DC has major food access and affordability issues for entire sections of the city, our seniors, and the poor. The fight to increase SNAP benefits is not merely a financial decision but a moral one. We must stop making budgetary decisions on the backs of our vulnerable residents.

In addition to DC’s excess revenue that could easily cover the cost to #GiveSNAPaRaise , it’s clear this administration always manages to find funding to displace unhoused neighbors & punish low-income Black residents but never to provide material support - even when it’s the law.

During the Council’s Health & Housing Joint Roundtable led by CM Christina Henderson and Councilmember_RobertWhite on 12/4, DMHHS Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage cited the McPherson Square eviction during hypothermia season as an example of an ‘unexpected expense’ for why SNAP can’t be properly funded.

Arrest is not a 'pathway' to health and wellbeing. Arrest is not a 'pathway' to health and wellbeing. Arrest is not a 'pathway' to health and wellbeing. Arrest is not a 'pathway' to health and wellbeing. Arrest is not a 'pathway' to health and wellbeing. Arrest is not a 'pathway'

If Mayor Muriel Bowser & Council of DC can find $500,000,000 for sports stadiums, they can find half a billion dollars to end homelessness, fund education and actually give people SNAP in accordance DC law.

It's abt political will. And there is never political will to help poor folks.

December is a month to remember those who have been killed on the job and a time to celebrate and showcase the resilience talent and diversity of our community Check out 'Third Annual Winterween Variety Show - For HIPS' eventbrite.com/e/third-annual… @Eventbrite @hipsdc #decrimnow

On January 1, more than 140,000 DC residents were set to receive an increase in SNAP benefits that we funded in the DC budget.

Now, Mayor Muriel Bowser is blocking this food assistance from reaching families.

So many people in DC are struggling with food insecurity and need this help.

'“We have been extremely concerned with the mayor’s response to this crisis,” said Heidi Ellis, an organizer with [ #DecrimPovertyDC ]. “Regardless of the overwhelming data, the countless testimonies from folks on the ground…she continues to be inadequate in her response.”'

for the sixth year in a row, D.C. is set to record its highest-ever number of fatal overdoses. residents, harm reduction advocates, doctors, and now councilmembers are pleading with the Bowser admin to declare it a public health emergency: dcist.com/story/23/10/26…

Statement of the VANDU Board of Directors regarding DULF:

MSTH stands with DULF.
'We asked Health Canada for permission to do it legally and they said no. None of us want to be outlaws in this but they forced us to. I can't believe two of my friends got arrested for saving lives,' Garth Mullins said.

cbc.ca/news/canada/br…

DC continues displacement of unhoused folks. There is really nowhere else for them to go.

“They can go to a shelter.” No. They can’t & wont for a number of reasons: safety, autonomy, partnerships, friendships.

Two encampments we go to each week in the NoMA BID (Business Improvement District) are being evicted this week. Some people have been evicted from numerous camps & are so close to getting housing.

Not sure where they will go yet. We will be there to support them & help relocate.

🗣️🗣️🗣️

There is a reason the map of homicides (& overdoses which also is a public health emergency but gets very little coverage) looks practically identical to the map of access to resources.

The safest communities have the most resources. Not the most cops or cages.

Every map of DC is the same - whether you’re talking about income inequality, food access, transportation access, traffic safety infrastructure, maternal mortality, heat islands, pollution and air quality, etc. This is the result of intentional policy choices and disinvestment.

DC is abound with hostile architecture & anti-homeless laws that crystallize the violence inherent to being unhoused. While such policies directly target & most greatly impact unhoused neighbors, they perpetuate ageism & ableism and harm all of our experiences with public space.

If you're in DC, you can call the HIPS hotline for drug-related support, referral to MAT, detox, and other drug-related services (800) 676-4477.
~HIPS also hosts SMART recovery meetings on Mondays @ 906 H street NE from 1:00 to 2:30 #harmreductionsaveslives #youarenotalone

TONIGHT at 7 PM! Join HIPS DC Justice Lab Metro DC DSA Harriet’s Dreams' Courtwatch DC and
Black Swan Academy for a virtual teach-in about how to help fight the new proposals to expand pre-trial detention and warrantless searches in DC. #DetentionIsNotPrevention mobilize.us/hwd/event/5796…