Budget Hearings Wrap Up, with Committee Mark-ups Scheduled to Begin April 25
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DC Council committees concluded hearings about the proposed FY24 budget this week, listening to District residents, employees, educators, advocates, and government officials as they considered how to prioritize the city’s funds. DC Action staff, coalition leaders, and coalition members were active participants and mobilized hundreds to testify in the hearings, offering oral and written testimony in eight different hearings.
One Committee of the Whole hearing–with 419 witnesses–lasted until midnight, illustrating the continued need for the DC Council to reconsider adding a separate Committee on Education.
DC Action focused our testimony on thanking Mayor Bowser for holding many key programs harmless and expanding child care affordability, but also advocated to restore cuts and enhance funding for home visiting programs, early childhood education, out-of-school-time programs, services for youth experiencing homelessness, and food security. Read about our asks: The District’s children and youth deserve a stronger budget. It’s up to the DC Council to pass one. All of our staff testimony is posted here.
These next two weeks will be critical for the budget. We will be meeting with the Mayor and with DC Council members and committees to further make our case. During the week of April 24, we’ll host call-in-days and more so you can join us in advocating for a budget that meets the needs of all District residents.
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DC Residents Enrolled in Medicaid Must Renew to Ensure Continuous Coverage
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If youth or families you work with, or other friends and family have health insurance coverage through Medicaid, at some point during the next few months they’ll have to renew coverage for the first time in several years, due to automatic renewals during the pandemic. Everyone should make sure their contact information is up to date to be sure to get the notification when it's time to renew: log in at districtdirect.dc.gov or call the Public Benefits Call Center at 202-727-5355. Please spread the word to families and youth you work with! If guidance in how to support people in your community with renewing Medicaid coverage would help, please reach out to Medicaid.renewal@dc.gov for information on how to join a training.
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A Robust Local Child Tax Credit Could Help End Child Poverty in the District
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New DC Action Policy Brief Makes the Case for Workforce Development Tailored for Youth Experiencing Homelessness
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The District offers a number of workforce development programs targeted toward young people, but none of them are adequately designed to meet and serve the specific needs of young people experiencing homelessness. This is why a tailored program is so desperately needed. Without stable housing, it is incredibly difficult for young people to secure and maintain employment because of institutional barriers to success. Once homeless, young people face even greater obstacles in finding and securing employment, trapping them in poverty. Even for those young people who manage to find employment despite being homeless, one out of four parenting youth, and nearly one-third of unaccompanied youth still do not earn enough to afford housing in DC.
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Welcome Travis Baillie, DC Action’s New Under 3 DC Organizing Director
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Travis Ballie brings over a decade of organizing experience to his work at DC Action. As Organizing Director, Travis will coordinate and lead mobilization efforts for Under 3 DC, which harnesses the voice and power of parents and families with young children, educators, advocates, and health professionals to create transformative social change.
Previously, Travis served as Organizing Director for NARAL Pro-Choice America, a reproductive freedom organization. One of his signature accomplishments over his 10 years at NARAL was hosting their first Activists' Summit, a two-day event training more than 600 attendees about how to make a difference in electoral and legislative advocacy.
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About DC Action
DC Action is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, multi-issue advocacy organization making the District of Columbia a place where all kids grow up safe, resilient, powerful and heard. DC Action uses research, data, and a racial equity lens to break down barriers that stand in the way of all kids reaching their full potential. We are home to DC Kids Count, Under 3 DC, DC Out-of-School Time Coalition, the DC Home Visiting Council and the Youth Economic Justice and Housing Coalition. Our collaborative advocacy campaigns bring the power of young people and all residents to raise their voices to create change.
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