Policy Issues

Safe and Healthy Communities

Too many residents in Ward 7 do not feel safe, and Eboni-Rose wants to change that; as a Councilmember, she will fight for public safety policies that improve police-community relations and strengthen prevention and intervention solutions. Ward 7 residents need to feel like their safety and well-being are as high of a priority as any other resident, no matter their location in the District.

Eboni-Rose recognizes that a barrier to holding perpetrators accountable rests in DC Statehood status and our ability to truly self-govern. As a collaborative and effective leader, she will work with federal colleagues and our Attorney General’s office to hold offenders accountable and identify viable public safety solutions that are legislatively achievable, data-driven, and fair.

As a Councilmember, Eboni-Rose will:

  • Push for the full implementation of the “Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR)” Act to apply public health approaches to prevent violence
  • Fully fund and expand “Safe Passage” hours and sites to improve student and school safety
  • Invest in practical and evidence-based specialty courts and reentry practices
  • Increase law enforcement training and interagency collaboration
  • Re-establish the DC parole board.

    Stable and Inclusive Housing

    Eboni-Rose knows all Ward 7 residents deserve housing that is affordable and accessible to all families. She believes this can be achieved by increasing oversight of agencies charged with maintaining housing for working families, creating more homeownership opportunities, protecting our seniors so they age gracefully in place, and building new housing for families. As Councilmember, she will focus on policies that support housing for our seniors, keeping Ward 7 families in Ward 7, and welcoming new neighbors to the community without compromising current residents.

    As a Councilmember, Eboni-Rose will:

    • Secure more funding to expand the “Senior Village” programs that help seniors continue living in their own homes and connect with their neighbors
    • Invest in family housing: incentivizing the construction of three-bedroom+ units in new builds and renovated public housing
    • Support and supplement ward-based homeownership programs with resources to help residents buy, maintain, and keep their homes
    • Invest more money in the “Local Rent Supplement Program (LSRP)” that helps residents with extremely low incomes obtain housing
    • Support workforce housing and homeownership programs to retain and attract Ward 7 teachers, firefighters, police, and government servants.

    Fully Funded and Modernized Schools

    Eboni-Rose wants all students to graduate from school prepared for the challenges of tomorrow. She has long advocated for DC’s children, serving as the Chair of the Ward 7 Education Council for eight years to ensure the District provided students and families with public education funding and the resources they deserve. As the current President of the State Board of Education (SBOE), Eboni-Rose has led efforts to overhaul social studies standards, improve how schools teach young children to read and worked with the DC Council and other education agencies to improve data transparency and accountability for DC Public Schools and public charter schools.

    She has consistently fought for and secured more funding for Ward 7 schools, directing millions to benefit students living in poverty, prioritizing school modernizations, enhancing out of school time programs, and advocating for school-based mental health services. She is committed to continuing this fight on the DC Council.

    As a Councilmember, Eboni-Rose will:

    • Introduce legislation to improve and fully fund “Community Schools“
    • Advocate to help schools close the digital divide
    • Support policies that maintain funding for school-based mental health, “OSTPs,” and school nurses
    • Strengthen investments in middle and high schools, including career pathways, early college, and career and technical education (CTE)
    • Ensure that school buildings are safe, modernized with the latest technology and comforts, and inspire learning

    Inclusive Prosperity

    Eboni-Rose envisions a Ward 7 that is vibrant and provides a high quality of life to all residents. By working with agencies, business leaders, and residents, Eboni-Rose will help reimagine and grow our current Ward 7 corridors and campuses, such as Reservation 13, Skyland, The Shops at Penn Branch, Fletcher-Johnson, and the Minnesota Avenue Corridor (Downtown Ward 7).

    Eboni-Rose recognizes the importance of bringing major retailers to the ward to meet the day-to-day needs of residents. However, she knows many of those needs can best be addressed by our own community’s innovation. She is especially committed to creating more pathways for residents to pursue entrepreneurship and create jobs–promoting economic mobility and stability. She will support initiatives that keep and circulate Ward 7 dollars in our community and make our ward attractive to home-grown small businesses by championing business incubation and skill-building programs for youth and expanding opportunities for Ward 7 business owners to secure government contracts, grants, and capital.

    As a Councilmember, Eboni-Rose will:

    • Create new and expand existing grant programs for Ward 7 entrepreneurs and business owners
    • Support Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) and Women-Owned Small Businesses
    • Promote policies that increase accountability under the First-Source Law to ensure DC residents receive priority consideration for new jobs created by local government-assisted projects or contracts.

    Connected Healthcare

    Eboni-Rose believes that Ward 7 needs a high-quality network of care to ensure our residents live healthy-full lives. There are still far too many gaps in the ward’s healthcare system, making it difficult for residents and their growing families to access services. Eboni-Rose will work to ensure that health agencies and nonprofits can address these gaps and receive the appropriate level of funding to coordinate and deliver high-quality, timely, accessible, and affordable care.

    Eboni-Rose recognizes improving residents’ health is not just about access to and the affordability of care but is also about addressing access and affordability issues in education, housing, jobs, and more. As she works to address health equity issues holistically, she will prioritize solutions that address multiple barriers that get in the way of residents’ physical and mental health.

    As a Councilmember, Eboni-Rose will:

    • Build a comprehensive healthcare system East of the River, including urgent care and doctor’s officesExpand access to mental health and addiction services
    • Increase funding for access to both virtual mental health and preventative health care services
    • Create a pathway for community health workers to address worker shortages and increase service access.