Testimony of Rachel White, Deputy Director of Youth Advocacy, before the Committee on Health

Good morning, Chairperson Henderson and members of the Committee on Health. My name is Rachel White, and I serve as the Deputy Director of Youth Advocacy at DC Action, where we advance policies to improve the lives of young people experiencing homelessness, system involvement, and behavioral health challenges.

I want to begin by thanking the Committee for the opportunity to speak today. As you continue to weigh difficult budget decisions, I urge you to protect—not weaken—the behavioral health infrastructure that young people rely on. We recognize the fiscal constraints you are working within, and we are not here today to request an enhancement. However, we are here to stress that even in tight times, we cannot afford to cut critical services that are already stretched thin

Our 2025 State of Youth Homelessness in the District of Columbia report highlights alarming gaps in behavioral health access for youth. Many are navigating housing instability, trauma, and disconnection from stable adults or systems of care. They are overwhelmingly Black and Brown, LGBTQ+, immigrant, and parenting youth—their needs are urgent, and the barriers they face are structural.

We know that young people experiencing homelessness are significantly more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. Yet, accessing help is often difficult or delayed—especially when behavioral health services are siloed from the places where youth already show up, like drop-in centers, shelters, and schools. This is why we continue to advocate for co-located and embedded mental health supports across youth-serving settings, and for intentional investments in a diverse workforce that reflects the language, culture, and lived experience of the youth it serves.

Emerging findings from our ongoing citywide Youth Mental Health Needs Assessment reinforce these trends: 

• They are not just struggling with emotional health, but with basic needs—housing, food, safety, and stability—which directly impact their mental wellbeing. 
• They are not finding providers who look like them, speak their language, or understand their identities. 
• And they are tired of being funneled into services that feel rushed, disconnected, or designed without their input.
  

The most consistent message? Youth are asking for mental health supports that are embedded where they already go, like schools, shelters, and drop-in centers. They need bilingual, LGBTQ+ affirming, culturally grounded professionals who can meet them without judgment—and without months-long waitlists.

That’s why the proposed cuts to school-based behavioral health ($2.3 million), crisis services ($1.2 million), and the Community Response Team ($798,000) are so alarming. While we don’t yet know whether these are structural cuts or reflect unspent funds, the impact on youth will be real—especially for those already facing the greatest barriers to care.

We urge you to ask the Department of Behavioral Health the following:

1. Are these reductions due to staffing vacancies, underspending, or intentional service reductions? 
2. If vacancies are driving underspending, what is DBH doing to recruit and retain a diverse behavioral health workforce, including those with lived experience and language skills? 
3. How will these cuts affect youth experiencing homelessness, trauma, and system involvement—particularly Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, and immigrant youth? 
4. What safeguards are in place to protect school-based clinicians in high-need schools and ensure crisis response teams remain adequately staffed? 
5. How will DBH ensure youth already in care are not disrupted by reductions in staffing or hours? 
6. What coordination is in place between DBH, DHS, and OSSE to ensure youth with overlapping needs—especially in housing-insecure situations—aren’t left behind? 
7. How is DBH evaluating the effectiveness of these programs, and will those evaluations be publicly available?
   

Lastly, I want to name a critical data challenge. The Point-in-Time Count, often cited in these hearings, continues to vastly undercount youth experiencing homelessness. The PIT is a single-night snapshot that fails to capture the thousands of young people cycling through unstable housing or staying temporarily with others—particularly youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth. We cannot base budget decisions on flawed data that does not reflect the full scope of need.

Now is not the time to retreat. As we wait for future budgets to create space for growth, we urge you to ensure that no further harm is done to the behavioral health infrastructure young people rely on. We cannot lose ground in this fight—not while so many youth are still waiting for care.

Thank you for your leadership, and I welcome your questions.