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COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER BROOKE PINTO
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 106
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
November 14, 2025
Nyasha Howard, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Howard,
Today, along with Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau, Kenyan McDuffie, Wendell Felder, and
Zachary Parker, I am introducing the “ Youth Villages Grant Establishment Amendment Act of
2025.” Far too many of our young people, especially those who have experienced contact with the
justice system, struggle to find stable support networks in and throughout their communities.
Additionally, existing services and supports for young people in the District are often fragmented,
short-term, or inaccessible to youth who need sustained guidance, daily mentorship, and prolonged
community belonging.1
This bill adapts a proven local model, DC’s Senior Villages, and applies it to our youth population
to offer the same level of daily assistance and community networking that we offer to our seniors.
Villages are neighborhood-based, nonprofit membership organizations that rely on volunteer and
staff support to deliver day -to-day assistance, social and educational programming, and
connections to service providers, allowing members to remain engaged and supported within their
own communities.2 Villages are run as grassroots organizations that coordinate services, recruit
volunteers, and provide social programming and practical help.3 These characteristics, hyper-local
focus, membership orientation, volunteer mobilization, and sustained relationship -building, are
precisely the mechanisms Youth Villages will employ to keep young people connected to supports
they will actually use.
The Youth Villages Grant Establishment Amendment Act creates a new grant program within the
Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) to build neighborhood -based, intergenerational
networks known as Youth Villages. The Youth Villages will function as local hubs for mentorship,
skill-building, civic engagement, and community reintegration for youth up to age 25 who are
justice-involved or at risk of justice involvement.
Specifically, this legislation would:
1 Nicole Dungca, John D. Harden, Keith L. Alexander. Serving ‘Dead Time’, The Washington Post, (June
9, 2025), available here.
2 Senior Villages in the District of Columbia: A New Age-At-Home Initiative. DC Department of Aging
and Community Living, available here.
3 Id.
• Establish a Youth Villages grant program within CFSA to support creation and operation
of neighborhood-based organizations across DC;
• Provide grants of up to $300,000 to eligible nonprofit organizations beginning in Fiscal
Year 2027 to develop Youth Villages that serve individuals up to age 25 who are justice-
involved or at high risk of justice involvement;
• Require each Youth Village to provide daily support including mentorship, peer
leadership, intergenerational engagement, academic and career skills training, civic
engagement, community service, arts and culture, life-skills development, and
connections to food, travel, and housing assistance;
• Build sustainable neighborhood-based intergenerational networks through partnerships
with local schools, juvenile justice agencies, community organizations, businesses, and
faith-based partners; and
• Demonstrate measurable outcomes including reductions in recidivism, increases in school
attendance and graduation, employment and training enrollment, civic and community
engagement, and positive youth identity and perception, with a focus on equity and
serving historically underserved youth and neighborhoods.
The bill’s competitive grant structure, CFSA support, performance reporting, and emphasis on
intergenerational mentorship and measurable outcomes mirror the governance and sustainability
features that have allowed DC’s Senior Villages to operate successfully, while tailoring services
to the distinct needs of youth, including mentorship, employment pathways, academic supports,
crisis assistance, and civic engagement. In the District today, where young workers experience
elevated unemployment and youth referred for treatment endure growing wait times, this
neighborhood-led, wraparound model is a pragmatic complement to system-based reforms.4
Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact my Senior Legislative Policy
Advisor, Anaiah Mitchell, at amitchell@dccouncil.gov.
Thank you,
Brooke Pinto
Councilmember, Ward 2
Chairwoman, Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety
Council of the District of Columbia
4 A Quality Job Guarantee Would Ensure DC Youth Can Fully Participate in DC’s Economy. DC Fiscal
Policy Institute, (Dec. 4, 2024). available here.
