What would Jon Stewart call this mess if he analyzed D.C. politics? VagRANT 2009. NoMadness 2009. Shelter Skelter 2009.
The Washington Post is reporting today on various disputes that arose during yesterday’s Human Services Committee hearing after the group’s chair, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wellsclaimed that the D.C. government had quietly cut $20 million from homeless services.
The two main points of contention:
- Clarence Carter, director of the D.C. Department of Human Services, said Wells was misinformed about the budget: roughly $12 million had been cut—-not $20 million.
- Shelter managers and other providers said they knew nothing about the budget cuts until late September. DHS director Carter said his office had begun reaching out to providers in July. (The new fiscal year began last week.)
On Friday, a coalition of homeless service providers released a statement saying some 100 families and nearly 500 women were at risk of losing their beds, if the cuts remained in place, according to thePost.