Groundbreaking roundup: special guests

Thanks to everyone who came out to our Northwest Center groundbreaking ceremony this morning! It was great to see such a large group of friends, colleagues, donors, clients, and community leaders gathered in support of our expansion project. We'll have pictures and more to share here soon, but first I wanted to relay some of the highlights from the speakers we had:


Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
No matter what happens in the economy, Bread for the City’s doors will be open for people. Long before you have to go to the emergency room, you’ve got a place here. Bread for the City does it all for those for whom there is a constant recession. Thank you for the work that you do, and thank you for expanding.

City Councilmember David Catania, Chair of the Committee on Health
[Speaking of the Tobacco Trust Fund, from which the initial funding for our expansion was procured]: Other states never did anything with that money, but the District is different. We securitized $250 million and every nickel has been reinvested in health care infrastructure. I am proud to be part of a city that even in these times refuses to be knocked down. We’re not just going to have a good health care safety net in DC, not just a great one – we’re going to have the best in the country. The money is there, the projects have been promised, and the projects will be delivered.

Sharon Baskerville, CEO of the DC Primary Care Association
Health care is a right, not a privilege. And in these times, which are so tough that Bread for the City’s staff are even taking salary cuts, this project is a leap of faith. It represents a major step toward the elimination of the huge disparity of health access in the city. If you’ve seen where we’ve come from in the last 30 years, you know what a momentous day this is.



Michael Blue, Bread for the City patient
When we first started coming here, my wife was sick, and we didn’t know what was wrong. She weighed just 98 pounds, going to the hospital almost every week, and GW had her on all kinds of medications. Then we met Dr. Randi--who is an incredible woman. She worked with her, focused on her diet, on her mental state. Took her off of all that medication, and gave her hope instead. That did more good than all the prescriptions. Now she’s back to her normal weight (laughs) – she's a new woman! And I’m loving every inch.

Grokking the Budget: help for non-wonks

Yesterday, we posted the Coalition for Community Investment's statement on the Mayor's budget proposal for FY2010, and the reaction was tentatively positive--especially to the level of descriptive detail, which the Coalition called "a step forward in budget transparency [that] will help the DC Council and residents understand the proposed changes."

But a step forward still stops far out of reach of non-wonky laypeople who are affected by these matters but to whom the budget remains an impenetrable document and an obscure process. As Kathryn Baer describes the budget proposal document on her Poverty and Policy blog, "It’s entitled “Meeting the Challenge.” And, indeed, you’ll meet a challenge if you try to read it--unless, of course, you’re an expert in the D.C. budget and have insider information about what lies behind the figures."

Well put! Fortunately, for those of us who are really interested in the budget but can't wrap their heads around these source documents, there are options. (These options, unfortunately, are not all that easily findable online.)

First example: The Arc of DC released its annual budget guide, which you can download here as a PDF. This document -- which is also quite long, but reader friendly -- is geared primarily towards matters relating to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Nevertheless, it contains handy general information on the budget process and schedule, instructions on how to be involved in the hearings, and a good amount of departmental information and contextualization. It's really an impressive breakdown, especially if you're interested in the topical matter of mental health care in the District, which we've covered at length here.

For more information about The Arc of DC’s budget guide, or to request a printed copy, contact T.J. Sutcliffe, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, at 202-636-2963 or tjsutcliffe[AT]arcdc[DOT]net.

Also of interest to concerned citizens: on April 2nd, from 2-430pm at the True Reformer Building at 1200 U Street, there will be an educational budget-briefing sponsored by the Affordable Housing Alliance and the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development. The DC Fiscal Policy Institute will be in the house, giving an overview of the entire budget, and representatives from DC's housing agencies will be on hand to discuss the budget's housing-specific aspects. If you would like to attend please RSVP to Bettina Myers.

There are probably some other useful opportunities out there for non-wonks to start wrapping their heads around this critical budget process. Care to share?

National Poverty News Roundup for 24 March

As I scan the headlines from the past week, two issues jump out at me: homelessness, and the growing awareness of problems in the global food system.

Homelessness, we learn in a fairly stark report issued by the National Center on Family Homelessness, is on the increase nationwide, especially among families and children. Being homeless has detrimental effects on those whom it effects, especially children: health problems, emotional difficulties, and decreased lifetime incomes are only the tip of the iceberg. Personal stories put a human face on the issue, whether in Binghamton NY or in the tent city near Sacramento CA (which is scheduled to be closed, with some -- but nowhere near all -- of the residents moved to more sanitary facilities). Some money from the federal stimulus package may help to meet the most immediate needs, but the emergency shelter system is clearly under stress.

At the same time, global retail food prices seem to be remaining much higher than the world market prices of the food commodities themselves. This may be just the latest chapter in the problems of a global food system that persistently engages in unsustainable production -- the kind of disfunction that may, just may, be promoting a "food revolution" that leads to more sustainable agricultural practices. Even the White House is getting into the act, with its organic vegetable garden. Will we see the complete re-making of declining cities like Detroit to resemble a concept like "Farmadelphia," with food grown in abandoned lots in the inner city itself?

Economic distress remains widespread: students graduating from college this Spring, people being laid off as their workplaces face budget cuts, or those affected by increasing foreclosure rates or other shifts in employment patterns. What can you do? If you live in DC, you can participate in World Water Week this week and help give children clean water to drink. Or think about the neighborhoods through which you pass on the way to and from work, and consider getting involved there for an hour or two a week. Every little bit helps.

Bread for the City's FY08 Annual Report

We recently posted our Fiscal Year 2008 Annual Report on our website. You can download the PDF here.

The report really highlights the remarkable growth in all of our programs. Over the last three or four years, our social, legal, and medical programs have each seen increases in service numbers of about 10 to 20% annually. And each department has new projects or expansions: the Attorney of the Day and Community Lawyering projects in Legal, to the TANF Home Visits Program in Social, to a major nutrition initiative in our Food pantry, and of course the planned expansion of our Medical clinic. (Speaking of which: the Groundbreaking is tomorrow at our Northwest Center! 830AM! Join us!)

It's important to note that this growth has increased right along with an increase in demand for our services, demand that was climbing long before the market crash. This coming year -- given the upcoming reductions in our service hours -- will not see that same rate of growth. But we're taking those measures specifically so that growth can resume when the economic crisis subsides. Thank you for standing with us during this time!

Lastly, many thanks go out to Groff Creative, who designed this year (and last year's) Bread for the City annual report, pro bono. They did a great job, too. You should hire them.