^{“Two Bridges”, by Emma K Alexandra}

Dear Neighbor,

“What have the people of the District done that they should be excluded from the privileges of the ballot box?” - Frederick Douglass, 1895 from his home in Anacostia

It is not lost of me that at the same time our country is being thrust into a debate about the value of diverse and inclusive communities, and teaching the full scope of American history, that the District’s right to self-governance has also entered the chat. For over 130 years, this conversation about whether DC should have home rule has raged on, and though some are reluctant to admit it, race has always been a main character in the story.

Most people do not remember that for much of the nineteenth century, Congress allowed residents in the District to elect their own local officials. At the time, however, only white, male landowners had the right to vote. Then in 1867, Black men were granted the right to vote in DC elections for the first time – yes, years before the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment. That was too radical for Southern members of Congress and elites in DC who were concerned about the growing political power of Black Washingtonians. And in 1874, they revoked home rule for everyone in the District. It was never about the Constitution. It was never about operations of government. Voting rights is always about power.  

What should you say to your family and friends who are probably asking your thoughts on the latest conversation? Tell them this – Washington, DC is a world-class city, home to 700,000 residents who are doing their best to live out the American dream just like everyone else. We are a beautiful mixed tapestry of cultures and lived experiences. We just had our 28th consecutive clean audit. Violent crime is down 30%. Our pensions are fully-funded. And our schools are award-winning. You’re always steps away from history, arts and culture, and the best libraries and parks in the country. And yes, our sports teams compete on the highest level. We relish in our role as host of national and international events, and fiercely protect the right of our residents and all Americans to exercise their First Amendment right in our town. No city is perfect and we do have some challenges to acknowledge, but this is my home – why shouldn’t I have the right to choose my representation and serve as a check on political power like all other tax paying Americans?

The challenges that we currently face will not be our last, but we will continue to move forward and fervently hold onto the values and integrity of our city. Representing the District has been a profound honor and I will continue to defend her. I hope you will join me.

The rest of the newsletter has updates on oversight and what my team has been up to. Just of note --  we have an upcoming date for community hours on March 5 at the Capitol View Neighborhood Library. Members of my team will be present to hear your concerns regarding current DC government agencies and District issues. We look forward to seeing you there.  

You also may have noticed that my newsletter has a new title and look, and it is officially The Henderson Brief. With these changes we ask that readers direct all future replies to this newsletter to my Communications Director, Sierra Wallace, who can be reached at swallace@dcouncil.gov.

In service,

Christina Henderson
Councilmember, At-Large
ChristinaHendersonDC.com

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As I continue to vigilantly track the activities at the federal level, I am keenly aware of how some of our own residents have been suddenly and personally affected. Amid the recent firings of thousands of our nation’s federal government employees, I’m sharing some resources for those impacted who call the District home.

Unemployment Compensation:

• The primary goal of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program is to provide temporary wage replacement to eligible unemployed individuals. District residents may file for unemployment compensation at does.dcnetworks.org.

• Read the Ten Things You Should Know fact sheet to learn more about filing an unemployment insurance claim.

Employment Rights and Job Security:

• If you believe you're being targeted for dismissal from federal employment based on political reasons rather than job performance, it's important to take proactive steps to protect your rights and career. Civil Service Strong provides information designed to provide practical guidance and empower federal employees to understand their rights, navigate emerging policies, and take action to protect their careers.

Hiring Initiatives & Opportunities:  

• Impacted workers can find various resources and opportunities for those seeking employment or career services at the events below.  
  
  
• Job Seekers Sessions at the DC Library
  
  
• Job & Career Accelerator
  
  
• DC Government Virtual Hiring Fair
  
  
• Apprenticeship DC
  
  
• DC Government Careers Bank

Food:

• DC Federal Nutrition Programs Toolkit is a toolkit designed to help people find information and resources on food assistance programs in the District, including how to qualify and apply. It also lists resources by the demographic those resources are dedicated to.

• Capital Area Foodbank, Mobile Markets offers an interactive map that lists their partners information including: their address, hours, contact information, and directions based on if you’re walking, driving, or taking public transportation.  

• The District’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps low-income individuals and families by providing monthly benefits to purchase food. Applications are accepted online, via mobile app, in person, fax (202-671-4400), or through the mail.  

• ReDelicious, D.C.’s food lab co-op. redistributes prepared food, produce, and baked goods from farmers markets and bakeries each Sunday, from 3:30pm to 5:00pm. You can learn more about their kitchen lab and culture library from their instagram. If you’re interested in volunteering or aiding their initiative you can find more information, here.  

• ReDelicious also offers a list of resources for free food and/or mutual aid servicing the District and beyond.  

