Allies in Love & Justice: A Conversation with David Grosso and Serra Sippel

Interview by Tiffany Mott-Smith, September 15, 2014 in Tagg Magazine

Earlier this moth, Tagg had the opportunity to sit down with Councilmember David Grosso and Executive Director of the Center for Health and Gender Equality, Serra Sippel.

Both Grosso and Sippel were raised in the D.C. metropolitan area and also happen to be husband and wife. This power couple and awe-inspiring allies have been advocating for the rights of others for over 20 years. They both seem to not only be ready, but also eager to keep that trend going.

They discuss their social justice journey, as well as how their partnership and politics are as much professional as they are personal.

What made you seek out careers in social justice?
David: My mom is a social activist and has been her whole life. She raised me that way. She lives in an alternative community now in Petworth, near where I grew up. I’ve bailed my mom out of jail many times! Even when I was bartending she was pushing me and asking, “Are you doing your part to improve the life for others?” She’s always challenged me to do what I could to try to make the world a better place.

Serra: I was raised feminist and have always been pushed to think about equality and inequality. Even growing up Catholic and seeing women not being allowed to be priests made me think. I studied in Spain for a year at the time people were organizing around liberation theology and addressing how poverty affects women. I’d made up my mind to go to South America next, but I realized I don’t need to leave the United States to work with the poor. I knew social justice was going to be my life.

How has the battle for LGBT equality informed your politics?
Serra: It’s been very personal for us, especially in Indiana when we were in school and having friends who were lesbian and gay, and seeing the discrimination they faced even in their religious communities. Seeing so many of my friends not being able to be open just shocked me. The politics become personal when you see the hurt. We rejected marriage for a long-time because of it—we wanted to have our friends be a part of it. It just didn’t seem fair.

David: No matter what, when there are oppressed people, there is work to be done. I’ve learned so much from Serra and the work she’s done internationally. She taught me that you have to recognize individual rights and a person’s needs. When you get into a position of power like I am, or get into a position of strength like Serra is, you have to advocate for your friends. You have to advocate for everyone.

How has your relationship informed your work?
Serra: Our work is actually how we met. We were in Texas working for a homeless shelter and transitional facility for women and children. I was already living there with the families. It was a group of nuns and I facilitating the programming. I actually picked him up from the airport when he arrived and I was a little wary having a man in our space like that. I was concerned it would disturb the safe space we’d created, but he actually was great with the families.

David: I was brought on through the Brethren Volunteer Service to coordinate construction projects for the facility and work with the children’s program. Serra was the one who convinced me to go to college in the first place. That’s how I ended up at Earlham College.

Can you tell us a little about the work projects and initiatives you’re working on?
David: Our office has been doing a lot of work on eliminating prostitution free zones. They target trans people in a way that is unfair, unconstitutional, and inhumane. It was a plan of mine to get on the council and undo them. It was an uphill battle because some of the council members I respect the most were the ones advocating the practice. But fortunately, the District Attorney ruled them unconstitutional, so we drafted legislation to get them repealed altogether. Next, we’re looking at drug free zones and other loitering laws that can be a real violation of human rights.

Serra: At the Center for Health and Gender Equality, we focus our advocacy with congress because they control the appropriations with regard to international family planning, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS. On the executive side, we work to influence the policies that guide the spending of that money. When I came into my position it was during the Bush administration, and they were exporting their reproductive rights policies. Among other things, these left out most lesbians and individuals assigned female at birth. In 2011, we were able to convince the Obama administration to institute more inclusive comprehensive prevention policies.

How do you stay grounded professionally and personally?
Serra: We enjoy one another’s company. But, we like to work hard as well. We also don’t have children; so the most we have to juggle are the dogs.

David: We start every morning together with a cup of coffee and a good old-fashioned paper. Every minute we have together is a good time. I don’t think I could do this work without Serra. We’re one another’s accountability person.

What We're Reading: September 12, 2014

Final edition of the 2014 summer recess--hearings and votes start again next week.

D.C. is the Wild West when enforcing tickets for traffic violators, audit finds | Ashley Halsey,

September 9, 2014

On Monday, the D.C. inspector general issued a report that portrays the District as the “Wild West of traffic enforcement” when compared to neighboring jurisdictions. A look back at the nearly 2.5 million parking and traffic tickets in fiscal year 2013 finds that many drivers got speeding tickets for violations they don’t commit and for vehicles they’ve never owned.

Shackling D.C. juvenile offenders should not be routine | Editorial Board, September 9, 2014

No matter their age or the nature of offense, juveniles in the District are shackled when they are brought before judges in D.C. Superior Court by both the U.S. Marshals Service and the city’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. We agree with the Editorial Board, “a change is in order.”

#WhyIStayed: She saw herself in Ray Rice’s wife, Janay, and tweeted about it. So did thousands of others. | Sarah Kaplan, September 9, 2014

#WhyIStayed, is yet another powerful example of social media bringing communities together. If you were ever interested in just a glimmer of what domestic violence survivors and victims have gone through, check out that hashtag on Twitter.

The Rise of the SWAT Team in American Policing | Clyde Haberman, September 7, 2014

The NY Times examines the increasing role of SWAT teams in policing American cities and towns. They have been the principal beneficiaries of the military equipment the Department of Defense has been transferring to local law enforcement. As you can imagine, the rise of SWAT now being used to deliver drug warrants or even execute eviction notices has altered the way police and the public interact.

Minneapolis schools ban suspensions of youngest students | Alejandra Matos, September 5, 2014

The Superintendent of Minneapolis public schools has banned the suspension of the district’s prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first-grade students for nonviolent behavior. The moratorium comes after the suspensions for kindergartners through fourth grade students jumped 32 percent in the past year.

The Afghan Girls Who Live as Boys | Jenny Nordberg, September 8, 2014

In a system where gender segregation is among the strictest in the world, families in Afghanistan have started to raise their daughters as sons. “The health workers say that families who disguise their daughters in this way can be rich, poor, educated, or uneducated, or belong to any of Afghanistan’s many ethnic groups. The only thing that binds the bacha posh girls together is their families’ need for a son in a society that undervalues daughters and demands sons at almost any cost.”

MRAPs And Bayonets: What We Know About The Pentagon’s 1033 Program | NPR, September 2, 2014

NPR obtained data from the Pentagon on every military item sent to local, state and federal agencies through the Pentagon’s Law Enforcement Support Office –known as the 1033 program—for the past eight years. They’ve made the data set available to the public and the findings are alarming.

DC Parking Study Proposes Rules that Change from Neighborhood to Neighborhood | Lark Turner, September 3, 2014

A new report issued by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) last week outlines DDOT’s plans for the future of parking in the District. Interesting approach being proposed by the agency.

Teach for America has faced criticism for years. Now it’s listening—and changing | Dana Goldstein, September 5, 2014

For years, TFA has faced criticism for the relatively little training it provided to Corps members before sending them to the classroom. They did evolve over the years, improving how the organization trains Corps members to teach. But the core quick-prep, short-commitment model did not budge. Until now.

In D.C., a 13-year-old piano prodigy is treated as a truant instead of a star student | Petula Dvorak, September 8, 2014

Truancy is certainly an issue in the District that deserves oversight and consideration. Research shows that attendance is important to student learning. Dvorak takes a look, however, at how DCPS’ enforcement of truancy may be a bit subjective based on the zip code of the school. DCPS has responded.

How an Innovative Nonprofit Uses $700 to Prevent Families From Becoming Homeless | Scott Keyes, September 8, 2014

ThinkProgress takes a look at the Boston-based nonprofit, HomeStart, which acts as a middleman between a tenant and landlord when the tenant is unable to pay their rent. HomeStart covers the rent and then helps set up a feasible payment installment plan for the tenant if the landlord agrees not to evict.

In D.C., Most Gunshot Happen Near Schools | J.B. Wogan, September 3, 2014

A new study by The Urban Institute uses gunshot-detection technology instead of police reports to track gun violence during school hours. Of the gunshots fired during school year 2011-12, about 54 percent occurred within 1,000 feet of a school. What impact is that having on kids?

#CosmoVotes: How We Decided Which Midterm Candidates Are the Best for Women | Cosmopolitan Magazine Editors, September 8, 2014

Cosmopolitan, an international magazine for women, has begun to endorse candidates for the first time ever. The will be announcing endorsements every Tuesday until Election Day, November 4. Certainly an interesting development when it comes to the women’s voting bloc.

Grosso's update on his Council recess activities

As the Council recess comes to a close, Councilmember Grosso shares an update on his activities--including his blog posts on housing and homelessness and his visits to mental health programs in the city.

D.C. Council Members Grosso & Wells Join the Free Law Founders

D.C. Council Members Grosso & Wells

Join the Free Law Founders

Leading Open Government Elected Officials in Our Nation’s Capital Join Nationwide Coalition Reinventing U.S. Lawmaking for the Internet Age

September 11, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Free Law Founders (FLF) today announced that two new municipal open government leaders have joined the coalition: D.C. Council Members David Grosso and Tommy Wells.  Grosso and Wells are at the vanguard of modern, accessible District government, from collaborating with their constituents online to build smarter city laws with MadisonDC, to breaking down the barriers between residents and their laws with DCdecoded.  They join municipal elected officials NYC Council Member Ben Kallos, San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell and Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza in the FLF, and will assist its work to improve how democracy works for citizens living in our increasingly Internet-based society.

