2025-26 Performance Oversight Hearing: Department of Human Services

Senior Policy Attorney Makenna Osborn and Senior Policy Attorney Danielle Robinette both testified before the Committee on Human Services at the performance oversight hearing for the Department of Human Services (DHS).

Makenna’s testimony focuses on several areas of DHS’s work where effective implementation is essential to keep DC families and children stable. First, her testimony assesses DHS’s administration of rental assistance programs — including those providing temporary assistance, long-term assistance, and emergency assistance — and identifies areas where changes would help more families access housing security. Second, she outlines the risks facing District families from pending cuts to TANF and the data needed from DHS to inform the best path forward. Finally, she highlights an issue occurring between DHS and the Department of Healthcare Finance (DHCF) causing DC children to improperly lose their health insurance coverage.

Danielle testified about DHS’s Truancy Reduction Pilot Program. She pointed to the need for the District to ensure that students’ academic needs are met and that students struggling academically are supported to prevent disengagement and absenteeism. She also encouraged DHS to address chronic absenteeism by extending the focus beyond just the education sector.