The current D.C budget proposal is full of harmful cuts to critical programs and services that assist city's lowest-income residents. As it stands now, there is not one housing voucher for individuals included in the budget. Additionally, the budget proposal cuts critical funding we depend on for the Jail & Prison Advocacy Project’s (JPAP) lauded reentry program. ).

JPAP is especially alarmed about the failure to include individual housing vouchers. Nearly all JPAP clients who live independently are able to do so because of a housing voucher.  It is functionally impossible to live independently on SSI (disability benefits) alone- the cost of rent is too high, and people would have no money to purchase essentials like food and toiletries.

E-mail the D.C. Council NOW to oppose the mayor's budget and protect unhoused individuals diagnosed with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities. Tell them we need housing vouchers for individuals who would otherwise sleep on the streets or live in homeless shelters.

SEND YOUR EMAIL NOW!

A Word from Our Program Director

"The Mayor’s proposed cuts to OVSJG, which has supported our reentry advocacy for the last eight years, would jeopardize our reentry model—a model being evaluated as a promising practice because our advocacy leads to better outcomes for many people who have cycled in and out of incarceration for years.”

– Tammy Seltzer, Director or the Jail and Prison Advocacy Program. 6/12 Testimony for the DC City Council

Threats to JPAP Funding

JPAP’s two largest funders are the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG) reentry grants and the Access to Justice (ATJ) grants. Through OVSJG, we receive funding for reentry support and client flex funds, which are used to pay for people’s basic needs, such as clothing, shoes, and undergarments when they are first released. ATJ, through the DC Bar Foundation, funds legal services to address reentry obstacles, such as a denial of an SSI application. SSI provides Social Security disability benefits for disabled, low-income individuals.

The mayor's proposed budget cuts ATJ funds by 67%. Although the Council has committed to restoring some of the funds, they have not agreed to maintaining level funding with the current fiscal year. We have no idea how cuts of that size would be implemented. Across the board cuts to current grantees would mean JPAP could no longer afford a full-time attorney to work on clients’ legal needs.

At first glance, the mayor’s budget does not appear to cut OVSJG reentry grants, which pay for our Reentry Advocates and Peer Navigator. Look deeper and you can see that OVSJG is predicting an increase of over 50% in federal dollars, presumably so they could lower the amount of DC funds needed. The Trump administration and Congress are discussing large budget cuts, not increases. If we assume a 10% cut in the federal funds for OVSJG reentry grants—which is the amount in Trump’s proposed budget—DC would still be $3 million short of the current year’s funding.  

If these cuts happen, JPAP will be forced to serve fewer people at the same time federal benefits like food assistance will be much harder to access.

This funding is essential. The late JPAP Peer Navigator Donald Hines used to say, “we save lives every day!” Donald was a JPAP expert. As a client, he used our reentry support to turn his life around. Before he died from cancer, Donald poured his heart into supporting other DC residents like himself, to give them hope that they could do the same with JPAP’s help.

ULS staff and clients recently testified before the DC City Council to stress the critical importance of OVSJG and ATJ support. Below are highlights from their testimony.

Juan Galla, JPAP Client:
"JPAP helped me with everything and anything I needed. Without JPAP, I would be a mess. I would be all over the place and possibly reincarcerated. I am really thankful for the program. Please increase the funding so they can keep saving lives and families like mine.”

Cami Bianchi, Reentry Advocate:
“Most JPAP clients come home with and to nothing. I pick up clients from the DC Jail or Union Station and welcome them home with changes of clothing and toiletries. I buy them a hot meal and accompany them to a shelter or, when shelters are not an option, to a hotel room paid for with OVSJG client flex funds."

Darnell Keyes, JPAP Client:
“After a lifetime spent in the criminal legal system, I am proud to say that I have successfully re-entered my community. I have a full-time job, stable housing, access to healthcare, and a strong support system. This would not have been possible without the Jail & Prison Advocacy Project.

Every person coming home from prison deserves to have someone in their corner ready to fight for them. I urge the Council to give other returning citizens the same life-saving opportunities that I had.”