“Promoting an open and transparent government is among my top priorities as a lawmaker,” said D.C. Councilmember David Grosso. “I am pleased to join the Free Law Founders and support this national movement to make the legislative process accessible and accountable to all. Along with ethics and electoral reforms that I am pursuing, I believe open government efforts are critical to enriching our democracy and engaging residents within the community.”

"I am thrilled to join this nationwide coalition of local leaders working to make government information and data more accessible to the public,” said D.C. Council Member Tommy Wells.  “Municipal governments are historically inefficient and paper-based; they exclude citizens from playing any meaningful role. Through innovative tools, like MadisonDC and DCdecoded, we can now educate District residents, collect feedback and engage citizens in the legislative process from the ideation stage through successful passage. As a Free Law Founder, I'm excited to connect with government leaders across the country and to share ideas. We can learn from one another's experiences rather than reinvent the wheel."

"Just months after starting, we are pleased to welcome two Founders, DC Council Members David Grosso and Tommy Wells, who are committed to being free law leaders in their legislature,” said Free Law Founder Co-Chair, New York City Council Member Ben Kallos.  “Part of our mission has been to bring the free and open source model to government, so that innovation from one Founder can be replicated in other cities. I look forward to working with Council Members Grosso and Wells to expand to cities nationwide."

D.C. Council Member David Grosso

A native Washingtonian, Grosso was elected to the Council of the District of Columbia as an at-large councilmember on November 6, 2012 to represent residents in all eight wards. David brings a wealth of experience having worked with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton as her chief Counsel and former D.C. Councilmember Sharon Ambrose, in addition to his experience in the private sector. David is committed to continuing school reform efforts, improving health outcomes throughout the city, addressing inequities within the criminal justice system, and enhancing job opportunities by supporting a robust successful workforce development and public higher education system. David has also pushed for good governance, including sweeping ethics reform, transparency and open government, and strengthening civic engagement. He helped pilot a collaborative legislation platform, the Madison Project, in D.C. and is very supportive of the Council’s efforts to engage residents in the legislative process, such as the new Decoded D.C. website and the new Legislative Information Management System.

D.C. Council Member Tommy Wells

In just six years since joining the D.C. Council in January 2006, Tommy Wells has won support throughout the District for his vision of a livable and walkable city for all. He is a passionate advocate for innovative solutions, and D.C.’s leading voice for progressive change.

Tommy started his Washington career in 1983 as a social worker in the D.C. foster care system.  In 1991, he took the helm of the D.C. Consortium for Child Welfare, where he was a force for creating neighborhood based-family service collaboratives that coordinate the delivery of city and nonprofit resources. During his 15 years with the Consortium, Tommy also served as an ANC Commissioner from 1994 to 2000 and a member of the D.C. Board of Education, representing Wards 5 and 6, from 2000 to 2006.

Since joining the DC Council in January 2007, Tommy has been a tireless advocate for smart growth and social justice. He spearheaded efforts to ensure that transit prioritized connecting neighborhoods to give DC residents access to jobs, instead of just moving commuters in and out of the city. He led the way in establishing the Housing First program, a proven way to get homeless people back on track by providing a stable place to live.

Currently, Tommy chairs the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety. As Chair, he has championed landmark legislation to decriminalize marijuana possession and “ban the box” in private sector hiring, giving returning citizens equal opportunities for success.

Tommy is the former chair of the board for Jan's Tutoring House and the previous chair of the Local Government Advisory Committee for the Chesapeake Bay. He graduated from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University in 1991 and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Minnesota in 1983. Since 1988 he has been married to Barbara Wells, a writer and arts enthusiast who is a tutor for Jan's Tutoring House and a judge for the Helen Hayes Awards.

Contacts

-       Julia Robey Christian, D.C. Council Member Tommy Wells, 202-724-8063, JChristian@DCcouncil.us

-       Dionne Calhoun, D.C. Council Member David Grosso,

         202-724-8105, dcalhoun@DCcouncil.us

-       Seamus Kraft, Executive Director, The OpenGov Foundation, 760-659-0631, seamus@opengovfoundation.org

-       Sarah Anders, NYC Council Member Ben Kallos,

         617-281-0447, sanders@benkallos.com

About the Free Law Founders

Citizens, technologists and public officials working together to transform state & local lawmaking for the 21st Century

The Free Law Founders is a nation-wide, collaborative effort open to all people who want to improve how laws and legislation are produced and presented to citizens of American states and cities. Our goal is to modernize how democracy works in the United States from the ground up. To get there, we’re creating open source tools and open data formats government workers need to get their jobs done efficiently, effectively and accountably. 

Click here to join the Free Law Founders!

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Prioritizing Mental Health & Substance Abuse Treatment

The District of Columbia has a fairly strong healthcare delivery system, particularly for children.  We also rank among the top jurisdictions that provide health insurance coverage for the majority of our residents.  Unfortunately, our strengths in the physical health coverage arena have not translated into increased access to and use of behavioral health services.  This is troubling considering that residents with serious mental illnesses are known to have a life expectancy that is 25 years shorter than the residents without such mental illnesses.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2013 Health Barometer, 23,000 D.C. adults experienced serious thoughts of suicide between 2011 and 2012.  Additionally during this timeframe, 14,000 adults were identified as suffering from a serious mental illness.  Nationally, it is estimated that 1 in 4 adults will experience some mental illness in their lifetime (i.e. depression, etc.) unfortunately, a significant number of these individuals will not seek treatment.  The scope of this problem highlights the critical need to expand access to treatment and services for all residents.  This is particularly true when we look at our performance in treating children experiencing mental health or substance abuse problems. 

Between 2011 and 2012, 25% of middle and high school students self-reported symptoms of depression, while one in seven youth actually made a plan about how they would attempt suicide.  Annually, 10% of youth experience a severe mental health problem.  In addition to mental health challenges, national estimates for D.C. indicate that anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000 youth below the age of 17 are abusing or are dependent on alcohol and drugs.  Further, in 2013, 350 D.C. children were referred for substance abuse treatment, yet only an estimated 70 children completed the treatment program.

The picture is crystal clear—our residents need mental health and substance abuse services.  They need early preventative care that identifies their needs and treats them appropriately.  Reflecting on this problem in our city, this summer I took the opportunity to tour seven specialty mental health clinics and substance abuse providers across the city, as well as, Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital. 

During my tours, I learned about a wide range of treatment programs, including assertive community treatment (ACT).  ACT is a service delivery model that combines comprehensive psychiatric treatment with rehabilitation and includes the necessary support for persons with serious and persistent mental illness.  ACT team members see clients where they are, frequently making home visits and coordinating with a host of partners to provide high-quality services. 

I explored another critical program, trauma-informed care, on my tour of Community Connections.  Trauma-informed care programs recognize that many individuals suffering from mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse have experienced some sort of physical, sexual, mental or emotional trauma in their lifetime, necessitating a comprehensive look at the factors that have contributed to their mental illnesses. 

The trauma-informed care program was eye-opening because it reinforced the fragility of our circumstances.  Any life event, from the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, involvement in a car accident can be traumatic, leading to bouts of grief.  Falling into homelessness is a prime example of a trauma that could send any of us along a downward spiral and the city’s housing and homelessness crisis is well-known. 

Our housing challenges were further underscored as I visited Pathways to Housing, a provider that specializes in housing our mentally ill.  Pathways to Housing employs a “housing first” model, providing immediate, low-barrier access to permanent housing and then combining it with supportive treatment services.  The apartment homes are scattered throughout the city and while the program maintains an 85% retention rate, barriers persist.

For example, the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) provides vouchers to help pay for apartments across the city.  Due to rising rental prices however, many residents are being steered to properties located in Wards 7 and 8 because vouchers for those apartments cover the entire rental cost, with money left over—while, in more affluent sections of the city, the vouchers rarely cover even half of the rental cost.  Despite this challenge, Pathways to Housing continues to press forward and typically is able to house a person, from the point of entry into the program through housing placement, within three weeks.

While touring McClendon Center, I had the opportunity to observe a day services program, which enables those dealing with mental illnesses, primarily schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, to learn life skills to assist them in readjusting to life back in society.  Day services programs challenge participants to engage with others, learn about their illnesses and how to manage them and assist them in becoming advocates for themselves.  What struck me about this particular program is that while the service is often viewed as “glorified adult day care,” participants are less likely to be re-hospitalized, demonstrating that this treatment effort not only brings about long-term cost savings by reducing hospitalizations, but significantly improves a participant’s quality of life. 

During several of my visits I learned, in greater depth, about Health Homes, similar in concept to a patient-centered medical home, but with an explicit component addressing the delivery of addiction and substance abuse services.  The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Health Home provision allows a state entity to define a vulnerable population, provide primary care integration and receive 90% Federal Financial Participation through Medicaid for two years, rather than the current 70%.  This program is important because people with serious mental illnesses have a greater number of medical problems, often caused by smoking or self-neglect, co-occurring substance use, or even the medications they take for their psychiatric illnesses.  Because mental health consumers often do not tend to these conditions, they continue to worsen and treatment becomes increasingly more costly.  For this reason, the integration of medical services into a mental health facility is critical.  In addition, it is also valuable to have mental health providers in the medical clinics.   Health Homes is necessary, which is why the District of Columbia is currently working to implement this model with a proposed start date in 2015.

