Budget constraints over services could fuel another political battle, this time over proposed cuts impacting the District’s most vulnerable populations.
In a recent email to housing and homelessness nonprofit partners, the D.C. Department of Human Services told agency leaders to “make midyear reductions” that “allow all of us to weather the financial impact of the budget cut” as a result of the economic climate.
“We can only spend money that we have.”
Laura Green Zeilinger, Director of the D.C. Department of Human Services, told WTOP they are bracing for a tough budget year ahead.
“DHS has done work to scrub absolutely every aspect of our budget to try to protect services and benefits that our residents rely on.” Zeilinger said. “We can’t get to a balanced budget without engaging our providers.”
Zeilinger said officials asked agency leaders to work with them through this process.
“We didn’t say this is what we need you to cut,” Zeilinger said.
But At-Large D.C. Council member Robert White was not happy about proposed cuts to nonprofits.
“Our local nonprofits that serve homeless people work on shoestring budgets. That means, they’re going to have to let people go or serve fewer people in order to meet these midyear budget cuts, and that’s really concerning,” White said.
White, who chairs the council’s housing committee, believes this could have been handled better.
“What we’re looking at is bad budgeting and bad planning,” White said, “as unopposed to an unforeseen set of emergencies.”
The DHS partner email said a similar email will likely be sent to those working in the city’s victim services and justice grant department — the agency specifically serves victims of crimes.
“Regardless of the size of any reduction to grants for our programs, there will be reductions in services and, ultimately, more survivors not getting the essential services that they need to get and stay safe and then to heal,” the email concluded.
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