Opening Statement: Special Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Public Oversight Hearing

"Thank you Chairmen Gray and Allen for calling this Special Committee Roundtable. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, my team and I have been deeply engaged in helping our residents navigate the host of new emergency benefits and relief that have become available in response to the pandemic. Since April of last year, we have received and closed out 214 inquiries about unemployment insurance. Currently, we are still working on 27 pending cases. During this same time, we have also received and closed out 71 inquiries relating to public benefits provided by DHS. This tells me that, while the District has been swift in providing safety nets for those facing economic hardship as a result of the pandemic, we still have work to do in making these programs accessible and easy to navigate. It is precisely for this reason that we must ensure that that the safety nets we have cast are in strong working order before we lift emergency protections. 

I do want to take a moment to commend the Executive, and particularly the Department of Human Services for standing up a number of very important programs and services under the most difficult of circumstances. Many of the programs not only have been successful during the pandemic, but also provide a roadmap for how certain services should be administered going forward, even after the public health emergency ends. For example, we have incorporated the use of technology to make the process of applying for, recertifying, and accessing public benefits more convenient and streamlined for our residents. DHS created an online portal and mobile application for various public benefits programs that can be used to register, submit documentation, and recertify. For years, I have been working with DHS to find ways to lessen the burden on and increase the efficiency of service centers. There is no better way to do that than to reduce how often people must go to one. I will continue to advocate for the use of these technologies to enable those who wish to interact with DHS remotely. This technology has also been used for new registrants for the Healthcare Alliance program, which serves our undocumented neighbors. While I funded my legislation permitting Alliance beneficiaries to recertify one of two times per year by phone, as we exit the public health emergency, we must ensure that all beneficiaries are able to register and recertify by phone, web, and app. Also, we must push the executive to permit recertifications only once per year. Staying with technology, I worked closely with DHS as well as local and national supermarket chains to make online EBT purchasing possible. As more people get vaccinated and trips to the grocery store get safer, it is critical that we continue to advocate for online purchases and make inroads to expand the offerings in this area. 

There are other items that we have stood up during the public health emergency that will have to end, but this must be done thoughtfully and with compassion… Last year, in order provide relief to resident suffering economic hardship as a result of the pandemic, the Council passed emergency legislation to impose moratoria on evictions and utilities shutoffs for nonpayment. I have been fighting to keep these moratoria in place until we are more confident that we are doing everything in our power to reach people eligible for existing emergency supports. I do not believe we have done that yet. If we do not have a stable plan in place before lifting the moratoria, we will see a major inflow into the homeless services system. And a question we all need to be asking ourselves, and I think the discussion today will help answer, is whether we want to make major investments upfront to keep our neighbors housed, or delay those expenses until after they are displaced, when the financial and human costs become so much greater. 

The federal ERA Program, which Mayor Bowser has branded as STAY DC,  provides us with the resources to stem the flow of the COVID caused housing to homelessness pipeline. However, I am listening to my constituents and community-based organizations, and it is clear to me that despite the hard work and what I believe to be the best of intentions of our partners in the executive, STAY DC has structural issues that has made the application process onerous, frustrating, and downright impossible for some to complete. I have been working with my staff and colleagues since even before STAY DC was launched to ensure the federal ERA funds would be put into circulation efficiently and effectively by: 

• Chairing a roundtable before the launch of STAY DC to ensure public input was incorporated into its design; Meeting multiple times with Deloitte, the STAY DC contractor, to provide the community input; 

• Authoring a letter to DHS, signed by all members Human Services Committee, earlier this week requesting bimonthly updates on the program, which we will be making publicly available; and  

• Regularly seeking updates from our partners in the executive. 

Today is another opportunity to learn more about what is working and what needs to be improved to ensure that we meet the spend down requirements of the ERA Program, but more importantly, that we ensure that DC residents are able to stay in their homes and that landlords are able to pay their mortgages. It is also important to remember that not all DC residents who are struggling to pay rent meet the federal requirements of STAY DC. Therefore, while we work hard to improve that program and get the money out the door, we must not forget that local investments will be needed in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program as well as the various homeless prevention programs. For families and individuals already in the homeless services system, the executive has put in place several safety nets during the public health emergency including the extension of rapid rehousing benefits for families and the establishment of the Pandemic Emergency Program for Medically Vulnerable Individuals. And I am proud that with the support of our advocacy partners, we were able to push DHS to add a PEP-V placement last month. Even with these successes, we know that federal funding for PEP-V is going to end in September and that placements in rapid rehousing for families cannot extend forever. We know that we need to do more to address chronic homelessness. We must also we must invest in the purchase of hotels for short-term use for PEP-V and long-term use for project-based permanent supportive housing. We have a moral responsibility and an unprecedented opportunity to find these Washingtonians homes. 

To do this, the Council will have to prioritize housing in the allocation of federal relief funds as well as take bold action to generate new sources of recurring revenues. We should not be bashful in asking our wealthiest residents to pay their fair share in helping to make the District an equitable place to live. We must raise income taxes on the District’s wealthiest residents to pay for critical investments to combat homelessness, create affordable housing, and address other essential needs. Due to other commitments, I will not be able to stay for the entirety of the hearing but my staff and I will be monitoring the testimony presented today. Thank you Chairmen Gray and Allen, and to all the witnesses who are in attendance."