For me, the most heartbreaking tour took place at a facility specializing in the treatment of children impacted by grief and trauma.  The Wendt Center employs the Resilient Scholars Program, which is currently available in 21 different schools (charter and DCPS) in D.C.  The program helps children cope with trauma, which is challenging because many of the students suffer from polytraumas, the occurrence of multiple traumas.  These students are burdened by poverty, the experience of violence in their home or community, and so much more.  Recognizing that the stress of all this weight sometimes manifests as physical pain, the Resilient Scholars Program helps students to identify where they are hurting and why they are hurting; helping them to develop healthy mechanisms to begin to heal.  Viewing the students’ artwork was painful.  To read about their daily struggles and view the images of violence they had drawn was overwhelming and highlighted the critical need for this type of program in all of our schools.  The District of Columbia’s increased emphasis on standardized testing is an added stressor but programs like this one can work to improve student performance by addressing their grief and trauma. 

A common thread across all of the mental health and substance abuse clinics was a fervent commitment to the humanization of mental illness.  This was never more apparent than at Saint Elizabeth’s.  Saint Elizabeth’s residents are treated with dignity.  Upon their admission they are no longer, “prisoners” or “patients,” they are simply individuals receiving care.  The facility provides “homes” where residents are housed in dormitory style living quarters and afforded the opportunity to participate in various programs and other outlets to include a Patient Advisory Council.  Further, those residents preparing to transition back into the community are equipped with life skills such as learning to cook, do laundry, and operate a computer. 

Perhaps the most interesting part of my Saint Elizabeth’s tour was that residents, those on the transitional therapy floor, are not quarantined off from staff but allowed to freely walk the halls and actively participate in their treatment.  At the new facility, residents are not stigmatized; they are not caged nor subjected to a prison inspired atmosphere but treated as whole human beings.  By the conclusion of my tour, I was impressed with the staff, the facility and the level of care provided.

In addition to the facilities mentioned, I also had the opportunity to tour Green Door, Catholic Charities and CATAADA House of Calvary Healthcare.  All of these tours left me with the sense that our city is moving in the right direction.  While our mental health providers are unsung heroes treating some of the most vulnerable among us, there is still work to do.  With the deinstitutionalization of mental health services in D.C., community mental health providers expanded significantly.  At the time, the supply of services met the demand; however, as time has worn on the demand for services continues to increase.  This has presented some challenges, especially for our youth, who find it increasingly more difficult to get treatment from qualified child psychiatrists due to their scarcity.  Additionally, as providers ready themselves for the ability to now bill Medicaid for substance abuse treatment, new concerns will arise. 

We have a significant number of residents, especially youth, who need services but are not getting treatment.  This cannot continue.  City agencies and the providers themselves must continue to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and substance abuse and actively work to market and promote their services.  Our residents deserve the best treatment and it appears to me that we are providing it but those in need cannot take advantage of what they do not know about.  Mental illness and substance abuse issues affect us all.  The links between homelessness and mental illness as well as the mental illnesses of those that are incarcerated are well-studied.  For this reason, I made it a priority to not only visit our service providers but also a homeless shelter and the D.C. jail to better understand the full spectrum of these complexities.  The health and wellness of our residents is a priority for me and I will continue to advocate for quality services and work with D.C. agencies and providers to address the barriers that they face and promote the services they provide.

Paid Family Leave: Eight Weeks for District Government Employees

By Anne Robinson

In March, we published a blog post on the Fair Leave Act of 2014, introduced by Councilmember Grosso.  The legislation provided D.C. government employees up to six weeks of paid leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child, or the care of a family member who has a serious medical condition.   During this time, conversation was sparked across the country about the need for men to be more supported as fathers and policies that encourage women to stay in the workplace.  This was an area where D.C. could lead.

When the Mayor released his proposed FY2015 budget to the Council in April, we were pleased to read that he included language for a six week maternity or paternity leave for D.C. government employees.  This was a follow through on the promise he made during the State of the District speech in February and similar to the language in the Fair Leave Act, but the issue of a fiscal impact was still unclear.  

Throughout the budget process, we worked diligently with Chairman Kenyan McDuffie of the Committee on Government Operations and were successful in amending the Mayor’s Budget Support Act language to: expand the language to be for the care of any family member; increase the amount of time from six weeks to eight weeks; and to cite all references and definitions to the D.C. Family Medical Leave Act (DC FMLA) for consistency (see the bottom of this post for the language).  

The eight weeks of paid family leave policy for a qualifying District government employee will go into effect on October 1, 2014.  The Department of Human Resources (DCHR) is currently working on issuing a bulletin to each agency’s Human Resources advisors to inform them of the law and the leave certification process.  They are hopeful that it will be issued by mid-September, at which point employees can submit an application for the benefit for leave occurring on or after October 1. DCHR is also working on a draft rulemaking that will be open for a 30 day comment period in late fall.   The eight weeks of paid leave will count against the allotted 16 weeks in a 24 month period of unpaid leave that is currently given under the D.C. FMLA.  The bill has no fiscal impact because employees’ salaries are already allocated for on an annual basis, therefore this leave time will not require any extra funding. 

The paid family leave beginning on October 1 is a major step for the District of Columbia and we will eagerly track the implementation process and the success of this initiative.  Our work is not done until we can expand this benefit to all of our families in the District working outside of government employment.

As we began our research and collaboration with advocacy groups, it became clear that identifying a funding structure to provide paid family leave without creating a new source of revenue would be very difficult.  California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island each have paid family leave programs that were more easily implemented because of already existing state level payroll and income tax systems.  Other jurisdictions offer paid family leave through State Disability Insurance (SDI) funds and temporary disability laws. Unfortunately, the District of Columbia does not have structures like these in place to expand coverage to all residents.

Over the summer, advocates worked with the Department of Employment Services (DOES), in partnership with Mayor Gray, to apply to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for a grant to study the feasibility of a paid family leave program in the District.  At the White House Summit on Working Families in June, President Obama announced that DOL’s Women’s Bureau and Employment and Training Administration will make $500,000 available for up to five grants.  If awarded this funding, D.C. would be able to assess various aspects of a paid family leave program by estimating the expected costs, benefits, and economic impact; evaluating different models for delivery; and provide an analysis of education and outreach needs. The results of the grant competition are expected early this fall.

There is a major shift happening in national policy and paid family leave is a topic that many organizations are focusing on to support women and families in the workplace. Our office will continue to explore the option for expansion of paid family leave, researching alternatives, having conversations with the business community about the effects of paid family leave on the private sector, and supporting other federal policies that might help us progress toward inclusive paid family leave.  This is an area where D.C. can lead, and we plan to!

If a D.C. government employee or HR advisor is seeking information about the law, please direct them to DCHR at (202) 442-9700. The agency has FMLA coordinators who will advise them.

*This post is part of an ongoing series of posts by Councilmember Grosso’s staff to support professional development. All posts are approved and endorsed by Councilmember Grosso.

Subtitle F D.C. Government Family Leave Program

Grosso Proposes Creating Separate Council Committee For Housing

By Sarah Anne Hughes, September 3, 2014, DCist.com

Councilmember David Grosso has proposed creating a separate Council committee for housing, saying it's "an important issue separate and apart from economic development."

"Regardless of changes in political leadership, creating and maintaining affordable housing in the District of Columbia must always be a top priority," Grosso and his legislative assistant Katrina Forrest said today in a blog post. "For this to happen, we must be willing to candidly discuss past policy failures, to improve on existing policies and to create better policies moving forward. ... D.C. has seen numerous housing initiatives started and stalled over the years. This reality necessitates a need for a comprehensive look at our housing policies and strategies to ensure that all D.C. residents have access to quality affordable housing."

The recommendation, one of several released today by the At-Large Councilmember, would remove housing oversight from the Committee on Economic Development, which is currently chaired by Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser.

"Creating a standalone Committee on Housing and Community Development will provide greater oversight of all housing related agencies including the Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD), the District Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA), the District Housing Authority (DCHA) and others to ensure performance goals are being met and the creation and preservation of affordable housing is a top priority that is in line with all of the city’s housing strategies," Grosso and Forrest write. "Additionally, important aspects of the agencies responsible for providing services to the homeless will fall under the purview of this committee to ensure that the full spectrum of housing issues, from homelessness to homeownership, are prioritized.

Grosso's chief of staff says the Councilmember has not discussed the idea with Bowser or Council Chair Phil Mendelson. Request for comment from Bowser's office was not immediately returned.

Other recommendations include building a public housing database, as well as fee waivers and reductions for affordable housing development.

Grosso Makes Housing Strategy Recommendations

Washington D.C. -- Today, Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) issued a comprehensive list of new strategy recommendations to address the affordable housing and homelessness crisis in the District of Columbia. Grosso and staff devoted the summer months to taking a close look at existing affordable housing initiatives and published two blog posts focusing on the correlating factors that impact housing and homelessness.

"Preserving and creating affordable housing are major steps in addressing the homelessness crisis in D.C.," said Grosso. "Without a comprehensive housing plan, we will continue to revisit this issue. I have proposed a list of new strategies that I believe the District of Columbia government should begin working on within the next 12 months. I thank the advocacy groups that flood Council offices advocating for investments in the annual budget to tackle the homelessness issue. The next step is for city officials to enhance the wrap around services for homeless individuals and families and for anyone at risk of becoming homeless."

