Howard Urges Mayor to Temporarily Halt Exits of Families in Rapid Re-Housing
WASHINGTON, D.C. - AUG. 19, 2024 - Today Brad Howard, candidate for ANC 1E01, joined a group of local leaders and organizations in calling on Mayor Muriel Bowser to keep families house in rapid re-housing while they get connected to available housing vouchers. The temporary pause would allow Department of Human Services (DHS) and the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) to complete the housing voucher eligibility and lease-up process for the significant number of vouchers that are available now or by October 1. It has long been the policy of DHS to pause exits for families connected (or about to be connected) to a permanent housing resource.
Please click here to read the letter.
The letter is also copied below:
August 19, 2024
Dear Mayor Bowser,
We are writing to ask you to halt the exits of families in rapid re-housing until the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) can complete the housing voucher eligibility and lease-up process for the significant number of vouchers that are available now or by October 1. It has long been the policy of DHS to pause exits for families connected (or about to be connected) to a permanent housing resource.
As you know, on July 11 DCHA approved a special preference for families exiting rapid re- housing, up to 1,300 Housing Choice Vouchers, saying: “The preference is intended to prevent such families from losing their housing assistance when their [rapid re-housing] subsidy ends.” The preference is limited to families “whose participation in [rapid re-housing] is ending between May 1, 2024, and July 31, 2024, due to time limits for assistance and/or program expiration.” In addition, the D.C. Council dedicated 451 new housing vouchers to families exiting rapid re-housing in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget in order to prevent families from facing eviction and homelessness upon exit. Thanks to the work of DHS, DCHA, and the D.C. Council to secure these resources, almost every family who has been in rapid re-housing for at least twelve months can be exited to a permanent housing voucher, ensuring continued and long-term housing stability for thousands of D.C. families.
With this plan now in place, we ask you to maintain families in rapid re-housing – including restoring rapid re-housing rental assistance to those who have been terminated – until they are able to lease up with a voucher. This is consistent with the long-term DHS practice of not exiting families from rapid re-housing if they have been found eligible for permanent housing programs. It does not make sense to exit families from a rental assistance program they rely on, knowing that they will be connected to a new program in a matter of months. In the interim, nearly all families will get behind on rent, and landlords will suffer from unpaid rent at a time when rental delinquencies are especially high. Landlords may initiate eviction proceedings, creating an unnecessary burden for renters and landlords. Families will face harms of worsened credit records, needing to deal with an eviction notice – and possibly actual eviction – when they should be focused on securing their voucher and a place to use it.
We request that you direct DHS to halt exits, reinstate anyone who has already been terminated, and pause any appeals of exits until families have been successfully transferred and leased up with all housing vouchers that are currently or imminently available for these families. We know that your administration can move quickly to house D.C. residents when all hands are on deck— we have seen you do it before. But that will not be possible if DHS and rapid re-housing providers remain focused on exiting families and defending appeals.
We know that you share our goal that all D.C. families have safe, stable housing. Your agencies and the D.C. Council identified long-term vouchers to help make that goal a reality for nearly 2,000 families facing exit from rapid re-housing. However, if DHS continues moving forward with exits and cutting off rental assistance before those families can be connected to a voucher, not only will families still lose their housing stability, but there will also be significant costs to the District, to landlords, and to other D.C. residents. D.C will see increased family shelter usage, which is more expensive than housing support; decreased willingness by landlords to rent to families in rapid re-housing, making it harder to exit families from shelter; greater number of at- risk children in school, with higher attendant costs; and greater difficulty finding new housing for families who will now have evictions on their records.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue further with your office.
Sincerely,
See attached list of 80 organizations and 480 individuals
CC: Laura Zeilinger, Director, Department of Human Services Keith Pettigrew, Executive Director, D.C. Housing Authority
Theresa Silla, Executive Director, Interagency Council on Homelessness
Organizations:
1. ACLU DC
2. Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc.
