Fighting for the 50+ in the District

Earlier this month, the Mayor and DC Council were sworn in to begin a new term. The 2022 election and redistricting that happened after 2020 means you may have a new Councilmember representing your Ward. It is important to know how to be in touch with those who represent you, including the At-large Councilmembers. To find out if your Ward has changed and who your Councilmembers are, visit https://dccouncil.gov/, scroll to the bottom of the website and type in your address in the “Find your Councilmember” section. There you will also learn what committees they serve on and how to contact them.

As Councilmembers are busy in the Wilson Building working to craft a budget, AARP DC will continue to advocate for what is in the best interest of our 83,000 members and all District residents age 50+. We plan to fight for policies that help empower people to improve their lives and choose where and how they live as they age.

This year AARP DC is focusing our advocacy efforts on four main issues.

• Increased funding for senior nutrition programs - In 2020, more than 9 million Americans 50+ struggled to pay for and access healthy food, and the District has the highest rate of senior food insecurity in the country at 13.4%. AARP DC is advocating for more funding for senior nutrition services, including grocery support, community dining, and home delivered meals.
• Oversight
  
  • Case management- DC’s Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL) recently brought case management in-house. During this term, AARP DC is calling on the Council to provide more oversight of this critical service for seniors to ensure they are well cared for and receiving the services they need.
  • Transportation- Seniors and people with disabilities in the District need to be able to access transportation options more easily. The current process has become more cumbersome and confusing. We are fighting to ensure seniors have easy access to reliable and affordable transportation options.
    
• Increased funding to help seniors connect with their community- Many seniors continue to face social isolation. AARP DC is advocating for increased in-person activities and more virtual tools, such as internet access and iPads, for seniors to connect online.
• Ensure appropriate resources are available for grandparents caring for a child- Over 7,000 children under the age of 18 in the District live in grandparent-led households. We will continue to fight to ensure there is financial assistance available to help these caregivers through DC's Child and Family Services Agency’s Grandparent Caregiver Program. This important program provides financial assistance for low-income grandparents/grand-kin caring for their minor grandchildren by helping offset the costs of caring for children who may otherwise end up in the foster care system.
  

We can’t do this alone and need your help! There are many ways for you to get involved with this important advocacy effort. Do you have a story about what these programs mean to you? Have you, your friends, or family benefitted from one of these programs? We want to hear from you directly! Please email us at dcaarp@aarp.org or call 202-434-7700 and we will be in touch. You can also follow our social media, Facebook.com/aarpdc and twitter.com/aarpdc, where we will share updates and have more ways for you to get involved.