On November 5th, Councilmember Trayon White, along with Councilmember Evans, Silverman, and Cheh, introduced the Elaine M. Carter Way Designation Act of 2019. This legislation continues the celebration of Ms. Elaine M. Carter-Moore, affectionately known as Ms. E.

As a Ward 8 community leader, she helped the community by working as a community activist, political organizer, former president of the resident council at Stanton Dwellings, and volunteer at various senior centers.

Ms. E. worked to ensure those who lived East of the Anacostia River got a fair shot at services. She fed the underprivileged and advocated not just for the public housing community, but all Ward 8 residents, especially regarding redevelopment.Ms. E. left an indelible impact on all who have met and worked with her. Having a ceremonial street named in her honor is befitting of her legacy.

On November 5th, Councilmember Trayon White introduced the Commission on Recreation Establishment Act of 2019 along with Councilmembers Bonds and Robert White.

The primary purpose of the Commission is to develop comprehensive strategies, recommendations, and programming that addresses improving health and public safety outcomes through recreational activities. The Commission will focus on research and exploring funding resources from public and private entities. The impact on improved health outcomes are critically important as numerous studies indicate disturbing trends in increased obesity, diabetes, and other preventable health illnesses.
 

 

On November 5th, Councilmember Trayon White was pleased to introduce the Improved Coordination of Mental Health Care for System Involved Youth Act of 2019 with Councilmembers Nadeau, Bonds, Grosso, Cheh, and Robert White.

This bill seeks to improve the coordination of mental health care for system-involved youth by requiring the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to establish a program to improve continuity of services provided to committed youth.

This legislation requires the DYRS to develop individual support plans for committed youth related to behavioral and mental health that go beyond what is currently provided. These plans must consider how services will be provided if the youth transitions from a placement setting. The program must also work to strengthen the connections to community-based supports for youth who are placed in community settings and for youth following the end of their commitment to the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.

Incarcerated youth are denied access to their families and loved ones, faced with challenging educational access, and often exposed to trauma and violence while detained. The conditions facing youth can hamper individual development and create lifelong negative consequences.

Between 90 and 100 percent of the young people who enter the deepest end of the juvenile justice system have experienced complex trauma, including witnessing or experiencing violence at home, in the community or at school. Effective assessments of and comprehensive responses to court-involved juveniles with mental health needs can help break this cycle and produce healthier young people who are less likely to act out and commit crimes.

Many juveniles who commit delinquent acts have a history of substance abuse. In the Department of Justice’s Arrestees Drug Abuse Monitoring Program, half the male juveniles arrested in nine separate sites tested positive for at least one drug. Studies also have shown that up to two-thirds of juveniles in the justice system with any mental health diagnosis had dual disorders, most often including substance abuse.

This measure will work towards closing these gaps so that young people connected to DYRS can efficiently and effectively receive the treatment that they need.