Grosso's strategy recommendations include: 1) Creation of a standalone Committee on Housing and Community Development; 2) Convening of a Housing Policy Council to discuss strategic housing plans and evaluate new trends; 3) Stabilization of the Housing Production Trust Fund with annual commitments for financing the construction of new housing, rehabilitation or preservation of housing; 4) Creation of a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit; 5) Establishment of a fast-track permitting process at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for the renovation or creation of affordable housing; 6) Investment in financial literacy programs that educate residents on budget and debt management, homebuyer education and foreclosure prevention; 7) Comprehensive approach to addressing homelessness crisis; 8) Creation of a centralized housing database; 9) Overhaul of existing agency performance measures; and 10) Establishment of a D.C. Housing Land Trust.

For the full list of recommendations click here.

View the first and second blog posts in the series.

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Affordable Housing Policy: From Homelessness to Homeownership

Part 3 of the New Neighbors:  A Three Part Series

By:  Councilmember David Grosso & Katrina Forrest

Access to housing is a fundamental human right.  Like clean air and water, everyone deserves a habitable dwelling to ensure personal safety, shelter and peace of mind. This view should not be subject to change.  Regardless of changes in political leadership, creating and maintaining affordable housing in the District of Columbia must always be a top priority.  For this to happen, we must be willing to candidly discuss past policy failures, to improve on existing policies and to create better policies moving forward.  As was discussed in the previous blog post, D.C. has seen numerous housing initiatives started and stalled over the years. This reality necessitates a need for a comprehensive look at our housing policies and strategies to ensure that all D.C. residents have access to quality affordable housing. 

Below is a list of recommendations that we believe the District of Columbia government should begin working on within the next twelve months. These recommendations are not intended to be comprehensive and we encourage any and all feedback, comments, questions and suggestions.  Many of these recommendations are nationally identified best practices, some were included in Mayor Gray’s affordable housing plan released last year, and others are new strategies.

 1.      Create standalone Committee on Housing and Community Development at the D.C. Council.

Housing is an important issue separate and apart from economic development. Creating a standalone Committee on Housing and Community Development will provide greater oversight of all housing related agencies including the Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD), the District Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA), the District Housing Authority (DCHA) and others to ensure performance goals are being met and the creation and preservation of affordable housing is a top priority that is in line with all of the city’s housing strategies. Additionally, important aspects of the agencies responsible for providing services to the homeless will fall under the purview of this committee to ensure that the full spectrum of housing issues, from homelessness to homeownership, are prioritized.

2.      Convene a Housing Policy Council.

The Housing Policy Council should consist of agency directors from DHCD, DCHFA, DCHA, Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), Office of Planning (OP), Office of Zoning (OZ), Department of Human Services (DHS), Department of General Services (DGS), the Office on Aging, nonprofit organizations, local banking institutions and other lenders, developers, and community residents.  The Housing Policy Council will examine the District’s regulatory and policy framework, identify redundancies; gather data about the District’s programs and how they have performed; and, finally, prepare a report offering recommendations.  Every two years the Housing Policy Council will reconvene to evaluate the District’s comprehensive housing strategy and assess current needs based on the District’s housing market and consider initiatives happening around the country.  The Housing Council should also establish an annual interagency symposium with all interested D.C. agencies and other stakeholders to discuss their strategic plans as they relate to housing and evaluate new housing trends.  This will encourage stronger collaboration and coordination.

3.      Stabilize the Housing Production Trust Fund with annual commitments.

The Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) is used to provide pre-development loans for non-profit and for-profit housing developers, grants for architectural designs for adaptive re-use, loans for first-effort model projects, financing for the construction of new housing or rehabilitation or preservation, financing for site acquisition, loans or grants to finance on-site child development facilities and more. We must commit to providing, at a minimum, $80 million a year to the HPTF so that we are not solely relying on deed recordation and transfer taxes, which can make funding the HPTF volatile due to the fluctuation of the real estate market in any given year.  Additionally, the HPTF should only be used for its mandated purposes; this means programs like the Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP) should no longer be funded through HPTF (LRSP should still be fully funded through the General Fund).  Yearly commitments to the HPTF demonstrate a long-term commitment to housing and DHCD should fully utilize all funds available to ensure that the District is continuing to preserve the existing affordable housing stock and providing the means to increase affordable options. $79.3 million has been committed to the HPTF for FY15.  Additionally, under the FY15 Budget Support Act, 50% of future year-end unrestricted surpluses will be committed to the HPTF once all required reserves have been achieved.

4.      Establish the District of Columbia Housing Land Trust.

The D.C. Housing Land Trust should be created to assist the city in preserving more units of affordable housing.  The land trust would be seeded with public money and would be tasked with identifying housing units throughout the city that could be bought and made affordable. The units would include single-family homes, apartments, apartment buildings, etc.  D.C. would acquire the properties and put them into the land trust to be managed and maintained by a third-party contracted organization. The properties would then be used to supply affordable housing in perpetuity.

5.      Create a District of Columbia Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

As mentioned in a prior post, D.C. is currently at risk of losing 45 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) buildings within the next five years.  City officials should create a District of Columbia LIHTC program to supplement the federal program.  Presently, 16 other states have implemented some form of a state-based LIHTC program.  This program would provide funding for the development costs of affordable housing by allowing investors to take advantage of both the federal and a District tax credit equal to a percentage of the cost incurred for the development of affordable units in a rental housing project.

6.     Overhaul existing agency performance measurements.

Currently, the performance measures for city agencies are not strong indicators of housing performance in the District of Columbia.  All agencies should tailor their performance measures to properly align with D.C.’s housing plan.  This will enable the D.C. Council to better hold agencies accountable as they strive to reach targeted housing goals that will properly assess how the city is preserving the existing affordable housing stock and working to increase it.  It will also help the Council to ensure homelessness to homeownership practices are being employed citywide.

7.      Build a centralized housing database.

DCHA and DHCD should collaborate to build a centralized database that is public, user-friendly and offers, at a minimum, the following information:

• Affordable housing finance information (to include a list of available tax expenditures)
• Detailed inventory of all D.C.-funded affordable housing options by Ward to enable the city to quantify the number of affordable housing units created or preserved
• Tenant & Homeowner education information
• List of certified housing counselors in the District of Columbia

8.     Establish fast-track permitting process at the Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs

The District of Columbia government should create a fast-track permitting process for the renovation or creation of affordable housing.  Additionally, fee waivers and reductions (building permit fees/impact fees) should be implemented to reduce the costs associated with affordable housing renovation or development.

9.      Invest in Financial Literacy Programs.

Through the Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2013, the District of Columbia has demonstrated a commitment to ensuring that all residents are able to earn a basic minimum wage.  Still, it is incumbent upon city officials to recognize that a minimum wage is not the same thing as a living wage.  In light of that reality, the government should make programs available so that residents know and understand how to best manage their finances.  DCHFA, Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB), Department of Employment Services (DOES), DHCD and other city agencies should work to promote and advertise existing programs and services and collaborate to create and enhance programs that include:

• Budget and Debt Management (to assist residents in understanding their credit, savings techniques, etc.)
• Homebuyer Education  (to include informing residents about budgeting and credit, helping them to understand the mortgage transaction and preparing them for home ownership)
• Foreclosure Prevention (to include information about loan modification and refinancing programs, deed in lieu of foreclosure, etc.)

10.   Comprehensively address the homelessness crisis.

City officials must work to enhance the wrap-around services for homeless individuals and families and for everyone at risk of becoming homeless.  The District of Columbia should at a minimum do the following:

• Fully commit to the Statement of Principles as presented by the Way Home Campaign (Ending Chronic Homelessness in D.C.)
• Fund more care coordinators, social workers and mental health providers in shelters who can identify problems impacting moves to permanent housing (unemployment or underemployment, mental health issues or substance abuse, domestic violence or any other traumatic incident, etc.) 
• Provide homeless individuals and families the tools they need to commit to education opportunities and workforce development training
• Invest more money in the annual budget for permanent supportive housing; the Local Rent Supplemental Program; Emergency Rental Assistance Program; and Rapid Rehousing.  In particular, we need to reform the rapid rehousing program to allow participants to remain on the program past the one year mark when necessary.

D.C. defense attorneys want juveniles released from shackles in court

By Keith Alexander, August 24, 2014, Washington Post

She had just turned 13 when she ran away from home and got into a scuffle with the police officer who found her.

Charged with assault, the teen was housed in a youth center operated by the District’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. When it was time for her first appearance in D.C. Superior Court, a DYRS agent instructed the teen to kneel on a chair and placed iron shackles, which were connected to a metal belt around her waist, onto her ankles and wrists. She waddled into the courtroom.

“I felt like a dog on a leash. Like an animal,” the teen, now 16, recalled. Embarrassed and frightened, she remembered seeing her mother in the courtroom and several adults she did not know. She started to cry, but couldn’t wipe her tears because the restraints kept her from raising her arms to her face. Her attorney, Penelope Spain, asked that the shackles be removed for the hour-long proceeding, but the judge denied the request.

The girl’s case and others like it have led advocates and defense attorneys to call on the court to end its practice of routinely shackling incarcerated youths during court proceedings — and to instead use the restraints only in instances where a juvenile is deemed to be a risk.

