Commission on Poverty
The Commission on Poverty was established on September 19, 2006 by D.C. Law 16-151. Members of the Commission are appointed by the Mayor with the consent and approval of the Council of the District of Columbia. First members of the Commission were nominated and approved on March 28, 2008. The Chair of the Commission is the Director of the Department of Human Services, Clarence H. Carter.
The duties of the Commission are as follows:
(1) Accept testimony from the public;
(2) Review relevant research and statistical information compiled by the District, the federal government, and nongovernment organizations;
(3) Determine whether commonly used measures of poverty, such as the Federal Poverty Level, accurately reflect the basic cost of living in the District of Columbia and if existing measures are inadequate, develop the basis of an adequate alternative;
(4) Evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs designed to help individuals break the cycle of poverty;
(5) Recommend any changes in eligibility guidelines that would better match the universe of people eligible for a program's services with the universe of people actually in need of the services;
(6) Analyze the reasons why poverty is becoming increasingly concentrated in certain areas of the District and evaluate the District's strategies to reverse this trend;
(7) Assess the effectiveness of the District's efforts to reduce the childhood poverty rate; and
(8) Compile its findings and recommendations in a final report to be issued to the Mayor and Council, and made available to the public.
Meetings of the Commission are open to the public. Materials discussed and presented at the meetings of the Commission on Poverty are available on this webpage. If you would like to attend a meeting, have questions about the materials, or are interested in becoming a member of the Commission on Poverty, please contact Sanja Partalo via email at Sanja.Partalo or, via telephone at (202) 671-4339.
