Mayor Bowser Presents Fair Shot Budget Proposal

(Washington, DC) Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser presented her Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Budget and Financial Plan to the Council of the District of Columbia as part of the District’s annual budget process. The Fair Shot Budget makes significant investments to provide relief, recovery, and growth for residents and businesses across all eight wards, focusing on the pillars of an equitable recovery: access to safe and affordable housing, high-quality job training, healthy neighborhoods, academic acceleration and increased access to quality child care, programs to reduce gun violence, safe and accessible transportation options, and supports for businesses and residents hit hardest by the economic crisis of the past year and a half.

“The sacrifices of our community over the past year and a half have saved lives and gotten us to where we are today – on the cusp of crushing this virus. The Fiscal Year 2022 Fair Shot Budget honors those sacrifices by making big investments in residents and businesses that were hit the hardest and setting our community up for a strong recovery,” said Mayor Bowser. “With this budget, we are doubling down on our commitment to build a more equitable Washington, DC and giving more Washingtonians a fair shot.”

Budget Investment Highlights

Below are highlights of new investments and initiatives in Mayor Bowser’s FY22 budget proposal.

Affordable Housing & Homeward DC

• Historic $400M contribution to the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) and $42M for project-sponsor vouchers to make housing deeply affordable to low-income residents​
• $352M in rent and utility assistance to prevent evictions through the STAY DC program ​
• $17M for housing preservation, including $5M to help limited equity co-ops purchase their buildings​
• $67M to purchase buildings for permanent supportive housing or deeply affordable housing, and additional emergency and transitional shelter for victims of domestic violence ​
• $113M to rehabilitate and develop replacement public housing​
• $24M to help low-income first-time homebuyers with down payment and closing cost assistance​
• $1.2M to expand emergency shelter service for LGBTQ+ residents who are victims of domestic violence and increase shelter access for Transgender residents​
• $5M to restore vibrancy to previously disused properties in neighborhoods most affected by violence
• New Homeward DC investments to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring:
  • 758 new permanent supportive housing units for singles and 347 for families
  • Expansion of Project Reconnect, providing one-on-one support to help adults at imminent risk of homelessness avoid entry into the emergency shelter system
  • $102M in renovations of the District’s permanent and temporary supportive housing and shelter services

Academic Acceleration 

• 3.6% increase in the base amount of the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula, plus increased weights for English Language Learners and At-Risk Students​
• $8M to expand school-based mental health services to all remaining DC Public and DC Public Charter Schools​
• $10M in additional grants to charter schools to assist with reopening fully in-person for School Year 2021-2022​
• $13M for high-impact tutoring, an evidence-based approach to accelerating student learning post-pandemic 
• $29 million to reimagine work-based learning in our high schools over the next three years ​
• $13M to provide more students access to affordable bachelors and associates degrees​
• $5.6M to increase access to summer programming with academic enrichment​
• $68M to increase access to high-quality affordable childcare and provide incentives and scholarships for early childhood education teacher 
• $6.1M to launch new microtransit routes serving 20+ elementary, middle, and high schools in Safe Passage areas in Wards 7 & 8
• $1.57B over six years for school modernizations, small capital projects, and school expansions to address overcrowding, and to accelerate Truesdell and Whittier elementary schools​
• $420M over the next six years to improve parks, recreation facilities, and libraries, including:​
  • Libraries: Fully fund all remaining library modernizations with new funding to replace Shepherd Park, Deanwood, Rosedale, and a new library in the Northwest One area​
  • Recreation Facilities: Duke Ellington Field, Jellef Rec Center, Emery Heights Rec Center, Rumsey Aquatic Center, Randall Rec Center, Harry Thomas Rec Center, and a brand-new community center at the former Crummell School site​
  • And more: Upshur Rec Center pool renovation, addressing site issues at Douglas Rec Center, and bringing all DPR facilities into ADA compliance by the end of FY 2023.​

Health and Human Services

• $15M to support small businesses and residents whose health insurance premiums are in arrears​
• $12M to launch Career Map, a new pilot to help working families avoid benefit cliffs for rental subsidies, TANF, SNAP, and other benefits as they advance their careers​
• $8.4M to support five Centers of Excellence at Howard University Hospital​
• $8.5M to support affordable food access through increased senior meal delivery, assistance to the Capital Area Food Bank, and increased access to Produce Rx and the Nourish DC Fund​
• $18M to advance health equity, including creating a new sobering center to divert lower-risk cases from crowded ERs, expanding telehealth services for behavioral health and disability services clients, and offering doula services for low-income women​
• $13M to increase supports and services to residents experiencing mental health crisis or substance abuse issues​
• $46M to add two new paid family leave benefits for prenatal medical leave and domestic violence/stalking/sexual abuse recovery leave 

COVID Response and Recovery​:

• $75M to support ongoing testing, vaccination, isolation and quarantine, cleaning, PPE, and other needs​
• $9.5M to enhance oversight, accountability, tracking, evaluation and monitoring, and processing of the District’s $3.4B in federal COVID relief funds​

