The D.C. Council passed a bill on Tuesday that will create a free master’s in social work program at the University of the District of Columbia, aiming to bolster the city’s network of social workers and remove barriers for Black and Latino students.

The Pathways to Behavioral Degrees Act, introduced by Robert White earlier this year, will fund the degree program at UDC for D.C. residents. It’ll also cover the cost of books and student licensing exams, as well as provide students with a monthly stipend for living expenses and transportation. In the fiscal year 2024 budget, the council injected $6 million for the program over four years; in its first year (the 2024-2025 academic year), it’ll serve 20 students, and 40 each year after.

Upon completing their degrees, graduates are required to work for at least two years at a D.C. school, health provider, or nonprofit that contracts with the city government.

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White’s bill was introduced to address what Ward 4 councilmember Janeese Lewis George called a “severe” social worker shortage in the city — a dearth that has immense impacts on the city’s most vulnerable residents. Social workers and case managers are essential for residents navigating the often complicated web of government services, especially when it comes to housing. With a lack of people in the role, unhoused residents may end up waiting months for placement in an apartment, even after they’ve been approved for a housing voucher. Every year, Washingtonians who have secured a voucher die before they’re placed in a home.

By incentivizing local workers and D.C. public school graduates to participate in the program, the bill is also seeking to create a network of social workers who are from the same neighborhoods as the residents they’ll be serving. According to a 2016 needs assessment from the D.C. Healthy Communities Collaborative, residents reported cultural competency as a priority need in mental health care access, particularly for behavioral health specialists working in Wards 7 and 8 — yet costly barriers like tuition and licensing can stand in the way for many residents.

White has also introduced another bill that’s still before the council, the Social Work License Modernization Amendment Act of 2023, which would remove exam requirements that have historically disadvantaged Black students, and set up a task force to create a new assessment method for independent social work licensure.