Two months after Events DC, the District’s sports, entertainment, and conventions authority, set aside $5 million for undocumented workers who were laid off or furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the D.C. Council on Tuesday approved the contract that enables the money to get into those workers’ hands.
The action came during a meeting of the D.C. Council at which lawmakers ratified various legal changes meant to alleviate the economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis. The contract authorizes the Greater Washington Community Foundation to manage the $5 million so that it’s disbursed, via local nonprofit organizations, to undocumented families, many of whom work in the region’s hospitality industry. That industry, including hotels, restaurants, and event firms, has seen severe damage because of the pandemic.
The money will be divided among 5,000 pre-paid debit cards worth $1,000 each, and the foundation will collaborate with Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office to distribute it. The local nonprofit organizations are Bread for the City, the Central American Resource Center, CentroNía, the Latin American Youth Center, and Mary’s Center, according to Events DC.
The council removed a provision offering cash assistance to undocumented workers from an emergency coronavirus relief package in April, with the chairman of the council, Phil Mendelson, saying he and Bowser agreed it would have cost the D.C. government too much amid massive expected decreases in tax revenue. But lawmakers committed to providing financial help to such workers in other ways, and Events DC pitched in.
The authority’s 12-member board first identified the funding within its accounts in early April, and unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the foundation June 5. The contract, valued at $5.15 million, includes $150,000 for administrative costs. (To move forward, the council was required to endorse it because the legislative body must review city contracts worth more than $1 million.)
In a statement issued last Friday, Max Brown, the chairman of Events DC’s board, said “the relief fund distribution is a critical step forward in helping our city get back on track following the devastation of the pandemic.” Events DC has pledged to continue working with the Greater Washington Community Foundation to support undocumented workers as the pandemic persists.
“There’s more we can do, of course, but this is a great start, and I’m glad to finally see the money get disbursed to our residents who truly need it at this time,” At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman said at the council’s meeting on Tuesday. The contract with the foundation will remain in effect through Sept. 30, the end of the District’s current fiscal year.
The $5 million was part of $18 million total that Events DC lined up for the local hospitality industry two months ago. At a recent council hearing, Greg O’Dell, the president and CEO of Events DC, said funding designated for restaurants, managed by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, had started being dispersed.
In a typical year, the authority gets about two-thirds of its operating revenue from dedicated taxes on restaurant orders, hotel stays, and car rentals. But, because of the coronavirus crisis, that revenue has plummeted over the past few months, forcing Events DC to rely on its deep reserves and cut its costs.
“We recognize we won’t be in a mass-gathering business anytime soon,” O’Dell told the D.C. Council’s committee of the whole May 29. He said the authority didn’t anticipate tourism returning to the District in major numbers until January.
