterday and, while it makes some great investments like money for public housing repairs, eviction prevention, and permanent supportive housing for individuals, it fails to address the looming eviction and homeless crisis at all for families, and provides insufficient funding for ending homelessness for individuals. Click here to email your Councilmembers and make sure they hear from you.
2. Call your Ward Councilmember and 4 At-Large Councilmembers
Call these 4 Councilmembers
- Robert White: (202)-724-8174 (if voicemail is full, email at rwhite@dccouncil.us)
- Anita Bonds: (202) 724-8064; (if voicemail is full, email at abonds@dccouncil.us)
- Elissa Silverman: (202)-724-7772; (if voicemail is full, email at esilverman@dccouncil.us)
- Christina Henderson: (202) 724-8105; (if voicemail is full, email chenderson@dccouncil.us)
And your Ward Councilmember
Ward 2: Councilmember Pinto- (202) 724-8058
Ward 3: Councilmember Cheh- (202)-724-8062
Ward 5; Councilmember McDuffie- (202) 724-8028
Ward 7: Councilmember Gray- (202) 724-8068
Ward 8: Councilmember Trayon White- (202)724-8045
Sample script ""Hi, my name is [__________] and I am a Ward XX voter. I want the Councilmember to vote to increase revenue today so that DC has the money needed to invest $66 million more dollars to end chronic homelessness for 2,300 households. I will be paying attention to today's vote and hope that the Councilmember makes the right choice"
Wards 1,4, and 6
If you live in Wards 1, 4, or 6, please call your Councilmember to thank them for leading the charge to increase funding that ends homelessness.
Ward 1: Councilmember Nadeau- (202) 724-8181
Ward 4: Councilmember Lewis-George- (202) 724-8052)
Ward 6: Councilmember Allen- (202)724-8072
3. Tweet at your Councilmembers
We want to flood our Councilmember's social media feeds with voters showing their support for ending chronic homelessness. Click here to tweet at your Councilmembers.
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Miriam's Kitchen
WARD 2 FAITH LEADERS CALL ON COUNCILMEMBER PINTO TO SUPPORT REVENUE RAISERS TO INVEST $66 MILLION TO END CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS
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Miriam's Kitchen
The DC Council votes TOMORROW on the budget! Tomorrow's vote will determine if DC will end homelessness for hundreds or even thousands of our neighbors or if DC will continue the status quo of large-scale homelessness and tent encampments. Make sure to follow us on twitter at @thewayhomeDC for updates during tomorrow's vote.
Today, we need your help to tell DC's four at-large Councilmembers that their voters support a revenue package that funds more housing to end homelessness.
If you live in Ward 2, please click here to contact Councilmember Pinto!
1. Call DC's four at-large Councilmembers
Robert White: (202)-724-8174
Anita Bonds: (202) 724-8064
Elissa Silverman: (202)-724-7772
Christina Henderson: (202) 724-8105
Sample script ""Hi, my name is [__________] and I am a Ward XX voter. I want the Councilmember to vote to increase revenue on Tuesday so that DC has the money needed to invest $66 million more dollars to end chronic homelessness for 2,300 households. I will be paying attention to Tuesday's vote and hope that the Councilmember makes the right choice"
2. Tweet at your Councilmembers
We want to flood our Councilmember's social media feeds with voters showing their support for ending chronic homelessness. Click here to tweet at your Councilmembers.
Please also email your Councilmembers and sign our petition to stop homeless encampment evictions.
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Miriam's Kitchen
The DC Council takes the first of two votes on DC's budget on July 20th. That means we have just under 2 weeks to demand that the Council close the $66 million gap left in Mayor Bowser's proposed budget needed to end chronic homelessness. Without further action from the Council, over 2,300 households will continue to experience chronic homelessness for at least another year.
Allowing thousands of our neighbors to continue to live without housing in a city with a budget of over $17 billion is unacceptable. That's why we need your help to ensure housing justice is a top priority for our elected officials.
