Councilmembers used the Oct. 9 roundtable to press DHS on federal SNAP changes and a planned TANF policy step-down for households that have received benefits for more than 60 months. Rachel Pierre told the committee that the District was preparing to implement a renewed SNAP work requirement (ABOD/ABAWD-type enforcement) and that DHS has increased the number of contracted workforce partners and planned about 300 workfare/community-service slots to help clients meet new requirements.

Pierre said the district serves roughly 86,000 households with SNAP each month and that the agency will need to scale supports to avoid harm from enforcement. She told the committee the mayor's office and DHS are expanding the number of SNAP employment and training providers (from 13 to about 15) and will create pilots with DOES and community partners intended to offer community-service-based alternatives where appropriate.

On TANF, Pierre said the agency plans to convene a facilitator-led work group to develop a hardship policy for the 60-month step-down that will guide exemptions and implementation; she said the solicitation for a facilitator was under procurement review and the work group aims to produce recommendations in the months ahead. Pierre said DHS envisions a stronger internal workforce unit to align TANF, SNAP and employment programming and to create targeted vocational pathways for residents, citing opportunities in the local economy as an outlet for that work.

Providers at the hearing emphasized that employment supports must be culturally competent and tailored to populations such as LGBTQ+ youth and people with barriers to employment, and asked DHS to retain funding for targeted programs that help vulnerable groups access work and stable housing.