Reducing Gun Violence & Public Safety

• $11M to support returning citizens with cash assistance, financial coaching, and peer navigators as they transition back into the community ​
• $7.8M for additional violence interrupters and $400K for additional credible messengers  ​
• $4.5M for DC Pathways to serve an additional 100 individuals at risk of gun violence and $4.1M to provide more wrap-around support services and new Pathways Champions positions for at-risk individuals​
• $5.6M to create 110 dedicated employment opportunities through DPW for individuals at risk of gun violence​
• $1.9M to expand trauma-informed mental health services​
• $2.2M for temporary safe housing for residents involved in gun violence​
• $1.5M for community grants to carry out neighborhood action plans in communities hardest hit by gun violence​
• $6.8M for DBH, DDOT, and DPW to respond to non-emergency 911 calls for mental health distress, minor traffic crashes, and parking complaints​
• $3.4M to add 100 new slots for MPD’s cadet program​

Economic Recovery for Residents

• Employment & On-the-Job Training​:
  • $49M to dramatically expand subsidized employment and training through apprenticeship opportunities, including through the DC Infrastructure Academy, Project Empowerment, and WIC partnerships​
  • $1.5M to expand Solar Works DC, training an additional 75 DC residents a year for careers in the solar energy industry​
  • $4.2M to add 4,200 seats to the Summer Youth Employment Program for an Earn and Learn model for high school students who need credit recovery or summer learning ​
• Skills Training & Career Navigation​:
  • $6M for a Rapid Reskilling Fund to provide 700 residents without a bachelor’s degree the opportunity to pursue training programs for high-demand occupations​
  • $4.6M for Career Coaches to connect residents to career advising and education, training, and employment opportunities in high-demand industries​
  • $500K for workforce training for LGBTQ+ residents
• Financial Support & Empowerment​
  • $15M to provide cash assistance to individuals and families who don’t qualify for federal unemployment​
  • $26.5M to provide laptops, tablets, or smartphones to seniors, youth exiting foster care, families enrolled in TANF, and returning citizens.​
  • $3.8M to expand DC’s Opportunity Accounts matched-savings program to help up to 600 residents a year save for college, continuing education, job training, first-time home purchases, small business development, and more

Economic Recovery for Businesses

• $58M to expand access to grocery stores and sit-down restaurants in Wards 7 and 8 over the next three years, including $3M over two years for the DC Nourish Fund​
• $8.1M to increase funding for Great Streets and commercial ownership opportunities for small businesses, and to support the Shop in the District app ​
• $8M for a Bridge Fund for arts venues in the District to support their successful reopening​
• $30M for a new Employment Center Vitality and Local Job Creation fund to attract high-impact employers to the District​
• $2M to double the investment in the Inclusive Innovation Equity Impact Fund​
• $14M for enhanced placemaking and public space vibrancy in the Anacostia, Southwest and Golden Triangle BID areas​
• $12.8M to increase permitting and inspection capacity to handle increased demand as business reopen
• Fee waivers and one-time tax cuts:
  • Permanent reduction of business fees to $99 Includes formation filing fees, general business license fees, fees to start or renew an employment agency, employer paid personnel service or employment counseling businesses​
  • Two-year reduction of occupational and professional license fees to $99​
  • One-time cut to Paid Family Leave payroll tax​ (from 0.62% to 0.27%, returning $168M to businesses)
  • Two-year waiver of taxi & limousine driver fees ​
  • Waive DC government fees for community organizations hosting festivals and other public events in public space in FY 2022​

Seniors

• $3M for neighborhood-based Senior Socialization Hubs and expanded Senior Villages 
• $1M for expanded transportation access through the District’s Connector Card program 
• $4.6M for increased at-home meal delivery in FY 2021 

Transportation & Environment​

• $72M to support healthier homes and schools through expanded weatherization and energy efficiency retrofits, lead paint and mold remediation, lead pipe replacement and drinking water filtration, and solar energy installations​
• $351M for streetscapes, trails, and Vision Zero. Includes Dupont Crown Park and a new South Capitol Street Trail to National Harbor. ​
• $116M for the K Street Transitway, providing protected bus and bike lanes through downtown​
• $21M to build a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge connecting Barry Farm to the Anacostia Metro​
• $215M for the full replacement of the H Street Bridge to improve safety and support Union Station redevelopment and expansion of high-speed rail in and out of DC​
• $9M to reclaim streets for public use through the creation of recurring monthly street closures on Black Lives Matter Plaza, Pennsylvania Ave NW, 18th St NW, 7th St NW, and F St NW, a one-time Open Streets event in each ward, and one signature Open Streets event on 7th Street NW from Florida Avenue to The Wharf​
• 80 new Capital Bikeshare stations so every resident has a station within 1/4 mile of home 
• 3,500 new e-bikes for the Bikeshare fleet and a 20-bike pilot of new adaptive Bikeshare bikes for people with disabilities
• 30 miles of Protected Bike Lanes over the next 3 years (doubling current planned investments)
• 17.4 miles of new pedestrian and bicycle trails for safer walking and biking
• Bus-Only Lanes and other initiatives to improve bus speeds and reliability on 50+ priority bus corridors throughout the city
• All streets, sidewalks, and alleys in a state of good repair by 2025

Advancing DC Values​

• $2.3M to promote and increase access to voting through technology upgrades and implementation of the Restore the Vote Act, including increased staffing​
• $1M increase for Immigrant Justice Legal Services grants, to a total of $3.5M​
• $200K for increased interpretation services, $100K for increased services for veterans, and $50K for Asian and Pacific Islander anti-hate education​
• $1M to support a community center for LGBTQ+ residents​

Visit budget.dc.gov to view the Mayor’s FY22 Proposed Budget Highlights.