FY17 Budget Testimony: Department of Human Services Budget
Executive Director Judith Sandalow testified before the DC Council’s Committee on Health & Human Services regarding the Mayor’s proposed FY17 budget for the District’s Department of Human Services (DHS). In her testimony, she focused on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, highlighting the over 6,500 families with more than 13,000 children set to hit the 60-month time limit and be cut off from all income and employment supports.
Judith discussed the $10 million included by the Mayor in the DHS FY17 budget for a one-year extension for the families scheduled to be dropped from the program in October. She noted that the Mayor made clear the funds are intended to give the Council time to design a long-term policy for families who may be eligible for temporary extensions based on clearly-defined hardships or other circumstances. As such, Judith urged the Council to use the District of Columbia Public Assistance Amendment Act of 2015, a bill introduced in December 2015, as the foundation of its work, as it begins to craft a long-term policy.
Click below to read her full testimony.