Good morning Councilmember Frumin and staff of the Committee on Human Services. Thank you for the opportunity to address the committee today by providing testimony regarding the impacts of the Mayor’s proposed funding cuts to the Department of Human Services. My name is Jorge Membreño (he/him), and I am the Director of Youth Advocacy at DC Action. As you know, DC Action convenes the Youth Economic Justice Coalition and today I’ll be speaking on behalf of our community based organizations, as a clinician, and as someone who has managed transitional housing, extended transitional housing, and rapid rehousing programs.
The Mayor’s proposed budget callously reduces funding to the youth homelessness services continuum by $1.6M. The first cut is $236,000 to the Homeless Service Continuum – Youth line. This line is also known as the Front Door Services because it is where youth experiencing homelessness access outreach, drop-in centers, and youth shelters. For context, the cut we see in the Mayor’s proposed budget is roughly half the grant award level of two of our youth drop-in centers (per agency oversight responses, page 67) and any reduction to our front door services reduces the ability of the youth system to provide the first step in a young person’s journey to independence. Front door services case managers provide a vital connection to immediate resource needs while also building trusting relationships with young people and administering the assessment necessary to access youth housing. By cutting funding we are creating another barrier for youth experiencing homelessness in an already overstretched system. This cut also impedes the youth system’s ability to effectively assess the need for more – and more clinically appropriate – models of housing and preventative measures.
The second cut is $445,000 from the Transitional Housing Youth line. Transitional housing provides two years of housing and case management to youth experiencing homelessness where they can live rent free and establish goals for their future. The average cost per bed for a transitional housing program is about $44,461. The cut to transitional housing means 10 youth will be kicked out of their program come October. It will also happen one of two ways. One, an across the board reduction of nearly $450k in grant funds to the 13 transitional housing programs or the closure of an entire program. We are either asking our providers to, again, do more with less or shut down altogether. I’ll add that transitional housing programs include beds for unaccompanied youth – youth living on their own – and also pregnant and parenting youth receiving specialized 2-generation support services. Is the Mayor prepared to attend a program closure the same way she attends program openings?
The third youth cut and most drastic cut is $931,000 – or 25% – from the Permanent Supportive Housing Youth line. This line includes PSH and Extended Transitional Housing (ETH) beds. PSH provides long-term permanent housing to eligible, chronically homeless youth who need intensive case management. ETH provides three years of housing and intensive case management. In both models, eligibility for intensive case management means the young person experiences considerable mental health challenges which are impediments to their housing independence and employment. Currently, in the youth system, there is one PSH provider and five ETH providers. A cut of $931,000 again means an across the board cut or the closure of a program currently serving 16 of our highest-need youth.
What worries me about this cut is that ETH and PSH program models require staffing with advanced credentials in order to meet the needs of the youth they are serving while also providing a balanced staff to youth ratio. Providers can’t simply do more with less; that is clinical negligence. We know our city is already facing significant behavioral health hiring challenges – are we really risking the loss of some of our most in–demand professionals? Is program closure for our most vulnerable youth and layoffs for clinicians the growth agenda the Mayor is proposing? If so, I would be curious to know who at DHS was consulted and which data set they are using to justify their actions since ETH and PSH programs are always full and need to see actual growth.
Finally, there is a $16,861,000 cut to Rapid Rehousing for Families, which includes youth head of households. Many youth-headed households access the Family System because beds designated for young parents in the youth system are consistently at capacity. Although the Mayor has highlighted almost $50M in important investments to support the Homeless Prevention Program, Short Term Family Housing, the Family Re-Housing Stabilization Program, and the Family System Continuum of Care, we believe these enhancements are only stopgaps in the face of further cuts as there is still a decline in funding targeted to families experiencing homelessness from almost $25M since FY25.
We understand that this is a difficult budget year, but we are asking to be partners in this work and understand what is driving these reductions so that funding can be restored and best targeted to bring the District closer to ending homelessness. Committee Chair Frumin, I hope you will ask the agency director these key questions next week: is it federal funding being phased out that is driving the cuts we see? Is it program division vacancies or utilization rates? Are there grantee performance issues (and what has DHS done to course-correct these issues in a timely manner)? And what will the impact be on youth and families’ ability to access housing and supportive services in FY26 and in the out-years.
Thank you for your time and I welcome any questions.
