jonetta rose barras: Attacking socioeconomic problems in DC at the root

When DC Council member Brandon Todd introduced legislation in 2018 to create a task force that would focus on the prevention of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and related trauma, the proposal died in committee — although there had been national research documenting the havoc ACEs can wreak. What’s more, it was clear then that nearly 50% of DC children and youth under age 18 were being hit almost daily by multiple adverse, trauma-inducing experiences. 

Two years later, the Ward 4 legislator is back again — this time with something more substantive. Next week, Todd is expected to introduce the Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention Pilot Program Amendment Act of 2020. As proposed, the bill would extend the duties of the deputy mayor for public safety and justice “to include creating an [ACEs pilot] to provide access to trauma-informed, whole family supports for [those] with young children exposed to violence and to provide wellness and mindfulness supports for staff engaged in violence response and interruption efforts.” The bill would also “amend the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Amendment Act of 2016 to expand the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement’s responsibilities to include trauma-informed protocol and training.”

During an interview earlier this week, Todd said, “I have spent the last four and a half years looking at ways we, as a city, can be more thoughtful as we provide what our children need.” He added that the impact of ACEs “is something we don’t talk enough about.”

In the late 1990s Kaiser Permanente and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study on adverse experiences, which included parental abandonment, neglect or abuse; witnessing violence at home and in the community; and prolonged exposure at home to mental illness, substance abuse, chronic unemployment or palpable poverty. The researchers found the negative consequences can track deep into adulthood, impacting not just mental health but also physical health like heart disease and hypertension. 

Equally troubling, evidence suggests that ACEs and unresolved trauma serve as the underpinnings for many of the socioeconomic challenges facing the District and other urban areas. The CDC estimates that the “economic and social costs to families, communities, and society [amount to] hundreds of billions of dollars each year.” That fact is reflected in DC’s annual budget where at least two-thirds of local funds are spent on education, social services and public safety. 

“What we know is that hurt people hurt people,” said Todd.

The issue of trauma has been a signature feature of my writing for 20 years, beginning with my memoir about growing up without my father. In 2019, working with the University of the District of Columbia and Capital Community News, I published a series of articles and produced a television documentary on how unresolved trauma has been a key factor in the poor academic performance of some DC students. In a December column showcasing the plight of three District girls, I wrote about Stormiyah Jackson-Denson, who at 12 years old took her own life, and Relisha Rudd, who at 8 years old went missing from a homeless shelter and has never been found. It’s fair to conclude that unresolved trauma has reached crisis proportions in the nation’s capital.

During an interview with me last year, DC Attorney General Karl Racine offered that the city should “throw a Marshall Plan out there.” Todd’s legislation is not that, but many people, like Trinity Washington University associate professor Cynthia Greer, see it as a good and honest step to build a prevention system.

“I’m glad we have [moved] in a proactive way on this. In terms of framing and purpose, it is really good,” said Greer, who is leading Trinity’s interdisciplinary training and advocacy program called Initiative on Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma. “There are a lot of good people in the city helping children and youth; the issue has been that it’s not integrated” into a cohesive network.

“We need a model that is collaborative and integrative,“ continued Greer, citing as an example efforts in California. “We have to bring all the facets together.” 

She’s right about that. During then-Mayor Anthony A. Williams’ administration, there was much talk about designing a system so that children and families in trouble could be served more proactively and comprehensively. That sounded promising, but it never came to fruition.

Over the past five years, DC has made what I consider feeble and disjointed attempts at addressing ACEs and unresolved trauma among children and adults. This fiscal year, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the council provided $3 million to open three community mental health clinics east of the Anacostia River that will serve public school students and their families. 

Then Bowser announced the creation of 10 family success centers in partnership with community-based organizations to “help families with primary prevention services and neighborhood-driven resources to increase protective factors, mitigate trauma, and help families thrive East of the River.” They seem to duplicate the mental health centers and the work already being done by the government-funded Healthy Families/Thriving Communities Collaborative, which already includes groups working east of the Anacostia River.

The Bowser administration has yet to launch a citywide education or media campaign that would help people understand ACEs or the dangerous effects of unresolved trauma. 

Aside from the hodgepodge approach represented by the various disjointed programs intended to address a critical and widespread problem, there is also the issue of money for Todd’s pilot. The council has taken heat for approving programs without identifying funding for them. While the city’s chief financial officer recently increased his revenue estimates for 2020 through 2023, there are already competing priorities for those funds. 

“I am concerned about the funding. Will it be taken from existing programs?” asked Greer.

Todd told me he had settled on a pilot to ensure there would be funding for the effort. “I wanted to make sure it didn’t become an unfunded mandate,” he continued. “I am very vested in figuring out how to fund this.” 

He said he expects any public hearing on the bill to bring testimony from residents and experts such as Greer on suggested enhancements, including how to make the new project comprehensive and how to ensure the integration of new and existing efforts. Todd indicated six council members thus far have agreed to co-introduce the legislation. 

The entire 12-member council should co-introduce or co-sponsor Todd’s legislation. Equally important, legislators should ensure the budget approved for 2021 includes enough money for full implementation. Preventing ACEs and solving the problem of unresolved trauma can’t wait.

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jonetta rose barras is an author and freelance journalist, covering national and local issues including childhood trauma, public education, economic development and urban public policies. She can be reached at thebarrasreport@gmail.com.