3. ANC 1C03
4. ANC 7C06
5. Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center
6. Ayuda
7. Baldwin House Cooperative Association
8. Black Swan Academy
9. Bread for the City
10. Building Cooperative Communities
11. Capital Stonewall Democrats
12. Central American Resource Center
13. Children’s Law Center
14. Coalition for the Homeless
15. DC Action
16. DC Bar Pro Bono Center
17. DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence
18. DC Communist Party, CPUSA
19. DC for Democracy
20. DC Fiscal Policy Institute
21. DC Jobs With Justice
22. DC Justice Lab
23. DC KinCare Alliance
24. DC SAFE
25. DC Statehood Green Party
26. DC Volunteer Lawyers Project
27. Disability Rights DC
28. Empower DC
29. EmpowerEd
30. Equal Rights Center
31. Eunnae at Law PLLC
32. Fair Budget Coalition
33. The Festival Center
34. First Congregational UCC, DC
35. First Shift Justice Project
36. Grassroots DC
37. Jews United for Justice
38. Just Breathe Love & Support
39. Justice and Witness Action Network DC team
40. Kamey Law PLLC
41. Latin American Youth Center
42. Legal Aid DC
43. Legal Counsel for the Elderly
44. Mamatoto Village
45. Metropolitan Educational Solutions, LLC
46. Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid
47. Mother’s Outreach Network
48. My Sister's Place
49. National Center for Housing & Child Welfare
50. National Coalition for the Homeless
51. National Homelessness Law Center
52. National Lawyers Guild, DC Chapter
53. Network for Victim Recovery of DC
54. Open City Advocates
55. Our Daily Bread
56. Pathways to Housing DC
57. People for Fairness Coalition
58. Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ
59. Playtime Project
60. Positive Force DC
61. Restaurant Opportunities Center of DC
62. Rising for Justice
63. Sanctuary DMV
64. Save Chinatown Solidarity Network
65. Save Us Now Inc
66. SchoolHouse Connection
67. Small Multifamily Owners Association
68. SOME, Inc. (So Others Might Eat)
69. SPACEs In Action
70. Street Health DC
71. Sunrise DC
72. Tzedek DC
73. United Planning Organization
74. Ward 7 Food Center
75. Washington Interfaith Network
76. Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
77. Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
78. We Are Family Senior Outreach Network
79. Who Speaks for Me?
80. Yachad
Individuals:
