Dear Chairman Mendelson,
On behalf of LeadingAge DC, a network of mission-driven aging services providers in the District of Columbia, and as an active participant of the DC Long-Term Care Coalition, we write to express our support for the recommendations made by the Council’s Committee on Executive Administration and Labor (“the Committee”) on the Mayor’s FY26 budget proposal. While the original proposal as submitted to Council included funding cuts that would severely impact vital programs for older adults and individuals living with dementia in our city, we commend the Council’s thoughtful addition of funding for the Ward 3 Lead Agency Dementia Navigator Program as well as restoration of funding for the Senior Villages, and respectfully urge you to preserve these critical adjustments.