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Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau ________________________ 3
Councilmember Brooke Pinto 4
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Councilmember Wendell Felder Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie 9
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Councilmember Zachary Parker 14
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A BILL 20
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 24
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To amend the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Act of 1977 to establish a grant program 29
within the Child and Family Services Agency to support the creation and operation of 30
Youth Villages across the District of Columbia, and to provide grant funding to nonprofit 31
organizations to develop neighborhood-based, intergenerational networks to provide 32
daily supports to youth up to age 25, particularly those who are justice-involved or at risk 33
of justice involvement, promote positive community engagement and leadership 34
development among youth, and strengthen connections between generations through 35
mentorship, community service, and skill-building activities. 36
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 38
act may be cited as the “Youth Villages Grant Program Establishment Amendment Act of 2025”. 39
Sec. 2. Section 310 of The Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Act of 1977, effective 40
September 11, 2019 (D.C. Law 23-16; D.C. Official Code § 4-1303.10) is amended as follows: 41
(a) The existing text is designated as subsection (a). 42
(b) A new subsection (b) is added to read as follows: 43
“(b)(1) There is established within the Child and Family Services Agency the Youth 44
Villages Program to regularly provide programming and assist with and check on participating 45
youths’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 46
“(2)(A) Notwithstanding the Grant Administration Act of 2013, effective 47
December 24, 2013 (D.C. Law 20-61; D.C. Official Code § 1-328.11 et seq.), in Fiscal Year 48
2027, the Agency shall solicit applications, award, administer, monitor, and evaluate grants of up 49
to $300,000 to eligible applicants located within the District of Columbia for the purposes of 50
establishing the Youth Villages Program in the District. 51
“(B) Grant funds may be used for operations, staffing, maintenance, 52
programming, and infrastructure improvements. 53
“(3) Each Youth Village grantee shall: 54
“(A) Engage and support individuals up to 25 years of age who are justice-55
involved or at high risk of justice involvement, with a focus on equity and serving historically 56
underserved youth and neighborhoods; 57
“(B) Provide daily support to members of the Village, including 58
mentorship, peer leadership, intergenerational engagement, academic and career skills training, 59
civic engagement, community service, arts and culture, life-skills development, food and travel 60
assistance, temporary or emergency housing or shelter assistance, and connection to evidence-61
informed practices that reduce negative perceptions of youth and promote positive trajectories; 62
“(C) Provide daily support to members of the Village, including 63
mentorship, peer leadership, intergenerational engagement, academic and career skills training, 64
civic engagement, community service, arts and culture, life-skills development, food and travel 65
assistance, temporary or emergency housing or shelter assistance, and connection to evidence-66
informed practices that reduce negative perceptions of youth and promote positive trajectories; 67
“(D) To the extent possible, make available the services and supports 68
outlined in this section to eligible staff and volunteers; 69
“(E) Build sustainable neighborhood-based intergenerational networks and 70
facilitate community engagement and partnerships with local schools, juvenile justice agencies, 71
community organizations, businesses, and faith-based partners; and 72
“(F) Demonstrate measurable outcomes, including reductions in recidivism, 73
increases in school attendance, high school graduation, employment, job or skills training 74
enrollment, matriculation into higher education, civic/community engagement, positive identity 75
and perception of youth, and community reintegration. 76
“(3) Eligible applicants shall be registered nonprofit corporations or associations that 77
have applied for incorporation through the Internal Revenue Service and the D.C. Office of Tax 78
and Revenue and are located in the District of Columbia. 79
“(4) For the purposes of this subsection, the term: 80
“(A) “Member” means an individual under 25 years of age who enrolls in the 81
program and currently is or has been in contact with the juvenile justice or criminal justice 82
system, including arrest, diversion, probation, incarceration, or re-entry, or an individual under 83
age 25 who is at high risk of justice involvement as determined by risk and protective factor. 84
“(B) “Youth Village” means a neighborhood-based nonprofit membership-based 85
organization, operated by a grantee under this program, that engages youth up to age 25 who are 86
justice-involved or at high risk of justice involvement in structured programming, peer and adult 87
mentoring, intergenerational activities, community service, education/employment linkage, 88
social support, and other daily services as needed. 89
“(5) The Agency shall monitor grantee performance through periodic reporting, site 90
visits, and review of performance metric data. Grantees shall submit to the Agency, at intervals 91
determined by the Agency (but at least annually), a report that includes: 92
“(A) A narrative description of program activities; 93
“(B) Quantitative data on performance indicators related to reductions in 94
recidivism (or justice-system involvement rates if applicable), job or skills training 95
enrollment, matriculation into higher education, civic/community engagement, positive 96
identity and perception of youth, and community reintegration; 97
“(C) Quantitative data regarding the number of youth served, demographic data, 98
volunteer hours, mentoring matches, school and employment outcomes (such as increases 99
in school attendance, high school graduation), referrals to DC agencies, and community 100
service hours; 101
“(D) A financial report including how grant funds were expended and any 102
leveraged funds; and 103
“(E) A description of sustainability activities and future plans. 104
“(6) The Agency shall compile an annual summary report for the Council and the Mayor 105
on the Program, including the total number of grants awarded, service areas served, youth 106
outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for policy/practice improvements.”. 107
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 108
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 109
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 110
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 111
Sec. 4. Effective date. 112
This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 113
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review 114
as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 115
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)). 116