1. Stefanie Abramowitz
2. Terri Acker
3. Allison Acosta
4. Greg Afinogenov
5. Karen Agresti
6. Nashrah Ahmed
7. Jane Ahrens
8. Takiya Aiken
9. Petra Ajaka
10. Reeya Amin
11. Melanie Armstrong
12. Justin Arrington, Esq.
13. Ēlen Awalom
14. Sarah Baczewski
15. Ben Barge
16. Mackenzie Baris
17. Nandi Bartons
18. Ahuva Battams
19. Eliott Becker
20. Maddy Belin
21. Josie Belliveau
22. Khadija Belly
23. Jana Belsky
24. Semyia Bennett
25. Marta Beresin, Deputy Director, Health Justice Alliance Law Clinic, Georgetown Law
26. Eden Berke
27. Courtney Bernard, EJW Fellow, Georgetown Health Justice Alliance Perinatal LAW Project
28. J. Bernick
29. Sam Bertocchi
30. Dawn Biehler
31. Aaron Bobrow
32. Katie Boleware, LICSW
33. Sharif Booker
34. Sidney Booth
35. Matthew Boucher
36. Charmaine Brandon
37. Isaiah Brazil
38. Whitney Brimfield
39. LaJuan Brooks
40. Artecka Brown
41. Cydne Brown
42. Karlia Brown
43. Laura Brown
44. Shannon Brown
45. Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza
46. Terry Burroughs
47. Susan Burton
48. Elizabeth Buss
49. Jamie Butler
50. Jennifer Callaghan
51. Flor Canales
52. Ruby Carmen
53. Ana Caskin
54. Deborah Chandler
55. AJ Cho
56. Jay Cho
57. Sarah Cho
58. Jacqueline Clardy-Josephs
59. Dominick Clemente
60. Elise Cleva
61. Ellen Conover
62. Latinique Cooper
63. John Copacino, Georgetown Criminal Justice Clinic
64. Molly Crabb
65. Dylan Craig
66. Akela Crawford
67. Kayla Crawford
68. Armand Cuevas
69. Patrick Curran
70. Chrysta Daebler
71. Nathaniel Day
72. Alice Day-Biehler
73. Damiana Dendy
74. Keda Denim
75. Donna Derry
76. Emily Devereaux
77. Cameron Diaz
78. Jackie Diaz
79. Marissa Ditkowsky, Esq.
80. Meredith Dodson
81. Maggie Donahue
82. Jon Dougherty
83. Izzy Downer
84. James Driver
85. Alexandra Drobnick
86. Joshua Drumming
87. Ria Dudley
88. Abby Dunn
89. Carolyn Dunwell
90. Margaret Dwyer
91. Sarah Dwyer
92. Sarah Edgar
93. Rachelle Ellison
94. Jennifer Barnes Eliot
95. Amanda Eisenhour
96. Margaret Emery
97. Jayme Epstein
98. Melissa Erickson, LICSW
99. Manuel Escalante
100. Margaret Eyring
101. Steven M. Fake
102. Jay Falk
103. Gabriella Farrell
104. Elizabeth Farry
105. Elise Faulk
106. Connor Ferraro
107. Amy Fischer
108. Allison Fisher
109. Erik Fisher
110. Kiley Fisher
111. Latasha Fogle
112. Kimya Forouzan
113. Farah Fosse
114. Debbie Fox
115. Talia Frank
116. Shawn Fremstad
117. Becca Fritz
118. Laura Fuchs, DCPS teacher
119. Patricia Mullahy Fugere
120. Joshua Fuller
121. Benyel Fulton
122. Jo Furmanchik
123. Kendra G.
124. Tricia G.
125. Lauren Gaffney
126. Susan Gallucci, LICSW
127. Howard Garrett
128. Heath Gemar
129. Meaghan Gemar
130. Rev. Barbara Gerlach
131. Eunice Geronimo
132. Talia Gilbert
133. Jen Girdish
134. Ava Glover
135. Sarah Glynn
136. Joan Goldfrank
137. Karen Gomez
138. Abby Goodman
139. Tracy L. Goodman
140. Donyelle Gorham
141. Rebekah Grafton
142. Kate Gratz
143. Allana Green
144. Bernice Green
145. Lauren Greenberg
146. Patricia Greenwell
147. Patricia Griffin
148. Denise Groone
149. Sharita Gruberg
150. Joy Ann Grune
151. Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn
152. Jeffrey Gutman
153. Vanessa H.
154. Emily Hahn
155. Ivory Haight
156. Rachel Hall
157. Joshua Hammond
158. Lonnyce Hammond
159. Amber Harding
