Testimony of Rachel White, Deputy Director of Youth Advocacy, before DC Council Committee on Human Services

April 30, 2026

Good morning, Chair Frumin and members of the Committee, My name is Rachel White, and I serve as 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. DC Action is home to the Youth Economic Justice Coalition, representing more than 25 organizations providing housing, mental health support, workforce development, and supportive services to transition-age youth impacted by economic marginalization. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I am here today to urge this Committee to reject the Mayor’s proposed cuts to the youth homelessness system, restore funding to at least FY26 levels, increase investments to reflect inflation and real operating costs, and protect the long-term stability of one of the District’s most important prevention systems.

The Mayor’s Proposed Budget Represents a Significant Reduction in Youth System Capacity. The proposed FY27 budget reduces the Youth Homelessness System from approximately $24.2 million to $21.75 million—an overall reduction of roughly 12%.

These reductions are concentrated in the longest-term and most stabilizing housing interventions available to young people.

Specifically:

• A $1.53 million cut to Extended Transitional Housing (ETH) 
• A $755,000 cut to Transitional Housing, including elimination of the current $600,000 Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming workforce development investment
• Additional 6% provider-level reductions communicated by DHS, though implementation details remain unclear

If these cuts are concentrated entirely within ETH, they would represent approximately a 35% reduction to programs that serve youth with the highest needs and are among the most intensive housing interventions available in the system. These are not marginal budget adjustments. They are direct reductions to core youth homelessness infrastructure.

Youth-Specific Programs Must Be Understood as Prevention Infrastructure

DC Action’s State of Youth Homelessness report demonstrates that young people experiencing homelessness often navigate housing instability while simultaneously facing barriers to education, employment, mental health stability, and the transition to adulthood—highlighting the need for developmentally appropriate, youth-specific interventions 

While continued evaluation is important, the District’s youth homelessness system was intentionally designed to provide more comprehensive and age-appropriate support than adult systems, recognizing that young people require distinct interventions to achieve long-term stability.

Youth-specific programs provide:

• Developmentally appropriate housing
• Intensive case management
• Mental health support
• Education and workforce pathways
• Wraparound services tailored to youth needs

These interventions are not simply emergency responses. They function as targeted prevention infrastructure—designed to interrupt cycles of poverty, trauma, and long-term homelessness. Reducing these programs weakens the District’s ability to intervene effectively at one of the most pivotal points in a young person’s life. Investing in the services that stabilize youth and propel them toward financial independence, we have the best chance of reducing the pipeline of individuals who become eligible for individual PSH vouchers down the line 

The Elimination of TGNC Workforce Funding Removes One of the District’s Few Targeted Investments

The proposed elimination of the current $600,000 TGNC workforce investment is especially concerning. This funding has supported:

• Workforce development
• Wraparound supports
• Employment pathways for transgender and gender non-conforming youth

TGNC youth are disproportionately impacted by homelessness, with 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identifying as  LGBTQ+. The District should be strengthening these supports—not eliminating them. We support the DC LGBTQ+ Budget coalitions efforts to increase this investment to at least $1 million in permanent, recurring local funding.

Housing Cuts Are Happening Alongside Reductions to Behavioral Health Supports

These reductions are occurring at the same time as cuts to:

• School-based behavioral health services
• Crisis response infrastructure
• Broader youth behavioral health supports

For youth experiencing homelessness, housing and behavioral health systems are deeply interconnected. When both systems are weakened simultaneously:

• Housing placements become harder to sustain
• Youth mental health needs escalate
• Crisis intervention becomes less accessible
• Long-term instability becomes more likely

This budget weakens both housing interventions and the broader safety net young people rely on.

Flat Funding Has Already Reduced Capacity

Even before these proposed reductions, providers have been operating under five years of stagnant funding while facing:

• Rising rents
• Increased staffing costs
• Inflation
• Greater service demands

Flat funding has already eroded provider purchasing power and system flexibility. Flat funding is already a cut. That is why DC Action and coalition partners are urging not only restoration, but a minimum 15% increase in youth homelessness investments to maintain service quality and system capacity.

 

These Cuts Do Not Reduce Need—They Increase Long-Term System Strain

When young people lose access to stable housing and supportive services:

• Mental health outcomes worsen
• Crisis service utilization can increase
• Housing instability becomes more prolonged
• Long-term system involvement becomes more likely

These cuts do not eliminate need. They risk increasing strain across multiple systems over time, including homelessness response, crisis supports, and behavioral health infrastructure. Early intervention during youth is critical to improving long-term stability and preventing deeper system involvement.

Recommendations

We urge the Council to:

1. Fully restore all proposed cuts

• Restore $1.53 million to PSH-Youth (ETH)
• Restore $755,000 to Transitional Housing-Youth
• Restore TGNC workforce investments ($600,000)

2. Increase youth homelessness funding by at least 15% across the whole system to:

• Address 5 years of inflation while provider funding remained ostensibly flat during this time
• Stabilize providers
• Preserve capacity

3. Treat youth homelessness programming as the cost-effective, clinically-effective prevention infrastructure it is. 

• DHS owes youth service providers strategic, long-term, and transparent investments that advance stability for youth, and for the overall youth services system. 

Youth homelessness is too often treated as secondary. It is not. It is one of the District’s most important intervention points. If we invest now:

• We improve long-term stability
• Reduce the likelihood of chronic homelessness
• Strengthen the systems designed to support young people during a pivotal stage of life

This budget is not simply about line items. It is about whether the District is committed to ending youth homelessness—or managing its long-term consequences. In order to protect the safety net of youth experiencing homelessness, I echo Fair Budget Coalition’s calls to tax extreme concentrated wealth, raise revenue via any of the coalition’s tax equity recommendations, and build a tax code that supports racial justice and DC economic resilience.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

 

Rachel White

Deputy Director of Youth Advocacy 

DC Action

rwhite@dckids.org