Here are 5 things you can do RIGHT NOW to push the DC Council to end chronic homelessness.
1. EMAIL YOUR COUNCILMEMBERS
With just a few clicks, you can email your 5 representatives on the DC Council (your ward Councilmember, DC's four at-large Councilmembers, and the Council Chair) and tell them to invest an additional $66 million to end chronic homelessness for 2,300 additional households. Click here to send them an email.
2. Tell the DC Council to fund housing, not evictions of homeless encampments
We're alarmed to see that DC has resumed the practice of evicting people from homeless encampments. Clearing encampments does nothing to end homelessness and, even worse, it further traumatizes people who rely on tents for privacy, safety, and protection from the elements. Please sign our petition calling on DC officials to stop encampment evictions and to fund housing that ends homelessness.
3. RSVP to our July 13th virtual concert and action to end chronic homelessness
Join us for a virtual gathering of our partner organizations and supporters for live music, a conversation about the Mayor's FY22 budget proposal, and learn how you can help increase investments in ending homelessness here in DC. Right now the FY22 Budget is in the hands of the DC Council and we know that a moral budget is one that puts housing and other basic human needs first. Join us on Tuesday, 7/13 to gather in support of housing justice. This virtual event will also feature local musician Emma G! The Zoom link will be provided upon registration.
4. Raise your voice for tax justice!
This year, the DC Council faces an important choice: continue the status quo of DC's homeless crisis, or boldly increase funding to end chronic homelessness. We're asking the DC Council to slightly increase taxes on individuals earning over $250,000 to fund proven programs to end homelessness. We know that 80% of DC residents support this moral choice, but the Council is not yet convinced. Click here to email the DC Council to tell them that there is no racial justice or housing justice without tax justice.
5. Save the date for a memorial action
Join us on July 18th from 5:30-6:30 pm for a memorial action for a neighbor who died without housing. More information is forthcoming.
Don't forget to follow us on twitter, instagram, and facebook for campaign updates, action alerts, and more!
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Miriam's Kitchen
Mayor Bowser released her proposed budget on May 27th. We’re excited to share with you our best understanding of what is and isn’t in the budget.
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Miriam's Kitchen
TELL MAYOR BOWSER TO END CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS
Mayor Bowser releases her version of D.C.’s $16.9 billion budget on Thursday, May 27th. As DC begins to recover from COVID-19, this will be one of the most consequential budgets in D.C.’s history. If she wants to, Mayor Bower could use this budget to end chronic homelessness for 3,100 households and set D.C. on a path to a just recovery. To do that, the mayor’s budget must prioritize housing justice and ensure that D.C.’s growing prosperity is equitably spread to all our neighbors. In practice, a moral budget must:
- Invest $100 million to end chronic homelessness for 2,670 individuals and 430 families.
- Fully fund D.C.’s robust network of homeless street outreach with an additional $1.8 million in recurring funds.
- Prevent people from entering homelessness by increasing investments in Project Reconnect, The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), and well-targeted Rapid Rehousing that preserves client choice.
- Increase funding for deeply affordable housing by increasing LRSP (both tenant and project-based) and the Housing Product Trust Fund, by repairing public housing, and purchasing hotels to convert them into PSH and low-income housing.
Federal funding is not enough.
D.C. has or will receive over $2.5 billion in federally funded COVID relief, including a few hundred housing vouchers. This is good news, and this money should be leveraged to prevent and end homelessness. However, this federal funding is not sufficient to meet the full needs of D.C.’s homelessness crisis. As such, D.C. must invest recurring local dollars, which are more flexible and durable than federal funding, to end homelessness.
Now is the time for Mayor Bowser to live up to her commitments.
The best time to make bold investments to end chronic homelessness was before D.C.’s homeless crisis began and before thousands of our neighbors were without housing. The second-best time is now. Mayor Bowser must fulfill her campaign promises to end chronic homelessness and all forms of homelessness in D.C. Simply put, Mayor Bowser must put her money where her mouth is and invest $100 million to end chronic homelessness for 3,100 households. Anything less means that far too many of our neighbors will be without housing for at least another year.
