We are getting very disturbing reports from D.C.’s Department of Health as we prepare to remember those who have died without the dignity of a home and a proper burial for this year’s memorial service and vigil. The number of people who die each year due to all sorts of preventable causes is heinous. If adequate resources were allocated to the Continuum of Care, and the wellness engagements to unhoused and unstably housed individuals had real wrap-around services and peer support, we would be able to bring the number of deaths in our community down from this alarming rate.
The upcoming budget season for fiscal year 2026 could, and will, be one of the most important budget seasons we’ve had, notwithstanding the dismal budget season of last year. This fiscal year, we saw significant cuts to homeless services and programs. We also saw the negative impacts of inadequate staffing, case management shortages, and the burnout of nonprofit staff coming through a public health emergency. We look to regroup and put forth new plans to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in the District of Columbia as we complete Homeward D.C. 2.0. We must acknowledge the accomplishments and the failures and look for the best way to move forward with what may be limited resources.
This year’s budget advocacy will call for an increase in community engagement and organizing efforts. Traditional advocacy partners need to bring together a broad coalition of civic groups, the faith-based community, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, and anyone willing to fight to end homelessness by demanding a moral and equitable budget. The budget should do more when it comes to safety net programs that support our most marginalized community members. Public policy needs to address people who are experiencing housing instability and displacement due to gentrification and price gouging of housing units by developers and realtors. The solution that would be the fairest is fully funding a universal housing voucher system.