Invest in Women in the Washington DC Metro Area

On April 13, 2017, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation released a report on how the proposed 2018 budget for the District of Columbia will affect girls, women and families.Towards A Thriving City: A Review of the Impact of the Proposed 2018 D.C. Budget on Girls, Women, and Families, is the first report of its kind for the Foundation.  Towards A Thriving City provides a detailed analysis of proposed expenditures that address the needs of low-income girls, women, and families in the District. The report focuses on critical areas such as housing, childcare, social supports, workforce development and violence.

Key points made in the report include:

• The District of Columbia’s $13.8 billion 2018 budget is more than 3% higher than the previous year’s budget and includes modest increases funding for housing, early childcare, workforce development and emergency services.
• The FY2018 budget protects 10,000 children from being cut off of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) due to time limits for families.
• The FY2018 budget provides $3.3 million to improve the quality of childcare in the District but a joint report by DC Fiscal Policy Institute and DC Appleseed expresses that there is a need for $38 million in investments to cover provider costs and improve quality of care.
• Although the DC City Council voted in favor of the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act, the budget does not support the startup costs of implementing, maintaining and enforcing the Leave Act. As a result, it will not become a reality or be enforced.
• Mayor Muriel Bowser launched REIGN: Empowering Young Women as Leaders. Seeded with a $1 million investment, the initiative aims to build community, confidence and leadership skills in young women of color in DC Public Schools.

To access the full report visit

https://thewomensfoundation.org/2017/webinar-proposed-d-c-budgets-impact-women-girls/.

• Towards A Thriving City (PDF)