Utility Assistance:

• LIHEAP assists income-eligible District households with heating and cooling energy costs. Eligible households may receive energy bill assistance between $250 and $1,800 as a one-time regular energy assistance benefit.

• The Greater Washington Urban League has partnered with Pepco, Washington Gas, and the DC Water and Sewer Authority to provide emergency utility assistance to residents. Through their emergency program residents can receive one time assistance up to $350 on their DC Water utility bill.  

• The Washington Gas Budget Plan: This plan allows those eligible to spread the cost of winter heating over the entire year. (This is designed to be a 12 month program.)

• The DC Water SPLASH Program provides up to $350 in assistance to ensure that everyone has access to essential water and sewer services during tough times.

Other Resources:

• The Greater Washington Urban League assistance with housing stability and comprehensive wrap around services that include emergency services, the Recertification Benefits Initiative, utility programs, Project Re-connect, the Eviction Diversion Program, and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.  

• DC Community Resource Inventory, established by DC Health, connects residents with health, food, housing, and more through its Community Needs Assessment Survey.  

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This week, Councilmember Christina Henderson introduced a bill to close an alley that currently limits Lee Montessori Public Charter School - East End’s ability to develop vacant land into a play space for its students via the Closing of a Public Alley in Square 5624, S.O. 17-21054, Act of 2025. The bill would increase play space for students by allowing Lee Montessori to acquire the land on which the paper alley sits. The referenced alley is a paper alley, which is an alleyway that is depicted on recorded plans but is not constructed or built.

Below are highlights from hearings Councilmember Henderson attended or chaired.  

• On Tuesday, February 11, the Committee on Transportation and the Environment held a performance oversight hearing for the District Department of Transportation. Councilmember Henderson focused her oversight questions on Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) initiatives, projects underway to interrupt scofflaw drivers’ choices, and traffic control officer (TCO) and school crossing guard staffing shortages. During her questioning about ATE initiatives, she asked whether the current 477 traffic enforcement cameras were operational, how often data is reviewed, and about DDOT’s coordination with Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) at locations where ATE cameras capture the most traffic law violations in the District. DDOT shared that all cameras are operational, that data is evaluated consistently but reviewed after a year of being placed to track compliance and then evaluate whether the camera should remain in that location or be moved. In addition, they discussed the shortage of Traffic Control Officers (TCOs) at key intersections downtown, which is due to vacancies in the school crossing guard program that TCOs are called upon to backfill.
• On Wednesday, February 12, the Committee on Health held a performance oversight hearing with public witnesses only for the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and the Department of Health Care Finance. Public witnesses spoke to the critical need to invest in our health system including primary care and behavioral health. Many witnesses were home visitors who work with first time mothers and families through the home visiting program and shared how their evidence-based program help District families. Other witnesses shared concerns around their home nursing and personal care aide hours being cut, seemingly without reason. One shared a story of a man who was paralyzed in his early 30s and has received private duty nursing for 14 years. He requires nursing care every 4 hours but this year he was only allocated 6 total hours a day. Another shared a story of a man who is blind who received a reduction in hours, which led to reduced care, and led him to accidentally use dishwashing detergent instead of ketchup and eating moldy bread.
• On Wednesday, February 19, Councilmember Henderson joined the Committee on Business and Economic Development performance oversight hearing of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The OCFO outlined the challenges on the horizon regarding the upcoming February revenue estimate that the FY2026 budget will be based on. Additionally, the performance hearing covered OCFO’s office refresh in their 1101 4th St SW location. While most of those employees are working from home, residents can still visit the Office of Tax and Revenue at this location between the hours of 9:00am and 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged and can be made here. It’s tax season—if you have questions, they can help.
• On Thursday, February 20, the Committee on Health held the government portion of the performance oversight hearing for the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and the Department of Health Care Finance. Councilmember Henderson covered a wide range of topics: Medicaid enrollment trends, processing times and software issues; DCAS (District Direct); workforce trends - including reimbursement and credentialing of providers, with a focus on home visiting, home health aides, certified nurse aides, and private duty nurses; and quality outcomes for managed care patients, with a focus on behavioral and maternal health. This was a long and well-attended hearing with 380 people watching across platforms.

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On Monday, February 10, the Committee on Health held a markup on the Certificate of Need Improvement Act of 2025 (CON). Subsequently, the CON legislation advanced through the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, February 18, setting up for a vote of the full Council for the Legislative Meeting on Tuesday, March 4.  

The CON would improve and expand health care services for District residents by removing unnecessary obstacles for health care facilities to operate in the District. Among many highlights, the legislation:

1. Exempts digital-only telehealth platforms and providers and primary care and specialty care providers not affiliated with hospitals and medical schools from the certificate of need process;
2. Removes the 3-year maximum on certificate of need applications for active projects and also requires the State Health Planning and Development Agency to update the capital expenditure and medical equipment spending thresholds every two years;
3. Increases the number of beds that must be added or removed at a health care facility in order to trigger a certificate of need.

