A Bold Step Toward Closing DC General

February 10, 2016 | Volume 2, Issue 5

Washingtonians,

In a city as prosperous as ours, everyone deserves a fair shot. That includes our most vulnerable families who find themselves homeless. For years, we have had a scattered approach that fails to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. Yesterday, we unveiled a bold approach to closing DC General and giving those families in the most need a fair shot at finding a place to call home.

District residents have demanded that our city do something about DC General Family Shelter.  You said that DC General is too big, and too old.  You said that DC General is not the kind of place where families should have to sleep at night.  You said that our community deserves better.

I agree. The Council agrees. And that’s why we are taking a bold step forward.

If I could have closed DC General down on my first day of being Mayor, I would have done just that.  But we can’t close DC General without short-term family housing.  That is why, for the past several months, I’ve been working with the DC Council on a plan to replace DC General with short-term family housing facilities across the city. 

It won’t be easy, and we know some of you may have questions, and you have ideas on how to make this plan succeed. My team will host community meetings in all eight wards this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. To RSVP for the community meeting in your ward, click HERE. You can also learn more about the plan to close DC General, by visiting mayor.dc.gov/homewarddc.

I look forward to continuing this conversation.

Sincerely,

Muriel Bowser
Mayor

Education Week in the District

The pathway to the middle class begins with a great education.To highlight how the District is accelerating the pace of school reform and creating pathways for District residents, Mayor Bowser hosted Education Week last week. As part of the push, one announcement made during Education Week was that the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) will extend the school year for ten schools in the 2016/2017 school year. You can read the Washington Post’s Editorial in support of extended year HERE.

Mayor Bowser also kicked off 'Books from Birth,' an early literacy initiative which will provide a free book each month by mail to children under age five in the District whose families sign up. Signing up for the program is easy, just click HERE or stop by a library in your neighborhood.

Check out some pictures from Education Week below.

Ward 3 Community Walk

Each month, Mayor Bowser participates in a community walk and hosts office hours in a different neighborhood throughout the city. Yesterday, she hosted office hours at Guy Mason Recreation Center and walked the neighborhood to meet with residents and business owners, and explore issues affecting the area.  

Pathways to the Middle Class - Job Announcement: Legislative & Policy Analyst, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice

The mission of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice (DMPSJ) is to provide guidance, support, and coordination for the delivery of public safety and justice services for citizens and visitors of the District of Columbia. The Legislative & Policy Analyst completes extensive legislative research, provides analysis of program activities, and monitors contacts in the local, state, public and private sector to provide ongoing policy advice on public safety and justice activities. Additional details regarding this vacancy can be found by visiting the job announcement.