Raise your voice for housing justice!
Click here to email Mayor Bowser to tell her that her budget must end chronic homelessness for 3,100 households.
Mayor Bowser often labels her budget as a Fair Shot. A fair shot is only possible when everybody, specifically D.C.’s wealthiest neighbors and companies, pays their fair share for the collective good. D.C. has many options to find the money needed to end chronic homelessness, from defunding MPD, increasing taxes, or shifting funding away from non-urgent projects such as the Streetcar. A fair shot means that everybody has a chance to thrive, and that must start with housing.
Andrew Anderson, an advocacy fellow at Miriam’s Kitchen and Director of Outreach at the People for Fairness Coalition reminds us that ending homelessness is exceedingly possible. Andrew says, “D.C. has an opportunity to end homelessness, and this opportunity should not be wasted. If the District can fund the creation of streetcars and millions of dollars on police, we absolutely can invest in housing. Housing is a human right.”
Housing justice is essential for racial justice.
Addressing D.C.’s homelessness and affordable housing crises is essential for achieving racial justice. Not only because a staggering 86% of individuals experiencing homelessness in the District are Black, but also because this is not a coincidence. It’s the result of centuries of racist policies that have denied entire communities the ability to thrive. Policy choices, like the ones that create and maintain homelessness, require policy solutions and necessitate governments to step up to meet the needs of the many, not just the privileged few.
Make sure you follow The Way Home Campaign on Twitter and Instagram for more updates on the Mayor’s budget.
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DC Fiscal Policy Institute
The federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) offers a historic opportunity for the District to “build back better” by investing in our residents and communities. In addition to dedicated funding for homelessness, the District will receive $2.3 billion in flexible dollars through the ARP’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (Recovery Funds) that can be used to help tackle homelessness—a long-standing problem in the District that has a disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities. We urge the Mayor and the Council to dedicate funding to house thousands of District residents and improve shelter and services.
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Miriam's Kitchen
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Miriam's Kitchen
It is with very heavy hearts that we share our Steering Committee member Waldon Adams was killed by a car last weekend. Waldon was a friend, a powerful advocate, and a living testimony that, with housing, anything is possible. Rhonda Whittaker, a member of The Way Home Campaign community and a fierce voice for change, was killed in the same crash. If you attended a Way Home event, chances are you were privileged enough to learn from Waldon or Rhonda.
We are all devastated by this tragedy. Waldon and Rhonda were integral members of our lives and leave behind legacies of kindness, determination, and courage. We hold their friends and families in our hearts.
Amidst our grief, we will continue to honor their life's work by fighting even harder to end homelessness.
Waldon reminded us that we can all be forces for change. He frequently said that "advocacy is caring about something and telling other people you care about it."
Below are three ways to be an advocate for ending chronic homelessness.
1. Email Mayor Bowser
Mayor Bowser will release her budget on May 27th. That means we have just one month to demand she listens to DC residents and invests $100 million to end chronic homelessness for 3,100 households. Click here to send her an email.
2. Read our blog
Over the next month, we will publish blogs about the importance of ending homelessness that dive deeper into our budget priorities. Click here to read our first blog about the importance of Permanent Supportive Housing.
3. Share why you think Mayor Bowser must invest $100 million in her upcoming budget to end chronic homelessness for 3,100 households.
In a pre-pandemic world, we'd ask you to join us for a rally or march to show the Mayor the power behind our movement to end chronic homelessness. Due to COVID-19, we are taking our big advocacy push online. Can you take 5 minutes to share why you support our work? These quotes will be compiled and shared on social media to show the Mayor that we expect a moral budget that focuses on ending homelessness.
P.S. Don't forget to follow us on twitter, instagram, and facebook for campaign updates, action alerts, and more!