160. Amelia Harding
161. Peggy Harding
162. Scott Harding
163. Jamelle Harris
164. Elinor Hart
165. Robert Harvey
166. Megan Hastie
167. Tiffany Headley
168. Ronece Henderson
169. Tahira Henderson
170. Morgan Hensley
171. Mike Herbert
172. Sihnuu Hetep
173. Almaz Hewitt
174. Diane Hinkle
175. Stephanie Holladay
176. Rendon Holloway
177. Qiana Hooker
178. Claire Hoptay
179. Ann Hoffman
180. Noah Armahn Homes
181. Chelsea Hopkins
182. Emma Horseman
183. Deandre Horton
184. Tiara Hoty
185. Amanda Howard
186. Brad Howard
187. Sterling Howard
188. Ryan Humeniuk
189. Paula Humphries
190. Megan Hustings
191. Judith Ingram
192. Keisha Ingram
193. Jeremiah Israel
194. Angelecca Jackson
195. Beverly Jackson
196. Frances Jackson
197. Markia Jackson
198. Vivian H. Jackson
199. John R Jacob
200. Adam Jacobs
201. Candace James
202. Akira Jarrett
203. Jen Jenkins
204. Elias Johnson
205. Sarah Johnson
206. Tiffani Nichole Johnson
207. Alejandra Jolodosky
208. Robin K.
209. Barbara Kagan
210. Alexia Kelley
211. Simyia Kent
212. Lisa Kessler
213. Kush Kharod
214. Jerry King
215. Maekenzi King
216. Perry King
217. Jana Kirkman
218. Ruth Kleinrock
219. Adam Koussari
220. Hayley Kranz
221. K. Krieger
222. Joshua Krohn
223. Christine Kumar
224. Lowesha L.
225. Luther Lacy
226. Abigail Lamb
227. Katharine Landfield
228. Sarah Landfield
229. Richard Landfield
230. Rashaa Langston
231. Sarah Laufenberg
232. Rachel Lawrence, Esq
233. Toni Lawrimore
234. Cedric Lawson
235. Anh-Thi Le
236. Maria Elena Le
237. Paul S. Lee
238. Samantha Lee
239. Kim Lehmkuhl
240. Lori Leibowitz
241. Grace Lempp
242. Mary Alice Levine
243. Latrice Lewis
244. Maggie Lewis
245. Robyn Lingo
246. Vanessa Lopez
247. Olivia Loving
248. Kieaira Lucas
249. Margaret Luck
250. Charisse Lue
251. Ashley Luttmer
252. Jennifer P Lyman
253. Adrienne Lynch
254. Steve Mabley
255. Meg Maguire
256. Henri Makembe
257. Karen Malovrh
258. Lisa Berardi Marflak
259. Julie Margolies
260. Chris Marin
261. Shayna Marlowe
262. Eileen McCarthy
263. Susie McClannahan
264. Katie McConville
265. Jason McGaughey
266. Alice McNeill
267. Elizabeth McPherson
268. Marya McQuirter
269. Anasa McTerrell
270. Cathy Meals
271. Barbara Meeker
272. Vivian Mercer
273. Shana Merker
274. Danuel Michelson-Horowitz, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 1C-01
275. Hanan Miles
276. Jason L. Miller
277. Timothy Mills
278. Ava Millstone
279. Chelsea Mitchell
280. Elizabeth Mitchell
281. Muntaha Mohamed
282. Anisa Mohanty
283. Ashley Moore
284. Zakariyya Moore
285. Sarah Morgan
286. Sarah Mosenkis
287. Hope Moshi
288. Bri Mundorff
289. Niciah Petrovic Mujahid
290. Anne Murphy
291. Emily Murphy
292. Monique Murphy
293. Doris Murray
294. Sara Myers
295. Anna Nathanson
296. Ariella Neckritz
297. Ellen Nelson
298. Rebecca Nelson
299. Monika Nemeth
300. Taylar Nuevelle
301. Dre Nicholson
302. Lyndsay Niles
303. Parisa Norouzi
304. Ashley Nwafor
305. Jessica O’Connell
306. Nicole Odom
307. Maggie Okhuysen
308. Camille Olney
309. Olisa Onyiuke
310. Elana Orbuch
311. Kathleen OReilly
312. Makenna Osborn
313. Jesse Owens
314. Daisy Gomez Palacios
315. Julie M Palian
316. Anjali Pancholi
317. Katie Parker
318. Angelo Parodi
319. Moshe Pasternak
320. John Payne
321. Jen Pearson
322. Natasha Pearson
