Council budget revisions boost non-congregate shelter beds and restore funding for domestic violence and youth services

Following weeks of debate and outrage over proposed cuts to homeless services in Mayor Muriel Bowser’s budget, advocates received encouraging news as the D.C. Council Human Services Committee moved to bolster funding for key homelessness services.

On May 21, Ward 3 Councilmember Matthew Frumin, who chairs the committee, announced increases in the city’s Department of Human Services (DHS) budget. The committee had initially faced a proposed $130 million cut in Bowser’s fiscal year 2027 budget, but found ways to expand non-congregate shelter capacity, support domestic violence and youth services, and fund essential homelessness programs. The revised budget is set for a full council vote this month.

“I can say with confidence that the committee budget we are voting on today represents our best work,” Frumin said at the committee’s May 21 hearing. “I am incredibly grateful to my colleagues for their spirit of collaboration and their care for our most vulnerable neighbors.”

While Bowser’s original budget included $25 million for a third non-congregate shelter, the construction process could take years. To address immediate capacity concerns, Frumin’s team proposed adding beds at the Aston shelter. The Aston, which had been capped at 100 beds under a Good Neighbor Protocol, is expected to gain up to 90 beds with a $1.56 million boost.

In a May 27 council-wide budget meeting, councilmembers acknowledged that not all 190 new beds might be filled. They noted that adding beds in single-occupancy units could be harmful to those needing private units. The council aims to ensure that individuals requiring private accommodations continue to receive them.

In the meantime, DHS is searching for an appropriate site for the new non-congregate shelter, which is expected to house 100 residents and be completed in the coming years.

Frumin’s budget also addressed concerns about cuts to vital services for domestic violence survivors and at-risk youth. The proposal would reinstate funding for youth service providers, particularly to extend transitional housing, totaling $1.5 million. It would also reverse a projected $500,000 cut to domestic violence services. Other programs, including day centers at Everyone Home D.C., Sasha Bruce Youthwork, and Friendship House’s AimHire program, will regain their funding. The proposal also adds one employee to the Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Another program facing backlash was Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which lost $11 million in funding for employment and cash assistance programs.

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