April 20, 2026
Good morning Chairperson Henderson and members of the Committee. My name is Rachel White, and I serve as the Deputy Director of Youth Advocacy at DC Action. We use research, data, and a racial equity lens to break down barriers that stand in the way of all kids reaching their full potential. Our collaborative advocacy campaigns bring together the power of young people and residents to raise their voices and create change. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
I am here to speak about youth mental health in the District—particularly for young people experiencing homelessness—and to raise concerns about how the proposed reductions will impact access to care, system capacity, and long-term outcomes.
On paper, the District has a behavioral health system that includes Core Service Agencies, community-based services, crisis response, and supports for transition-age youth. But what young people consistently tell us—and what our data confirms—is that simply having services available does not mean they are truly accessible.
In DC Action’s 2025 Youth Mental Health Survey of over 100 young people, nearly 65% reported wanting mental health support but not receiving it. While 77% had accessed services at some point, many were unable to stay connected to care. Young people described not knowing where to go, long wait times, cost barriers, and providers constantly changing. We hear things like, “My counselor kept switching,” or “I didn’t know how to get help again once I lost my provider.” For young people, access means being able to get a response, start care, and stay connected over time, which is not consistently happening today.
What young people are describing is not unique—and research reinforces this. Systems are often not structured in ways that young people, particularly those experiencing homelessness, can easily navigate, which creates real barriers to accessing care. For example, a young person may be referred to an external mental health provider outside of their youth homelessness program, but that provider may not be located nearby or easily accessible. Without support to schedule the appointment, reliable transportation to attend, and consistent follow-up, some youth are unable to get connected or stay connected to care at all
When funding is reduced for school-based behavioral health services by more than $6 million, alongside cuts to other key access points like crisis response and forensic services, it changes how the system operates. Fewer clinicians are available in schools, waitlists grow longer, and referral pathways become more strained.
Research shows that early identification and connection to care—particularly in schools and community-based settings—are critical for preventing more serious mental health challenges. When those access points are weakened, young people are less likely to be identified early and connected to appropriate support. Instead, they are left to navigate complex systems on their own—figuring out where to go, how to get in, and whether services are available at all.
At the same time, when young people cannot access timely, community-based care, needs worsen, crises become more frequent, and the system is forced to respond at a higher level of intensity. This leads to increased use of emergency rooms, more interaction and greater strain on crisis response systems. When individuals have consistent, specialized care, they are less likely to rely on emergency services and more likely to experience stable outcomes. Reductions in behavioral health services do not reduce need—they shift that need into higher-cost, more reactive parts of the system.
These reductions also disrupt continuity of care—one of the most significant predictors of whether young people stay engaged in mental health services and experience improved outcomes. When funding is reduced, providers lose staff, caseloads increase, and youth-provider relationships are disrupted.
When mental health needs are not met, it becomes significantly harder for young people to maintain housing, engage in education or employment, and navigate daily life. Research shows that mental health challenges and housing instability are deeply interconnected—young people struggling with mental health are at greater risk of experiencing homelessness, and homelessness itself can exacerbate mental health conditions.
In DC, this reality is clear: in 2024, 57% of non-parenting and 53% of parenting youth experiencing homelessness reported impaired mental health, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use. When these needs go unmet, young people are more likely to remain in shelter longer, experience repeat episodes of homelessness, and increasingly rely on the adult system. This is how gaps in the behavioral health system directly place additional strain on the homelessness system.
We also want to acknowledge what we have consistently heard from the DC Council, specifically the Health Committee—that workforce shortages limit the system’s ability to expand. We agree this is a real and important constraint, and we have intentionally shifted our focus toward the workforce as a key strategy.
However, there are still critical gaps. According to DBH Performance Oversight responses, the District is not currently tracking the number of youth-specialized or Transition Aged Youth trained providers across the system. Workforce initiatives are limited in scale relative to need, and we are not seeing sufficient growth in peer support roles. At the same time, key youth specific trainings are offered only a limited number of times per year. If workforce is the constraint, then we must be able to measure it, grow it, and align it with where young people are accessing services.
Finally, behavioral health services do not operate in isolation. The District is simultaneously proposing reductions to behavioral health services and youth homelessness services with a cut of $2.5 million. These systems are deeply interconnected.
When mental health access decreases, youth are less able to stabilize in housing, crises increase, and pressure shifts to emergency systems. We cannot reduce capacity in both systems at the same time and expect improved outcomes.
Young people in the District are asking for help. They are telling us they want support—but too often, they cannot get it, or cannot stay connected to it. This is not simply a question of whether services exist. It is a question of whether the system is working.
And right now, for too many young people—especially those experiencing homelessness—it is not.
If we reduce capacity in a system that is already difficult to access, we should expect to see increased crisis, deeper system involvement, and worse long-term outcomes. The District must be prepared not just to offer services, but to ensure that young people can actually access and stay connected to them.
Thank you for your time.
Rachel White
Deputy Director of Youth Advocacy
DC Action
rwhite@dckids.org