DC's high housing costs create challenges for families that make it hard for their children to succeed in school. When families move frequently from home to home or become homeless, it can disrupt the continuity in a child's education. Homelessness, in particular,...
Jenny Reed
Recent posts by Jenny Reed
Preserving our Affordable Housing Investments for the Future
by Jenny Reed
The District needs to stretch its affordable housing dollars as far as possible, especially because it costs a lot for each home the District subsidizes to make it affordable. But a new bill before the DC Council would go in the opposite direction, by allowing some...
Big Changes in the DC Council’s Budget Vote
by Jenny Reed
Yesterday, the DC Council made significant changes to DC's tax system and invested new resources in homeless services, school mental health, affordable housing and other areas. These changes were in addition to budget increases in the budget submitted in April by...
Council’s Plan to Implement Tax Commission Recommendations Will Help Families Keep More of What They Earn And Make DC’s Tax System More Fair
by Jenny Reed
DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has proposed implementing important recommendations from the DC Tax Revision Commission over the next five years. The package tackles a troubling imbalance in DC's tax system, one that leaves middle-income residents paying more in...
How Did the FY 2015 Budget Change During Council Mark-Ups?
by Jenny Reed
Last week, the DC Council committees met to mark-up the FY 2015 budgets for the agencies under their purview. The mark-ups resulted in increased funding for a number of programs impacting low- and moderate-income residents, including programs for food and nutrition,...
Changes to DC’s Tax Code Can Help Make Work Pay and Help Reduce Taxes for Low and Moderate-Income Households in DC
by Jenny Reed
The fiscal year 2015 budget includes important tax changes to reduce tax bills for low- and moderate-income families. But the budget left two critical changes ' expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and the income tax standard deduction ' on an unfunded "wish...
How You Can Help DC Families Home: Sign the Petition
by Jenny Reed
Right now, we, as a community, have a chance to make sure that homeless families get the help they need, rather than languishing at the DC General shelter, in motels or rec centers, or on the street. Through the 2015 budget, the DC Council can devote the resources...
Testimony of Jenny Reed, Policy Director, at the FY 2015 Budget Oversight Hearing for the Department of Housing and Community Development
by Jenny Reed
Chairperson Bowser and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Jenny Reed and I am the Policy Director at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. DCFPI engages in research and public education on the fiscal and economic health of...
Investments in Affordable Housing Can Help Other Public Investments Go Further
by Jenny Reed
Today, DCFPI will propose ways to strengthen the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF), when we testify at the budget hearing for the Department of Housing and Community Development. The HPTF, one of the city's most important housing tools, helps build and preserve...
Helping Families Home: A Roadmap for the District
by Jenny Reed
A high-quality family homelessness system should provide year-round access to decent shelter when it is needed, and sufficient case management and services to help families quickly move from shelter to a safe and stable home. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened for...
How Does the FY 2015 Budget Propose to Tackle DC’s Affordable Housing Challenges?
by Jenny Reed
Affordable housing is undeniably one of the District's biggest challenges. So what does the fiscal year 2015 budget propose to do to address it? The proposed budget makes a number of new investments in important housing programs, including steps to end chronic...
What’s in Mayor Gray’s FY 2015 Proposed Budget?
by Jenny Reed
Today, DCFPI releases its budget toolkit, your in-depth guide to the proposed FY 2015 budget. Our toolkit breaks down how Mayor Gray proposes to allocate local funds and analyzes how the proposed budget will impact education, health care, affordable housing, taxes...
A First Look at Mayor Gray’s Budget
by Jenny Reed
Bolstered by a local economy that continues to grow, Mayor Gray's fiscal year 2015 budget proposal makes key investments in a number of critical areas: education, health care, cash assistance for families with children, and affordable housing. Yet one area of services...
MAKE THE FY 2015 BUDGET A ROADMAP FOR PROSPERITY
by Jenny Reed
Mayor Gray's proposed fiscal year 2015 budget should prioritize resources for the District's biggest challenges: maintaining and creating affordable housing, particularly for our low-income and most vulnerable households; raising outcomes in all our public schools by...
Tomorrow Kicks Off Budget Season!
by Jenny Reed
Tomorrow, Mayor Gray will present his fiscal year 2015 budget and an amended fiscal year 2014 budget to the DC Council and to DC residents. What we choose to spend money on is a statement of our priorities as a city, making the budget one of the most critical pieces...
Two More Events!
by Jenny Reed
A Friday reminder on two events! This Sunday: The Last Un-Forum will take place with Ward 4 Council member Muriel Bowser. Mayor Gray has cancelled his appearance. The discussion on income inequality, with moderator Marc Fisher, will start at 7 pm at the UDC Law...
Falling Short: The District’s Economic Recovery Is Leaving Several Groups Behind
by Jenny Reed
The District's economy shows many signs that it has recovered from the Great Recession. However, for many groups of residents, the city's recent economic growth hasn't translated into higher wages or a substantial increase in employment. Wages have been stagnant or...
The Good and The Bad in Mayor Gray’s Plan to Address the Family Homelessness Crisis
by Jenny Reed
Yesterday the Gray administration rolled out its plan to address the recent surge in family homelessness. The proposal includes steps to help families move from shelter to housing, including several called for by advocates and providers. However, the mayor's plan...
Tackling Income Inequality Through Critical Investments in Housing
by Jenny Reed
Income inequality is a big topic of conversation in DC and for good reason. The gap between rich and poor in the District is the third highest among the nation's largest cities, just behind Atlanta and Boston. While some residents are doing very well in DC's...
Testimony of Jenny Reed, Policy Director, At the Public Hearing on the FY 2013 and FY 2014 Performance Oversight of the Department of Housing and Community Development
by Jenny Reed
Chairman Bowser and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Jenny Reed and I am the Policy Director at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. DCFPI engages in research and public education on the fiscal and economic health of...