Press Release: Cheh Letter to Mayor Calls for Extension of Shuttle Service Pilot Program

News Release — Ward 3 DC Council member Mary Cheh

February 24, 2020

Communications Director: Kelly Whittier

Funding allocated to the Department of Human Services (DHS) to operate shuttle service for homeless families will run out on March 13th

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, February 24^th, Councilmember Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser requesting for the extension of a shuttle pilot program that provides families experiencing homelessness who are housed at motels along New York Avenue with safe transit to the Metro. A transit lifeline that enables parents and children to easily get to work and school, the pilot’s current funding amount will be depleted by March 13^th, 2020.

Cheh’s letter calls for reallocating $200,000 to extend the pilot through the end of the current school year and recommends identifying a permanent funding source for the program in the FY21 budget.

A copy of the letter is attached and an excerpt from the letter is below:

“Ensuring that our most vulnerable families can easily get to school and work dovetails with our broader efforts to reduce homelessness and housing insecurity. Given the potential impact of this service and the low cost for administration, I ask that you move quickly to identify available funding and ensure that this service is available for the families who need it.”

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