While some say the restraints keep defendants and observers safe in situations that can become tense, opponents argue shackles are demeaning and unnecessary in a system aimed more at rehabilitation than punishment. They note that adult defendants in the same courthouse, even those who have been convicted of violent crimes, can have their restraints removed in court.

The practice in D.C. Superior Court differs from other courts in the Washington metropolitan area. Court and police officials in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Fairfax counties, as well as Alexandria, said the decision about whether to shackle a juvenile defendant in court is made on a case-by-case basis. In Fairfax and Montgomery counties, for example, shackles are removed from the juveniles once they enter the courtroom, officials said.

With backing from the National Juvenile Defender Center, D.C. Lawyers for Youth and the D.C. Public Defender Service, D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At Large) is championing proposed legislation that would eliminate universal shackling of juvenile defendants and instead seek to have judges make a determination based on each youth’s history and behavior since their arrest. Grosso said he hoped the bill would go to a vote by the end of the year.

“They have been shackling kids who have no violent past. It’s a horrible thing. A lot of these kids are nonviolent offenders. We don’t want to send them down the wrong path by shackling somebody who doesn’t need to be shackled,” Grosso said.

The District is unusual in that it is the only place in the country where U. S. marshals escort juvenile defendants. In most places, youth rehabilitation services, sheriffs or police transport and oversee young defendants.

David Neumann, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, said the service’s policy requires all prisoners, regardless of age, to be in restraints when in the courtroom. An exception is made during jury trials, he said, but youths are tried before judges. Neumann said if a judge orders the restraints on a juvenile be removed, the marshal must confer with a supervisor “to ensure that alternative security measures are in place.”

One U.S. marshal, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have authorization from the service, said even youth held for nonviolent crimes can become volatile without warning. Restraints, he said, protect the defendants and those around them.

In a 2012 study, Suffolk University Law School professor Kim M. McLaurin found that 36 states allowed for indiscriminate shackling of juveniles in court. But at least 11 states, including North Carolina, Florida and New York, had banned the practice, she said.

McLaurin said unnecessary shackling sends the wrong message. “Juvenile court is supposed to be about rehabilitation,” she said. “You don’t achieve that by putting children in handcuffs.”

D.C. Court officials said in a prepared statement that judges can order removal of a youth’s restraints: “When appropriate, a judge can require a juvenile’s hands to be unshackled. At the time of this request, the judge will work in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals, who are charged with protecting juvenile courtrooms, to ensure the safety of the juvenile in custody, the judge, court staff, and spectators,” court spokeswoman Anita Jarman wrote.

But some defense attorneys argue juveniles should not be shackled in court unless a specific reason is given. Alec Karakatsanis, a defense attorney and co-founder of Equal Justice Under Law, a nonprofit civil rights law firm, said the handcuffs distract juvenile defendants from concentrating on their case and prevent them from writing notes to their attorney.

On three recent Mondays, a Washington Post reporter was permitted to watch juvenile court. About two dozen teens appeared on charges that included shoplifting, assault and carrying a weapon. The Post generally does not identify juveniles charged in crimes.

Several D.C. public defenders asked that their clients be released from the shackles during the proceedings. Each time, prosecutors did not object to the request and the judges deferred to the marshals who then denied the request.

In a case involving a 17-year-old charged with carrying a firearm, Magistrate Judge Julie Breslow told the juvenile he could sit at the table, which she said would help relieve the pain to his wrists. “I appreciate your request. I understand the policy of the U.S. marshals is to have them shackled. It’s not a policy I get to make a decision on,” Breslow said in court.

In another case, Magistrate Judge Tara J. Fentress asked a DYRS representative who was standing next to a 14-year-old charged with assault whether the shackles should be removed, as the teen’s attorney requested. The DYRS employee responded: “It’s the policy that all defendants be shackled.” Fentress denied the request.

David Shapiro of the National Juvenile Defender Center said that having juveniles — many of whom are only charged with a crime and not yet convicted — shuffled into the courtroom shackled makes them feel as if “they are less than human.”

“We’re not asking to take out all shackles completely. But if you’re going to put kids in chains, there should be a justification for it,” he said.

The teen charged with assaulting the police officer had several hearings, during which she was shackled, her attorney said. She eventually admitted responsibility for her crime and was committed to a youth facility for a time. Today, she’s living with her mother and finishing high school.

She said she still remembers the feeling of the restraints. “It’s just not fair,” she said.

D.C. Public Defender Andrew Crespo remembers a 2011 case where his client, who was 8 at the time, was led into the courtroom in 2-pound restraints. The boy, who weighed about 60 pounds, sat in a chair with his feet dangling. Prosecutors said the boy allegedly touched a little girl inappropriately at his birthday party hours earlier and he was arrested for sexual assault. Before the hearing, Crespo said, his client kept whispering: “My mommy said I can still have my birthday cake. I can still have my cake, right?” Crespo recalled. The charges were later dropped.

Affordable Housing in D.C. through the Years

Part two of the New Neighbors Three-Part Series

By Katrina Forrest

Public housing has a complicated history in the United States.  Though well-intentioned, over the years, subsidized apartments have become the housing of last resort due to the high concentrations of poverty, property mismanagement, and more.  There is no one factor that has led to the failure of public housing but, throughout history, we have seen defining moments that have forever changed the housing landscape in cities across the country.  Unfortunately, we must reckon with a painful truth:  much of the housing ills of today were born out of government-sponsored discrimination.

In 1933, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) was created as part of the New Deal to refinance mortgages that were going into foreclosure.  During its short three-year existence, only one percent of HOLC’s assistance went to Black mortgage holders.  Further, HOLC policy followed closely to the already well-established principle in the real estate industry at that time: White neighborhoods were more stable and presented the lowest risk.  In 1935, the HOLC would create “residential security maps,” to indicate the level of security for real estate investments with four color grades.  The communities “redlined” on those maps were viewed as extremely high risk.  The vast majority of those neighborhoods were comprised of largely Black populations.  Around the same time, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) developed a “risk rating system.”  Its underwriting manual specifically noted that mixed-race areas were not viable because they would inevitably lead to declining property values. 

The message was loud and clear:  non-White neighborhoods were risky.  The effect of these federal policies was to strip people of color of the opportunity to access credit and for decades, people of color would be denied the great American dream of owning a home; one of their few opportunities to pass along generational wealth.

The Housing Act of 1937, also known as the Wagner-Steagall Act, sought to address the needs of low-income families by increasing the affordable rental housing stock in cities and allowing for federal subsidies to be paid to local public housing agencies.   Not surprisingly, however, public housing was not exempt from the historical patterns of racial segmentation.  Under new public housing programs the racial character of a neighborhood would dictate the race of the occupants for public housing.  In 1938, Langston Terrace Dwellings opened in the Kingman Park neighborhood of Northeast D.C.; it was the first federally funded housing project in the District of Columbia and only the second in the nation. 

Public housing was essentially a band-aid for housing reform.  With no loans available to people of color, public housing was their only viable option and even its design kept residents poor.  Properties did not receive timely maintenance and upkeep, crime was rampant, and there were few social services available to help meet other needs. 

Even for the people of color who were able to purchase their homes, their American Dream would soon be cut short.  Prior to the 1950s, the Southwest quadrant of D.C. was home to many Black-owned businesses and largely Black homeowners.  This was a thriving community; however, city planners working closely with the federal government would determine that Southwest should undergo massive “urban renewal.”  What this meant was that some 550 acres of small Black-owned businesses, row homes and more were completely leveled to make room for new office complexes, shopping centers and residential high rise buildings.   The effect of this project was to eviscerate the culture of a thriving historic Black neighborhood and displace residents in volumes.  For communities of color it became evident that the government, neither federal nor local, had their best interest in mind.  Residents and civil rights leaders would protest the conditions, but not much changed.

Known as a “cultural decade,” the 1960’s was a time of great political and social unrest.  The nation was in the midst of the Vietnam War, John F. Kennedy was assassinated and the civil rights movement continued on after some key legislative wins—but when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on Thursday, April 4, 1968, riots erupted in cities across the country. Washington, D.C. burned for four days.  When the dust settled on April 8, twelve were dead, over 1,000 were injured and roughly 1,200 buildings had been set aflame. 

The riots devastated the D.C.’s urban corridors and with the destruction of businesses came the loss of jobs, increased crime, depressed property values and the flight of residents to surrounding suburbs.  The crack epidemic of the 1980’s only helped to exacerbate things, leaving little hope for economic prosperity.  These events, coupled with patterns and practices of racial discrimination facilitated by the United States government, significantly contributed to decades of community disinvestment in D.C.  Rebuilding the local economy after such catastrophic financial events did not occur overnight.  With a diminished tax base, D.C. would need an enormous financial commitment but economic challenges would persist for the city until the late 1990s when new leadership and energy was ushered in.   

Both locally and nationally, the 1990s brought about significant change in housing policy and strategy.  In 1992, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development established the HOPE VI program to provide funding support to revitalize the nation’s most severely distressed public housing.  The program represented a dramatic policy shift, moving away from providing project-based assistance for the low-income to promoting mixed-income housing and the use of housing subsidies.   This program would prove to be pivotal for D.C.

In 1999, Anthony Williams was elected as the city’s fifth mayor.  His two terms in office brought about incredible transformation.  Under his leadership, Mayor Williams balanced the city’s budget, a previously unconscionable feat as the city lay in financial crisis resulting in the commission of a Financial Control Board.  Mayor Williams attracted new businesses to D.C. spurring billions of dollars of investment, but public frustration would arise as many low-income residents found themselves priced out of their communities due to the gentrification taking place across the city. Furthermore, the issues with public housing that had not been addressed for decades continued.

