Child Support & Family Stability System
The reality is clear: DC's current child support system works like a trap for Black families rather than a bridge to stability. In Wards 7 and 8, where systemic disinvestment keeps unemployment high, court orders can demand over 60% of a parent's minimum-wage income, creating an impossible mountain of debt. To make matters worse, when a custodial parent is on TANF assistance, local city agencies actually claw back and keep a "cut" of the child support money to pay for government administrative costs. This cruel policy keeps children in poverty and drives noncustodial parents into deeper holes. My plan transforms enforcement into real family empowerment.
The Plan
- Implement a 100% child support pass-through by ending the unfair $200 TANF cap, making sure every single dollar paid by a parent goes directly into the hands of mothers and families instead of the government.
- Launch a Debt Relief and Amnesty program to wipe clean old interest and administrative arrears for low-income parents who commit to staying current on future, realistic payments.
- Trade punishment for employment opportunity by stopping the counterproductive practice of locking parents up or taking away driver's licenses, replacing it with direct case management and high-wage job training workforce partnerships.
- Cap childcare costs at 7% of household income and invest $10 million to construct and staff brand-new, subsidized early childhood centers directly within Wards 7 and 8.
- Fight for fair, higher local wages to boost the actual earning power of noncustodial parents so they can realistically and proudly support their children.