The complete performance oversight hearing schedule for 2025 can be viewed here. You can also click the link to sign up to testify or submit testimony for the record.

1. Ward 7 and 8 Residents Navigate a Precarious Budget Season, Advocate for Student Achievement, Sam P.K. Collins for the Washington Informer, 02/12/2025
2. After RFK Stadium site transfer made official, city leaders discuss what to do with land, Christian Flores for ABC 7, 02/09/2025
3. Wilson Building Bulletin: Let the great stadium debates begin, Martin Austermuhle for the 51st, 02/06/2025
4. DC leaders respond to former ONSE employee bribery allegations, federal takeover of city, Christian Flores for ABC 7, 02/20/2025

Visit the New Go-Go Museum & Cafe

The Go-Go Museum & Café is the official site for the appreciation and study of go-go music, history and culture from its headquarters in the historic Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Go-go music is a brand of funk, R&B, hip-hop, and Afro-Latin rhythms created in the 1970s by "Godfather of Go-Go" Chuck Brown and his Washington D.C. fans. The museum officially launched on February 19. You can visit the museum's official site here for more information to plan your visit.  

26th Annual Youth Poetry Contest

DC students in the fourth through the eighth grade have the opportunity to participate in the Junior League of Washington’s 26th Annual Youth Poetry Contest! Submit your best stanza, haiku, limerick, acrostic, or simple rhyme on this year’s theme: shine.  

All submissions must be submitted by a teacher, librarian, school administrator, or program administrator on behalf of a student, and emailed as a PDF to poetrycontest@jlw.org by Friday, March 28, 2025, 6pm EST. Late entries will not be accepted.  

Have a constituent service need related to the Health Committee or any of the other agencies in DC Government? Want Councilmember Henderson to come to your community event or meeting? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our Constituent Services Director Ana Berrios-Vazquez during regular business hours (9:00am - 5:30pm) at 202-724-8105, or ABerriosVazquez@dccouncil.gov.  

Councilmember Christina Henderson Community Office Hours

Representatives from Councilmember Christina Henderson’s office will be in the community to meet with DC residents who have specific concerns with DC government agencies.

Location and Time:

March 5, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Capitol View Neighborhood Library  (Meeting Room 2)
5001 Central Ave SE

Free Professional Headshots at Southwest Neighborhood Library

Need a new professional photo of yourself for job hunting or professional media profiles? Get a free headshot at the library! Grab an appointment with local photographer Krista Boccio, Rebel with a View, to get your professional headshot. Headshots will be taken in the Large Meeting Room of the Southwest Neighborhood Library on Saturday, March 22, at 1:00pm – 3:00pm.  

Please note: Sessions are limited and will last approximately 10 minutes each. Sessions are offered on a first come, first served basis. Participants should arrive photo-ready with any hair, makeup, and clothing you wish to be photographed in. Photography will take place indoors.

Participants must have a valid email address.

My School DC

Planning to submit a My School DC lottery application for the 2025-26 school year? The deadline to submit applications for PK3-8 is Monday, March 3, 2025. The My School DC Guide is a handy tool that guides you through the school lottery process. You can find frequent questions and answers here  and the “My School DC Guide 2025 – 2026” here.  

Residents can also reach out to the My School DC hotline, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm at (202)888-6336.

The Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program

Applications for the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (MBSYEP) are currently being accepted for participants and host sites! MBSYEP is a locally funded initiative sponsored by the Department of Employment Services (DOES) that provides District youth ages 14 to 24 with enriching and constructive summer work experiences through subsidized placements in the private and government sectors.  

Applications are now open!

New Youth can register, here.  

Returning participants can register, here.  

Hosts wishing to apply can register, here.  

Holiday Trees & Greenery Collection (ENDING SOON)

The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) will collect holiday trees and greenery now through February 28 from DPW-serviced households, which includes single-family homes and apartment dwellings with three or fewer units.

All residents can also drop off holiday trees and greenery at three locations, Monday through Friday, 8 AM – 4 PM until March 31, 2025.

• Bryant Street Sweep Shop (201 Bryant Street NW)
• Guy Mason Recreation Center (3600 Calvert St NW)
• DPW Salt Storage Facility (2700 South Capital St., SE)

For more information visit the Department of Public Works.  

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

The Utility Discount Programs (UDP) assists low-income District residents with reducing utility costs. To qualify, you must meet income guidelines and utility bills must be in the applicant's name. Eligible residents could receive discounts on electric, gas, and water and sewer bills. Applicants can apply by phone by calling 1-800-234-9473 or by creating an account and applying online, here.  

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