In October 2001, the District of Columbia’s Housing Authority (DCHA) would receive a $34.9 million HOPE VI grant award to revitalize the Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg community located near the Navy Yard in the Southeast quadrant of the city.  With the addition of private funding and public investment, this initial grant award grew to more than $750 million, forming one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in the country.  To date, DCHA has received seven HOPE VI grants but progress has been slow.  The Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg project, when completed, will be the first HOPE VI project in the country to provide one-for-one replacement of demolished public housing units in the same footprint as the original developments. 

Drawing on the HOPE VI model, Mayor Williams launched the New Communities Initiative in 2005.  The project’s goal was to address the needs of poverty-stricken and crime laden neighborhoods by reinvesting in communities and breaking up concentrations of poverty.  New Communities promised to deliver the one-for-one replacement of existing affordable housing units, the creation of mixed-income housing to end the concentration of poverty and build new housing to minimize displacement.  The original plan only intended to redevelop the Northwest One neighborhood in Ward 6.  The plan would have served as a pilot and given the District the opportunity to measure the intended outcomes; however, under the Fenty administration, an additional three neighborhoods, Park Morton in Ward 1, Lincoln Heights-Richardson Dwelling in Ward 7 and Barry Farm in Ward 8, were added.  This decision, in hindsight, likely contributed to the painfully slow progress of this initiative—too much at once.

One of the greatest challenges for government officials, as it relates to housing, is the lack of continuity in setting an agenda.  From one administration to the next, plans and priorities constantly change.  The New Communities Initiative has suffered through three administrations and while the program is slowly getting back on track, the families in those affected communities have been trapped in limbo for nearly a decade.  Making matters worse, the affordability of housing in D.C. continues to erode as evidenced by the impending loss of 45 low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) properties in the next 5 years.

This lack of continuity has also hindered the growth of the city’s inclusionary zoning program, which was initiated by a vote of the D.C. Council in 2007 and became effective in 2009.  The program requires residential developers to set aside eight to 10 percent of new dwelling units for low and moderate-income residents at below-market rates; however, at the end of 2012 not a single IZ unit had been rented or sold.  While participation in this program will likely pick up, District residents cannot afford to wait four or 10 years before the housing they deserve is finally ready for their move-in.  This is particularly true when considering that more than 70,000 people were waitlisted last year for the 8,000 existing public housing units, forcing DCHA to close the list in an effort to reimagine it and increase the program’s effectiveness.   

There are many factors that have contributed to the city’s housing crisis; from years of federal government-sponsored discrimination, to social unrest, to uneven local attempts to address the problem and unchecked personal bias; we have all, in some way, contributed to the problem.  Moving forward, we must work to ensure that all citizens, regardless of race, disability, age, religious affiliation, etc. have the same opportunities and access to housing and banking services, capital and education. There must be a concerted effort to identify and address the barriers that continue to perpetuate segregation and isolate poor communities of color.  So how do we bridge a path forward?  How do we foster inclusive communities to promote diversity and access to opportunity for all?

Part 3 to follow….stay tuned!

*This post is part of an ongoing series of posts by Councilmember Grosso’s staff to support professional development. All posts are approved and endorsed by Councilmember Grosso.

What We're Reading: August 28, 2014

Social Justice Still Drives Howard University | Perry Stein, August 20, 2014

At the heart of Howard University is a social activist mission that continues to draw students to the private historically black school.  It is part of the university’s brand and is indispensable even in today’s post-segregation era.

How the Supreme Court Protects Bad Cops | Erwin Chemerinsky, August 26, 2014

Chemerinsky, a prominent scholar in United States constitutional law, takes a look at some recent rulings from the United States Supreme Court that has made it increasingly difficult for victims of prosecutorial misconduct or excessive use of force by police to find recourse or justice.

‘Poor Door’ in a New York Tower Opens a Fight Over Affordable Housing | Mireya Navarro, August 26, 2014

A new apartment complex in Manhattan with a segregated entrance for affordable units has brought out an outcry in New York City. But some housing advocates are split in outrage. Is it better to simply have affordable units in proximity to market rate condos or is the spirit of inclusionary zoning laws only achieved when the units are fully integrated into the rest of the development?

Can Cities Ease Homelessness With Storage Units? | Kriston Capps, August 25, 2014

A look out at how providing storage units for the homeless helps to bring stability and dignity to their lives. In 2007, DC passed a progressive law known as the Evictions With Dignity Act, which requires the city to pay for a tenant’s stuff to be moved to a storage unit for 90 days during an eviction instead of dumping a tenant’s belongings onto the street. Unfortunately, that provision was never funded.

Why Did Developer WC Smith Buy Up Most of Congress Heights? | Aaron Wiener, August 20, 2014

It’s not uncommon for a developer to go all-in for a neighborhood, but WC Smith’s domination of Congress Heights is different. It looks like the developers patient investments will finally start to pay off.

Metro Pays Nearly $5M to Settle Whistleblower Lawsuit |Martin Di Caro, August 25, 2014

The transit authority has agreed to pay nearly $5 million to settle a whistle-blower lawsuit that dealt with allegations that Metro awarded a $14 million no-bid contract to a Virginia firm. Looks like the region as a whole needs to reform its procurement practices and oversight.

This High-End Hair Stylist Gives Free Haircuts to the Homeless | Bryce Covert, August 22, 2014

Mark Bustos, who works for the high-end hair salon Three Squares Studio in New York City, spends his days off giving haircuts to homeless people who want them. What an awesome way to give back!

States With Medical Marijuana Have Fewer Painkiller Overdose Deaths | Olga Khazan, August 26, 2014

A new study suggests that in states where it’s legal, some people use pot to manage their chronic health conditions, rather than more addictive—and deadly—prescription opioids.

Generation Later, Poor Are Still Rare at Elite Colleges | Richard Perez-Pena, August 25, 2014

A series of federal surveys of selective colleges found virtually no change from the 1990s to 2012 in enrollment of students who are less well off, even though there was a huge increase over that time in the number of students going to college. “…Colleges are well intentioned but simply ineffectual in addressing economic diversity.”

New Neighbors: A Three Part Series

By:  Katrina Forrest

Editor’s Note:  Katrina is a Legislative Assistant for Councilmember Grosso covering Transportation & the Environment, Health and Housing.  This three-part blog post will explore why the affordable housing stock has declined in the District, attitudes toward affordable housing and recommendations to bridge a path forward.

I stood on the corner of Minnesota Ave. and Benning Road in Northeast patiently waiting for my cab to arrive.  When it did, the driver and I shared an interesting exchange.  After explaining that I did not look like I lived in the neighborhood, he remarked that while D.C. has experienced great change, no amount of money could lure him to this particular Northeast community.

As we drove past Park 7, a new mixed-use housing development, I began to think critically about housing, attitudes toward housing affordability and who is most impacted.  Washington, D.C. is a unique city with a rich culture.  In 1990, the District was just one of five major cities with a majority Black (66%) population.  Today, that number has seen a sharp decline, due in large part to gentrification, which has displaced many low-income people of color, who are now heavily concentrated along the city’s eastern periphery.

As a southern Virginia transplant, I frequently find myself describing the District much like F. Scott Fitzgerald described New York’s Long Island in the Great Gatsby.  A true ‘tale of two cities,’ D.C. is divided into four quadrants (Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast) and separated by the Anacostia River.  West of the park is characterized by racially homogeneous affluence, while the communities east of the river have developed a reputation marred by high rates of unemployment, poverty and homelessness.  Like other urban cities across the country, the District is facing an affordable housing and homelessness crisis.  Nearly 20 percent of District residents live in poverty.  Our homelessness rate outpaces New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago and the overwhelming majority of these individuals are concentrated in Wards 7 and 8, where 95 percent of residents are Black.

Conversations about affordable housing and homelessness can be uncomfortable because they necessitate a broader discussion about race, wealth, class and affordability.  They also require self-reflection and a willingness to confront our own personal biases in order to improve the livelihood of all District residents. 

According to a 2013 Urban Institute study, White families on average earned about $6 for every $1 that Black and Hispanic families earned.  In dollar value, the average White family had about $632,000 in wealth as compared to $98,000 for Black families and $110,000 for Hispanic families.   Adding another layer of inequity, since 1954 the Black unemployment rate has consistently been twice that of Whites.

While these numbers account for the economic slight felt by middle-income individuals, they do not begin to capture the daily struggles faced by low-income families surrounded by poverty, low performing schools, limited transportation options, little or no employment opportunities and so much more.  For these reasons, this cannot be understated:  where affordable housing options are located matters. 

By concentrating the affordable housing stock in historically underserved sections of the city we are perpetuating the isolation of low-income residents and people of color—keeping them from accessing a plethora of opportunities.  Racial and residential segregation is intimately related to the concentration of poverty in urban core areas.  Sound policy encourages preserving the existing affordable units while also increasing the affordable housing stock—evenly distributing it across all wards of the District, but combating neighborhood opposition is an uphill battle.

