Erica Williams, the executive director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, said “this year’s budget is a historic opportunity to repair the damage done by the COVID-19 crisis and ‘build back better’, especially for Black and Brown residents.
Racial justice advocates have been calling on lawmakers to go farther, including by protecting cannabis consumers from employer discrimination.
“We’re really excited,” policy analyst Eliana Golding said, referring to the proposal to add a record-breaking $400 million over two years to the Housing Production Trust Fund.
The DC Fiscal Policy Institute applauded the mayor for her investment in affordable housing and direct economic support to residents, but still had some criticism of the document.
Kate Coventry, a senior policy analyst with the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, said that despite advocates’ claims that the PIT count is not perfect, “no one thinks it is. But it is a measure.”
In 2019, the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute implored the mayor to double the annual $100 million in housing funds, saying the trust has become less valuable each year as construction costs have gone up.
Kate Coventry – a senior policy analyst at the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, which researches budget and tax issues in the city – said homelessness in the District is primarily caused by failed systems and policy.
To this day, only three of the 49 full-service grocery stores in D.C. are located in Wards 7 and 8.
Lawmakers must use this pivotal moment to reform DC’s tax code and advance racial equity. To create a strong and just recovery and better future, these reforms must include higher income taxes on the wealthiest residents.
Doni Crawford, senior policy analyst at the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, said local activists helped craft the legislation, and successfully pushed it to the top of the council’s agenda: “It’s definitely a really big step forward,” Crawford said.