Testimony of Annisha Perry, Context Team Member, before DC Council Committee on Human Services

My name is Annisha Perry. I’m a mom of an 8-month-old. I’m 18 and a hard worker. My daughter, Ny’Ava means the most to me, but stability also means a lot to me because of my daughter. My daughter gives me a reason to have stability and stay on top of my stuff. She is the reason why I am changing to be more responsible and not get into things. She gives me a reason to live, breathe, and wake up. 

Before I had Ny’Ava last year, my mom wanted me to talk to a social worker, but once they learned I was pregnant, that social worker couldn’t work with me. She referred me to the Teen Parent Assessment Program (TPAP). 

I started working with TPAP in March of 2025 when I was 3-4 months pregnant. My TPAP worker was Ms. Harris. She would come to my house and meet with me every two weeks or so. She was with me when I had my baby shower and was there with me when I gave birth. She was with me through so much, but the program ended when I turned 19 in November of 2025, so I only got to be in the program for a short time. 

While I was pregnant, our visits focused on my birth plan and my plan as a new mom. She helped me when we had no food at home and helped get me set up with TANF for the first time, and helped me start back at school. I am now a student at Maya Angelou Public Charter School, where I am working towards getting my GED.

Once I had my daughter Ny’Ava in June, we focused on my goals and what I wanted to do. One goal I had was moving out of my mom’s house. Ms. Harris helped me understand what my options were for housing and helped me understand what would fit my needs and what I should pursue. 

She helped me with managing my anger and working on my relationships. She was always there to listen to me about what was going on with my baby’s father, and she would give me advice on what to do. It hurt because I wanted her father in her life and he wasn’t there and he would do dumb stuff, but through it all Ms. Harris was there. 

Since I was only in the program such a short time, from March to November of 2025, I don’t think I got everything out of the program that I could. I know that TPAP offered times for all the moms to get together around Thanksgiving or Christmas, and that they had formula and pampers at the office, but I never got to attend one of those events. 

Another thing Ms. Harris talked to me about was child care. Once my daughter was old enough for child care I was hesitant to send her because I didn’t know if I could trust strangers to take care of my child. However, I quickly found out how hard it was to find people to watch her while I was in school. 

By the time I was open to getting child care, my 19th  birthday was coming up so I was almost finished with my time in the program. I only had about a week left. Ms. Harris tried to help me get a voucher for the child care subsidy, but told me it would be harder and would require more documents once I turned 19. 

I tried applying online, but this was confusing and frustrating and I gave up on getting the voucher after TPAP ended. I think young parents should be a priority for the child care subsidy program, and this should not stop right when young parents turn 19. 

Ms. Harris was really helpful to me. She would always have great energy, and she gave me hope that I could get through this. From the moment she saw me, it really felt like she loved me and wanted to help me. That’s not something I have really felt from a social worker before. But now, I feel like a lot of the help that I needed got cut short.

While Ms. Harris says I can call her any time, I know she has a full caseload with other moms, so now that I am not in the program, I don’t feel like I can go to her with all my concerns. I will be coming up on my TANF recertification, and I am worried because I don’t know how to do that. She helped me get it in the first place and has helped me understand the requirements when I was confused. Although the TANF benefits aren’t a lot, I need them to help me support my child and my bills. 

I feel like I don’t know where to go or where to start. I know that DC has a lot of resources and a lot of programs, but it feels like you cant get connected to them without a social worker. I feel like when I lost Ms. Harris, I lost a piece of myself as a mom. There is no one around me who knows anything, and now I feel that being a new mom feels very mysterious and like a weight got dropped on me. 

I think the TPAP should let young parents stay on for longer. At 19, I am still a teenager and only have an 8 month old baby. There are still so many things I need to do and figure out for her. I think the program should support parents at least until the child turns two so that we have enough time to gain the stability I need for her and for myself.