We are all familiar with the pretext.  A new affordable housing development proposal is presented and residents report to community meetings in droves to claim, “You can’t build this here!  This will decrease my property value.”  We know what is meant.  The term “affordable” carries with it a negative connotation, plays on preconceived notions and is often met with fierce opposition, particularly from communities enjoying great economic prosperity—but what is affordable housing and to whom is it affordable? 

According to the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development, housing is “affordable,” if a family spends no more than 30 percent of their household income to live there.  This seems reasonable but 30 percent of $500,000 is far greater than 30 percent of $30,000.

The average one-bedroom rental in the District is $1,692/month.  Affording this rent would be challenging even for a single individual earning a mid-level salary as depicted below:

[1] http://www.convertunits.com/salary/50000

The reality is that across the region there is a serious lack of affordable housing and in some cases, middle-income individuals are living in the District’s low-income units.  Reframing the conversation is the first step to addressing the District’s housing challenges, because where you live greatly influences where you go to school, where you work, who your friends are, what you eat, your access to quality healthcare and so much more.

Still, while critical to effecting any positive change, confronting our biased attitudes about who is “low-income,” what is “affordable,” and where “affordable housing” is located does not address other realities.  Since 2000, the number of low-cost rental units in the city has fallen by half, and the number of lower-value homes fell by nearly three quarters.   This reality has made reinvesting in communities in a way that fosters inclusivity challenging due to the gaps in infrastructure and the disappearing housing stock—so how did this happen and where do we go from here?

Parts 2 and 3 to follow….stay tuned!

*This post is part of an ongoing series of posts by Councilmember Grosso’s staff to support professional development. All posts are approved and endorsed by Councilmember Grosso.

What we're reading: August 22, 2014

Ferguson, MO and Police Militarization (VIDEO) | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, August 17, 2014

Why it’s so hard to find a cheap apartment in Washington, D.C. | Lydia DePillis, August 19, 2014

DePillis takes a look at one question every D.C. resident has probably asked themselves. Turns out there are plenty of new homes in the District, but fewer options for those who are cash strapped and/or have children. Aaron Wiener at Washington City Paper agrees with this assessment. Speaking of kids, we also read and recommend DePillis’ article, “It’s hard to build cities for kids. But do they really need them?”

Regulators, Cabbies, Uber Agree: Illegal Street Hails Have To Stop | Martin Di Caro, August 18, 2014

Regulators, cab drivers, and Uber have agreed on very little in the District over the last year, but they agree that more must be done to stop “rideshare” drivers from illegally picking up street hails in the District.

This is how much it’s costing one D.C health center to treat influx of 'unaccompanied minors’ from Central America | Tina Reed, August 15, 2014

The border crisis has become a major issue in the past year as more than 57,000 children have entered the country. Some D.C. health centers are starting to see the impacts.

DDOT Releases Proposed Rules Requiring Safe Routes for Pedestrians and Bicyclists near Work Zones| August 18, 2014

Check out DDOT’s proposed rules requiring safe routes for pedestrians and bicyclists near construction work zones. The comment period runs until September 13, 2014.

Los Angeles to Reduce Arrest Rate in Schools | Jennifer Medina, August 18, 2014

More and more school districts around the country are recognizing the negative impacts school discipline policies can have on students. After years of arresting students for on-campus fights and damaging school property, LA Unified School District is changing their policy. However, not too far from LA in Compton, CA, the school board there just voted to approve AR-15 rifles for campus police.

The District is shaping up to be a hot spot for fitness-related tech | Vicky Hallett, August 29, 2014

Over the past decade the District has welcomed dozens of new gyms, studios and nutrition-related businesses, so it’s no wonder we’ve become a hot spot for health technology. This article takes a look at some of D.C.’s new promising start-ups in this arena.

Rethinking Hospitals Restraints | Ravi Parikh, August 18, 2014

Thousands of patients are physically restrained every day for their own safety—but evidence suggests that the practice may be ineffective and even harmful.

By the Numbers: Crime and Policing in D.C. | Martin Austermuhle, August 18, 2014

The Metropolitan Police Department has published its annual report covering 2013. WAMU breaks down the numbers.

The Difference Between ALS and Ferguson Is That One Ill Can Be Cured | Jia Tolentino, August 18, 2014

“There are different devils behind these two ways a man can die in America. ALS is the devil that leaves us blameless, and Ferguson is the devil that is us, the one we dance with every day. In both cases we bow down and get shot in the skull regardless, but one road to deliverance has been open for 150 years.”

Mo’ne Davis on this week’s national Sports Illustrated cover | Scooby Axson, August 19, 2014

Making the cover of Sports Illustrated at 13-years old is pretty awesome and a milestone worth celebration. If you haven’t been watching the Little League World Series, get on it!

Grosso’s Farm Tour: Increasing Awareness throughout the District

From weeding borage patches to transplanting “dinosaur” kale to tasting the freshest local produce, Councilmember Grosso’s Farm Tour this month was a success.

Councilmember Grosso and Team Grosso transplanting "dinosaur" kale at the Farm at Walker Jones in NW Washington, D.C.

The Farm Tour was initiated after Grosso introduced the D.C. Urban Farming and Food Security Act of 2014. This legislation would establish an urban farming land leasing initiative, a nonrefundable tax credit for food commodity donations made to a District food bank or shelter, and real property tax abatement for unimproved real property.

As part of putting his sweat where his legislation is, David toured the UDC CAUSES Muirkirk Research Farm, the Millennial Farms at J.O. Wilson Elementary School site, and the Washington Youth Garden at the U.S. Arboretum. He and staff also volunteered at the Farm at Walker Jones.

At the Muirkirk Research Farm, run by the UDC College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Science, Councilmember Grosso met with Dean Sabine O’Hara to tour the farming facility located in Beltsville, MD. Vegetables grown hydroponically in mobile greenhouses and intricate aquaponics systems that contribute to raising both tilapia and produce are just two examples of how the site is promoting urban farming, sustainable living and environmental education in the District. It was also exciting to learn about their ethnic and specialty crops that cater to our city’s many immigrant communities.

Touring the Muirkirk Research Farm in Beltsville, Maryland.

Millennial Farms uses simple, cost effective, vertical farming methods to promote new jobs based around local farming economies. Claire Newbegin and Niraj Ray met with David to show him their work to de-industrialize the food system and contribute to local urban farming initiatives.

At the Washington Youth Garden, Grosso discussed not only the garden, but food education for D.C. youth as well. The garden teaches students and community members about soil, pollination, food systems and more through hands-on garden visits and installing gardens at local schools.

All smiles with Councilmember Grosso at the Washington Youth Garden

Mid-week Team Grosso spent all morning volunteering at the Farm at Walker Jones, located at the corner of New Jersey and K NW. The farm, run by local non-profit D.C. Greens, not only serves as a school garden for the Walker Jones Education Campus, but cultivates and sells fresh produce at a reduced price for neighborhood residents, and is as a base of operations for D.C. Greens’ work with school gardens and educational programs throughout the city. Team Grosso helped transplant seedlings, stake tomatoes, weed plant beds, and harvest produce.

As the summer winds down and we enjoy the bounty of locally grown foods, it is a perfect time to consider how we can promote urban farming and sustainable living. To that end, Grosso will keep pushing his legislative agenda, including the Urban Agriculture and Food Security Act of 2014, once the Council reconvenes in September. 

To learn about some urban farming efforts taking place across the District, visit the websites below:

D.C. Greens

Three Part Harmony Farm

Farm at Walker Jones

Millennial Farmers

Washington Youth Garden

Freedom Farms D.C.

UDC College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences

What We're Reading: August 13, 2014

Irrigating the (Food) Desert: A Tale of Gentrification in D.C. | Vann Newkirk, August 11, 2014

Are grocery stores and farmers markets common components of gentrification? Newkirk examines what the new Safeway and WalMart in the Petworth area of the District mean for development going forward.

A spin with the D.C. bicycle crowd leads to a tad more sympathy | Courtland Milloy, August 10, 2014

After a testy response to his column about bicyclists in the District, Milloy goes on a ride with some advocates to see the road from their point of view. He’ll likely stick with his car going forward, but has a bit more sympathy for bicyclists after his experience.

Lunch lady rises to teachers union leader and takes on all comers, bluntly | Lyndsey Layton, August 11, 2014

Layton profiles Lily Eskelsen Garcia’s unlikely rise to the top of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union representing  three million educators. Many challenges await her, but she’s up for the battle.

Protestors use hands-up gesture defiantly after Michael Brown shooting | Matt Pearce, August 12, 2014

One thing has been consistent in the protests in Ferguson, MO over the past few days – the use of the hands-up gesture and the chant “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.” This article takes a look at its impact and the deeply personal meaning the protest has for many black men. Phillip Agnew, the Director of Dream Defenders, also speaks about the hands-up gesture on MSNBC.

Center City team romps, earns berth in Little League World Series | Max Cohen, August 12, 2014

We love this story out of Philadelphia where female pitcher Mo’ne Davis led her team into the Little League World Series after throwing a three-hitter on Sunday. She will become the 18th girl to play in the Little League World Series in 68 years.

Can You Fight Poverty by Paying Kids to Go to School? | Glenn Thrush, August 12, 2014

This article takes a look at the Memphis Family Rewards Program, a pilot that provides cash incentives to poor parents and their high school-age children. Modeled after conditional cash transfer programs seen in places like Mexico, Brazil, and Indonesia, students can receive checks for attendance, grades, doctor’s visits, and taking the SAT/ACT. Parents are rewarded for simply working full-time. Is it working?

