On April 5th, Miriam’s Kitchen convened a virtual forum to hear from DC’s Mayoral candidates about their commitments to ending homelessness in the District. Hosted on Zoom and streamed live on YouTube and Facebook, hundreds of DC residents and activists tuned in to hear how candidates planned to tackle housing and homelessness in their respective administrations. All candidates running for mayor were invited, including Mayor Bowser, but the forum was attended by James Butler, Robert White, and André Davis. The event had around 300 viewers in attendance and was moderated by activist Dana White.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Miriam’s Kitchen does not endorse any specific candidates for Mayor. However, as an organization committed to ending chronic homelessness in Washington, DC, we were thrilled to be able to elevate this important conversation as part of the ongoing Mayoral debates.
The forum generated a robust, productive discussion of the issues that unhoused individuals experience and the different barriers that prevent them from obtaining sustainable and adequate housing.
Moderator Dana White posed 6 different questions, as well as questions from the audience to each candidate for discussion. This was followed by a “lightning round” of rapid questions, where each candidate gave a thumbs up/down (“yes” or “no”) to a list of questions about their commitments to several issues critical to addressing the current state of homelessness and housing instability in the District.
All 3 candidates made powerful commitments to ending homelessness in DC
All three candidates answered with a “thumbs up” to every single rapid-fire question posed during the discussion, highlighting strong commitments to ending chronic homelessness. We were especially encouraged that each committed to expanding resources as needed for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), opposing “no tent zones,” and addressing DCs affordable housing crisis by ensuring housing resources are available to our neighbors living on the lowest incomes.
Expanding Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)
“I know for a fact that it’s very possible to put our feet to the ground…and talk to people… no one is talking to the people that are being affected by the policies, initiatives, and legislation that is being passed in the city,” noted Andre Davis.
PSH is a program that provides supportive services to those needing assistance in finding affordable housing and has been effective in decreasing the district’s chronically homeless population. PSH was expanded under this year’s local budget, and we are hopeful that the program will be able to receive more funding and expand in the future to further support more of those in need.
Tent Encampments and “no tent zones”
“The solution to end chronic homelessness is simple… simply provide housing,” emphatically stated by James Butler.
The presence of encampments throughout the city has been a divisive issue over the past few years. All candidates present were displeased with the District’s displacement and eviction of those living in homeless encampments and ensured they would not clear out encampments should they be elected. Specifically, each candidate also opposed the creation of “no tent zones,” a worrisome approach that criminalizes homelessness and leaves encampment residents with nowhere to go.
Addressing DC’s affordable housing crisis
“When we go out and talk to our unhoused residents, we realize that we have fallen short… on creating enough affordable housing… with [providing] appropriate resources for mental health and addiction… and support for people returning from incarceration,” stated Robert White in response to how his team plans to end cycles of chronic homelessness.
Washington, DC is currently one of the most expensive places to live in the country and its severe lack of affordable housing is a root cause of homelessness. Each candidate committed to making housing more affordable for Washingtonians by ensuring that 50% of the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) is used for those living at 0-30% of AMI (Area Median Income). The HPTF is a powerful tool for producing and preserving affordable housing in the District. By law, half of the resources allocated to the HPTF must be used to create housing for DC residents living at 0-30% of the Area Median Income (AMI). However, DC has not once met this requirement during the existence of the HPTF.
In addition, each candidate committed to addressing urgent public housing for people living on low incomes and outlined additional strategies for making housing more affordable.
We want to thank the hundreds of DC voters who attended this event. Additionally, we thank Andre Davis, Robert White, and James Butler for participating in our first-ever candidate forum. What’s next?
- To watch the full forum online, click here
- To learn more about the DC Mayoral Election, click here
- To learn more about homelessness in DC and to take action, click here to learn about The Way Home Campaign, a movement to end chronic homelessness that is led by Miriam’s Kitchen
- Lastly, stay tuned for an upcoming forum for candidates running for the DC Council
