Human Services Public Oversight Hearing

Council of the District of Columbia COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES NOTICE OF PUBLIC OVERSIGHT HEARING - REVISED 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004 COUNCILMEMBER BRIANNE K. NADEAU, CHAIRPERSON COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC OVERSIGHT HEARING ON “THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES’ IMPLEMENTATION OF HISTORIC HOUSING INVESTMENTS AND PANDEMIC RECOVERY EFFORTS” Wednesday, November 10, 2021, 11 a.m. Virtual Public Oversight Hearing via Zoom Streamed live at www.dccouncil.us, www.entertainment.dc.gov, and https://www.brianneknadeau.com/committee On Wednesday, November 10, 2021, Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau, Chairperson of the Committee on Human Services, will convene a public oversight hearing to consider the Department of Human Services’ (“DHS”) implementation of historic housing investments and pandemic recovery efforts. The hearing will be held virtually via the Zoom platform beginning at 11:00 a.m. This past summer, the Council passed the “Homes and Hearts Amendment Act of 2021” as a subtitle in the “Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Support Act of 2021.” The “Homes and Hearts Amendment Act of 2021” imposed a modest increase to the marginal tax rate of the District’s wealthiest resident, and allocated the revenue from this tax into areas of critical need. This included transformational investments in housing. The subtitle, and the corresponding Local Budget Act amendment, made an unprecedented $65 million investment in new housing vouchers and housing subsidies in Fiscal Year 2022 that will allow more than 2,400 residents experiencing homelessness or living in unstable housing to have a safe, stable place to call home. This public oversight hearing serves as a forum for the Committee and the public to receive a status update from DHS on their progress in implementing the newly available housing investments. The COVID-19 pandemic has required the Department of Human Services to adjust its programs and services to fit emerging needs in the District. This includes the establishment of the Pandemic Emergency Program for Medically Vulnerable Individuals (“PEP-V”), which places unhoused residents most at risk of falling seriously ill if they contract COVID-19 into hotels leased out by DHS. DHS has also experienced an increase in the number of families who receive subsidies through its Family Rehousing and Stabilization Program (“FRSP”). This public oversight hearing 1 serves as a forum for DHS to provide an update on the efficacy and future of these programs, and other similar programs that have been responsive-to or affected-by the pandemic. The Committee invites the public to testify or to submit written testimony. Anyone wishing to testify at the hearing should complete the witness form at https://www.brianneknadeau.com/testify or call the Committee on Human Services at 202-724-8170, by close of business on Friday, November 5, 2021. Witnesses who anticipate needing language interpretation, or requiring sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Human Services Committee office of the need as soon as possible, but no later than five (5) business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, however requests received in less than five (5) business days may not be fulfilled and alternatives may be offered. Representatives of organization will be allowed a maximum of five minutes for oral testimony, and individuals (and any subsequent representatives of the same organizations) will be allowed a maximum of three minutes. Witnesses are encouraged to submit a copy of their testimony electronically to humanservices@dccouncil.us in advance of the hearing. For witnesses who are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements will be made part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted either to the Committee at humanservices@dccouncil.us or to Nyasha Smith, Secretary to the Council, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 5, Washington, D.C. 20004. Additionally, voicemail testimony can be provided for the record by calling the Committee’s unique voicemail number – 202-350-1927. At the beginning of the message please state and spell your name clearly, provide the name of the organization you are representing and title (if any), the topic of your testimony, and then begin your testimony. The record will close for all forms of testimony at the end of the business day on Thursday, December 2, 2021. This notice has been revised from the originally published version with minor technical changes. 2