Cops or soldiers? America’s police have become too militarized | The Economist, March 22, 2014

War Gear Flows to Police Departments | Matt Apuzzo, June 8, 2014

A couple of throwback articles, but as we watch the pictures coming out of Ferguson, MO we’ve seen a blurred line between cops and military. How have local enforcement agencies been able to afford such high tech gear? The Department of Defense and the war on drugs.

Councilmember Grosso's Summer Gallery Tour

The arts help to make D.C. a culturally vibrant city. The District is filled with a creative community that welcomes all different types of people who take part in developing our unique neighborhoods.

Councilmember Grosso is a passionate supporter of the role the arts and humanities have in the overall creative economy. He believes that a robust arts community not only promotes economic development, but it also enriches the everyday lives of our residents by increasing the general safety, welfare, and outreach in their neighborhoods. During his “Summer Arts Tour,” Grosso will visit various art galleries and studios throughout D.C. to promote engagement and support of the arts.

Please join Councilmember Grosso at the following sites:

Thursday, August 21, 2014
4:30pm - 8pm

Hamiltonian Gallery 1353 U St NW

Foundry Gallery 1314 18th Street, NW 1st Floor

Longview Gallery 1234 9th ST NW

Monroe Street Arts Walk 625 Monroe St NE

Friday, August 22, 2014
4pm - 6pm

Anacostia Arts Center 1241 Good Hope Road SE

Touchstone Gallery 901 New York Avenue NW  

Flashpoint Gallery 916 G Street NW

Follow Councilmember Grosso’s Twitter for more information and for a quick glimpse of the Summer Arts Tour!

What we're reading: August 8, 2014

Start of another gorgeous weekend in D.C. and Team Grosso offers some of the latest items we've been reading (and watching) for your consideration:

The Marijuana Series: Other Views | August 7, 2014

Councilmember Grosso’s Letter to the Editor of the New York Times on marijuana legalization was published. Take a look and share with friends.

Why D.C. Is About to Have Even Less Affordable Housing | Aaron Wiener, August 6, 2014

Apartments subsidized through the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program (LIHTC) must keep their rents below a specified level for at least 15 years. After that time, property owners can shift to rents based on the current market climate. Our office is well acquainted with the program, as we have been working with tenants in Ft. Lincoln who had their subsidies improperly ended early. In the next five years, 45 other properties in the District will reach the end of their mandated 15 years of affordability. Not sure if reports that D.C. is halfway to the goal of 10,000 affordable housing units takes this into account.

Are Great Teachers Born or Made? | Nick Romeo, August 6, 2014

“…teaching—like any other profession—has its geniuses. Better training could certainly make many mediocre teachers competent, but it’s less likely to make competent teachers extraordinary.” Romeo reviews the premise of Elizabeth Green’s new book, Building a Better Teacher. Which side of the debate are you on?

Some College Athletes Will Now Get Paid—a Little | Sean Gregory, August 7, 2014

Yesterday, the NCAA voted to allow 65 teams from the so-called power conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC, and Notre Dame) further autonomy to make their own rules. In addition to offering athletes a scholarship, schools will now also be able to offer money for extras like food, clothing, and post-season travel to visit family. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

With bike lanes, fewer riders on sidewalk, study says | Ashley Halsey III, August 7, 2014

PeopleForBikes survey results show that bike riders are abandoning the sidewalks as the District install more miles of protected bike lanes for them to ride.

People Just Won’t Give Up on Awful Neighborhood Apps | Kriston Capps, August 7, 2014

There is so much wrong with the new app ‘SketchFactor’. It's understandable to want to avoid areas that are proven to have high crime based on data so when you're walking or driving you lower the chances of being a victim of opportunity. However, we know that ‘SketchFactor’ is going to come down to rumor, race and poverty and that's it. We don’t want that for our city. We hope this app has the same fate as all the others.

Stephen Ritz: A teacher growing green in the South Bronx

Pretty inspiring TED Talk from 2012 after our week visiting urban farms around the District.

What we're reading: July 30, 2014

Train Delays? Waiting on your pizza delivery? Or just need a casual read while you enjoy your day? Check out what Team Grosso is reading (and watching) this week.

Judge Puts D.C. Handgun Ruling On Hold | Ann E. Marimow and Peter Hermann, July 29, 2014

A federal judge on Tuesday delayed a ruling overturning the District’s long-standing ban on carrying handguns in public, once again making it illegal to have firearms on city streets.

First Lady Obama's Real Answer on Being a Working Mom | Erica Williams Simon, July 24, 2014

The home life and work life balance is a struggle no matter who you are. For the millions of workers all around the country who don't have adequate flexibility in their jobs or employers who support and respect their needs, it's even harder. Fortunately for us all, the first lady totally gets it.

In Labor, In Chains: The Outrageous Shackling of Pregnant Inmates | Audrey Quinn, July 26, 2014

Early one morning in November 2011, Tina Tinen, a pregnant prisoner at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County, N.Y., woke with painful contractions. Guards called an ambulance to take her to the hospital and shackled her wrist to the bar of a gurney — despite a 2009 state law against shackling pregnant inmates during and after labor.

The Case for Marijuana Reparations | Jamelle Bouie, July 28, 2014

The war on weed was foolish and costly. If we can admit that, then we should also be able to admit that it’s time to make amends to those who were most harmed by those laws.

How a New York Judge Struck Down a D.C. Gun Law | Zoe Tillman, July 28, 2014

U.S. District Senior Judge Frederick Scullin Jr. -- the federal judge who struck down the District of Columbia ban on carrying handguns in public for self-defense -- has a reputation as a no-nonsense jurist who sticks closely to the text of the law.

Why Is St. Elizabeths Such a Snoozer | Aaron Wiener, July 28, 2014

The results are in: Five teams are officially interested in developing a key portion of the city-owned St. Elizabeths East Campus near the Congress Heights Metro. A couple of the firms have extensive experience east of the Anacostia River, but what's conspicuous is the lack of heavy-hitter development firms in the mix.

My Son Has Been Suspended 5 times. He's 3. | Tunette Powell, July 24, 2014

I received a call from my sons’ school in March telling me that my oldest needed to be picked up early. He had been given a one-day suspension because he had thrown a chair. He did not hit anyone, but he could have, the school officials told me. JJ was 4 at the time.

What I've Left Unsaid | Michel Martin, July 26, 2014

Let's be clear: Women of every background face challenges when they try to balance careers and families, not least of which is the expectation that they should feel guilty for working outside the home even when they have no choice. But women of color often face additional pressures that white women are far less likely to encounter.

Traversing two D.C.s, from Dunbar High to Georgetown University | Emma Brown, July 27, 2014

When Johnathon Carrington makes a trip home to visit his mother or get what he considers a decent haircut, the Georgetown University student takes a G2 Metrobus that carries him four miles east across a divide that separates the city where he goes to school from the city where he grew up.

Why Can't the Banking Industry Solve Its Ethics Problems? | Neil Irwin, July 29, 2014

The financial crisis that nearly brought down the global economy was triggered in no small part by the aggressive culture and spotty ethics within the world’s biggest banks. But after six years and countless efforts to reform finance, the banking scandals never seem to end.

Windows Without Prison Bars | Rena Silverman, July 23, 2014

When Paulo Demetrick, a 29-year-old federal prison inmate in Virginia, was asked, “If you could have a window in your cell, what place from your past would it look out to?,” his mind began to race. After 11 years behind bars for robbery, how could he think of just one photograph?

Sentencing Guidelines Drop for Drug Offenders | Stacy M. Brown, July 23, 2014

As a result of the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s July 18 vote, more than 46,000 federal drug offenders will be eligible for early release, unless Congress makes a move to stop the plan by November 1. On average, sentences could be reduced by more than two years.

Grosso Applauds Implementation of the Sustainable D.C. Act

Grosso Applauds Implementation of the Sustainable D.C. Act

 Washington, D.C. - Today, Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) issued the following statement regarding the signing of the Sustainable D.C. Omnibus Amendment Act of 2014 and the launch of the District Department of the Environment's (DDOE) Anacostia River Sediment Project:

"The Sustainable D.C. Omnibus Amendment Act of 2014 is a comprehensive legislative package that creates a pathway to a sustainable future for the District of Columbia. The legislation supports the District building a benchmarking program by making data on energy and water use more accessible; it creates an environmental literacy program, prohibits the sale or use of polystyrene containers for food service and increases the District's tree canopy by requiring payment to offset the destruction or removal of a tree. I worked closely with advocates and the Committee on Transportation and the Environment to craft an amendment to this legislation, which accelerates the implementation deadline requiring food service ware to be compostable or recyclable by 2017 instead of 2018. The amendment was accepted and will help to put the District one step closer to becoming the most sustainable city in the country. With this legislation we will greatly improve the health and wellness of our residents and protect our natural environment.

Today also marks the launch of DDOE's Anacostia River Sediment Project, which will enable us to identify the hazardous toxins in the river and work toward a plan for removal. Recognizing the urgent need to remediate the river, I worked closely with the Committee to establish a statutory deadline of June 30, 2018 for DDOE to adopt and publish a Record of Decision selecting the remedy for remediation. It is my goal to one day swim and fish in the Anacostia, and through their efforts, DDOE is continuing to work to ensure that this goal is achieved."