News from Mayor Bowser, February 20

February 20, 2015  |  Volume 1, Issue 5

Friends,

I am inviting all District residents to participate in our Budget Engagement Forums. The first one took place last night at Woodrow Wilson Senior High School, and my team and hundreds of concerned citizens came out to discuss their budget priorities with their neighbors and my administration.

The next Budget Engagement Forum takes place tomorrow at Anacostia Senior High School at 1 pm and the last one will be on Monday, February 23rd at Dunbar Senior High School at 7 pm. For more information on the forums, click here.

These forums are your time to identify and advocate for your budget priorities. Your input is important as we create a budget that closes the quarter billion dollar budget gap while investing in affordable housing, quality education, job creation and infrastructure throughout the District. We need you with us every step of the way.

So, mark your calendars and tell your friends, neighbors and colleagues to join you at our next forum. You know what’s needed. We want to hear from you.

Together we can work to make the District the best place to live, work, raise our families, grow our businesses, educate our youth and, more importantly, prepare us all for the future.

Sincerely,

Mayor Muriel Bowser

Everyone Deserves a Roof Over Their Heads

Our Initiative to Help Homeless Families Find Quality Affordable Housing

Last week, I launched an initiative to increase the District’s capacity to connect families experiencing homelessness to housing opportunities in the private market. This is part of my wider strategy to attack homelessness and expand affordable housing opportunities for all DC residents. I promised you that I would do everything in my power to end family homelessness in the District of Columbia by 2018 and all homelessness in the District by 2025.

This new initiative will help us meet that goal by doing the following:

• Reducing the length of time that families experience homelessness.
• Alleviating the need for overflow shelter capacity at motels.
• Improving the District’s capacity to meet the needs of families who are experiencing homelessness.

Capitol Hill Visits With Congressional Leaders

Last week, I returned to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional leaders.  I met with Congressman James Clyburn, (D-SC) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA). We discussed ways the District can partner with members of Congress from both parties on key priorities such as funding for the Department of Homeland Security consolidation at St. Elizabeths, as well as transit parity. I promised to deliver a fresh start for our city, and part of that will include building strong ties with our federal partners to further the District’s interests.

St. John’s College High School Luncheon: Preparing Our Future Leaders

Last Friday, I was invited to deliver remarks about leadership and issues facing the District at the St. John’s Alumni Luncheon as part of the St. John’s Annual Distinguished Speaker Series. It was a chance to talk about my education vision.  Middle schools are providing high quality instruction to students at this transitional time in their lives.

Our Fresh Start initiatives will further enhance the educational opportunities; we are working tirelessly to close the achievement gap in a variety of ways:

• Improving the quality of early childhood education.
• Investing $20 million over the next three years in Empowering Males of Color to target  the most urgent and persistent challenges facing our young males.
• Broadening STEM education.
• Evaluating the curricular and extracurricular offerings at each middle school and adopting an improvement plan to address shortcomings.

The Path to Paying for College

As we continue to prepare our students for higher learning, it is equally important that we encourage them to access all the financial tools available to pay for college. The price of earning a college degree might seem out of reach, but according to a 2014 New York Times article, that price is worth it. Statistics show that 75 percent of District jobs will require some postsecondary education by 2020.

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is hosting several events across the District to help parents and students prepare their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These events will be held this Saturday, February 21 at noon at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library and the DC ReEngagement Center; and Saturday, Feb. 28th at noon at the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center and the Latin American Youth Center.

The FAFSA Completion campaign highlights the importance of completing the application in order to get a piece of the more than $150 billion available in federal grants, loans and work-study funds.

COMMUNITY MEETINGS

Celebrating Diversity: Office of African Affairs Open House

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of participating in the well-attended open house for the Office of African Affairs (OAA) where I introduced the new director Mamadou Samba. He has already initiated new programs that will enhance access to information and other opportunities for the District’s African residents. I have great faith in Director Samba’s extensive experience in addressing socio-economic and cultural challenges faced by African immigrants, including building capacity for African non-profit organizations and advocating on behalf of African-born residents locally and nationally. My administration looks forward to seeing the great things that will come forward as a result of his leadership.

Investing in our Communities:  Grand Opening of Busboys and Poets in Takoma

Ward 4 was in the house on Valentine’s Day where I attended the Busboys and Poets’ grand opening of their Takoma location. This is their fourth establishment in the District. The sold-out event featured performances by local artists. I want to congratulate Andy Shallal and his staff on providing a community gathering place that will also be a cultural center in Ward 4. Andy is a fine example of a local employer who invests in the people he hires and the community he serves. Takoma residents are excited about having a new place to gather right in their own backyard! Andy is a symbol of #DCProud, and we are excited that he continues to create opportunities for those who call DC home! I look forward to attending the grand opening of his upcoming location in Anacostia.

WHAT’S NEXT

This weekend, I will attend the 26th Annual JUMOKE Event in Ward 8 and Chinatown’s New Year’s Parade in Ward 2.

On Saturday and Monday, I am hosting my last two Budget Engagement Forums. Click here for times and locations. This is your chance to make your voice heard.

On Tuesday, I will join Vice President Joe Biden for his Black History Month Event and later in the day, I plan to attend the LeDroit Park Civic Association meeting.

On Wednesday, tune in to Telemundo (WZDC) during the 6 pm and 11 pm newscasts to hear about my plans for the Office on Latino Affairs and the District’s Latino community. Please check your local listings for specific channels.

As a kick-off for Women’s History Month, I will speak to students at the National Cathedral School, an all-girls institution that has educated young women in the District for over a century. Later, I will attend the Girls on the Run Sneaker Soiree Awards Ceremony, a fundraising event that will benefit girls across the city and support the District’s efforts to bring the life-changing program to as many girls as possible, regardless of financial situation.

Stay in contact with me and my Administration. Connect with me on Facebook.  Follow me on Twitter @MayorBowser to get behind the scenes engagement daily as I serve as your Mayor.  Now you can follow my office, DC Mayor’s Office, on Twitter as well, for the latest news and information from the John A. Wilson Building and District Government agencies @TeamMuriel.  Follow me on Instagram @Mayor_Bowser to see pictures in real time as I continue to represent the District at a variety of events.  My office, DC Mayor’s Office, is now on Flickr and you can see our photo album from the #FreshStartFeb Open House with more albums to come. 

Let me know what's working and what's not working. We are Washington.  We are all working together to make #DCProud.