323. Nathan Peck
324. Andre Pendleton
325. Ryder Peralta-Reed
326. Carolyn Perez
327. Jessica Perlmutter
328. Sczerina Perot
329. Megan Phillippi
330. Denetria Phillips
331. Debbie Polhemus
332. Les Poling
333. Bonnie Politz
334. Maddie Poore
335. Lori Porcelli
336. Dave Power
337. Abraham Plaut
338. Joanna Pratt
339. Lindora Pressley
340. Evan Preston
341. Sosseh Prom
342. Caroline Pryor
343. Lisa Queen
344. Hemali R.
345. Kelly Racer
346. Juana Osorio Ramírez
347. Kate Ramirez
348. Amaya Randolph
349. Sarah E. Raskin
350. Sarah Remes
351. Judy Richardson
352. Samantha Robertson
353. Daniel Robinson
354. Trixy Robinson
355. Anna Roblin, ANC5d03
356. Angela Rohan
357. Matthew Rose
358. Colin Ross
359. Vikki Ross
360. Rebecca Rothstein
361. Quiana Rowe
362. Evelyn Rupert
363. Scott Ruskamp
364. Caitlin Russi
365. George Ruttinger
366. Leila S.
367. Naznin Saifi
368. Jessica Salsbury
369. Jessica Salute, WTU
370. Nadia Salazar Sandi
371. William Scher
372. Gabriel Schirvar
373. Nicole Schnakenberg
374. Robin Schneider
375. Andrew Schultheiss
376. Jeff Schwaber
377. Tammy Seltzer
378. Jen Shahabuddin
379. Shireen Shakouri
380. Alexandra Shandell
381. Jane Sheehan
382. Sarah Shoenfeld
383. Caroline Griswold Short
384. Selma Siddig
385. David Sieradzki
386. Hilary Silver
387. Jannie Simmons
388. Shacora Simmons
389. Claire Simon
390. Charlottie Simpson
391. Anisha Singh
392. Zariah Singleton
393. Alex Skarzynski
394. Julia Skeen
395. KC Slack, Senior Clergy Leader, Washington Ethical Society
396. Nichola Sloley
397. Tamara Smalls
398. Sim Smiley
399. Alexandra Smith
400. Angela Smith
401. Ashanell Smith
402. Kandace Smith
403. Laci Smith
404. LyMyshia Smith
405. Nathan Smith
406. T. Smith
407. Makayla Smith-Head
408. Charner Snow
409. Catherine G. Solomon
410. Santha Sonenberg
411. Gail Sonnemann
412. Dee Srivastava
413. Jillian Stabile
414. Laquita Stagg
415. Brittney Staples
416. Ellen Hochstedler Steury
417. Shadale Stevens
418. Jade Stevenson
419. Jewel Stevenson
420. Shauna Stewart-Gray
421. Jordan Stoner
422. Noam Stopak
423. Jewel Stroman
424. Kory Stuer
425. Julie Sweetland
426. Kathryn Sylvia
427. Krisztina Szabo
428. Alicia Talbert
429. Elizabeth Tang
430. Michelle Tate
431. Steph Tatham
432. Valerie Taylor
433. Alessandro Terenzoni
434. Ann Thomas
435. Kenyatta Thomas
436. Lorraine Thomas
437. Christopher Thompson
438. Jamila Thompson
439. Ría Thompson-Washington
440. Denise Tinker
441. Blanca Torres
442. Emma Treat
443. Rev. Angela Tyler-Williams
444. Alex Tyson
445. Jennifer Ubiera
446. Gwen Umbach
447. Rachel Unger
448. Miya Upshur-Williams
449. Claire Valdivia
450. Mysiki Valentine
451. Madhvi Venkatraman
452. Jessica Vinson
453. Tanisha Vinson
454. Lauren VonWiegen
455. Lindsey Wahowiak
456. Sami Wallace
457. Fiona Walsh
458. Jennifer Wang
459. Marissa Werner
460. Natalie White
461. David Whitman
462. Reid Whyte
463. Juliette Wilder
464. Don Wiley
465. Courtney Wilkes
466. Colleen Wilson
467. Dan Wilson
468. Alexandra Wisbiski
469. Marnie Wittig
470. Caroline Wolverton
471. Elizabeth Woolf
472. Tristan Wood
473. Vanessa A. Woodard-Kinard
474. Khadeja Wright
475. Will Yetvin
476. Karla Yoder
477. Anna Marie Yombo
478. Misty Thomas Zaleski
479. Kathy Zeisel
480. Andrea Zimmermann
