Trayon White is a servant leader, dedicating himself to bettering the individual lives of Ward 8 residents while building a more just and equitable Ward 8 for all to live, work and play within. Inspired to lead by years of service to his fellow community members in areas such as public safety and access to food, education, health, shelter and jobs, Trayon will never stop working for the priorities of Ward 8's residents.
Here are just a few issues that Trayon is focused on:
Job Creation
One of the most pressing concerns for residents in Ward 8 is the lack of job creation and unemployment. I plan to increase employment opportunities for our residents, young mid-career and seasoned. As your Ward 8 Councilmember, I will work to:
- I will seek to amend the city’s existing First Source Employment Law by removing its “new hires” language and strengthening it with specific mandates indicating the number and specific types of jobs that will be made available on government-assisted construction projects.
- I will push the District to build upon the Obama administration’s emphasis on increasing the number of recent college graduates who seek careers in public service; creating employment preference points for former DCPS and DCPCS students.
- Match the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, a federally-funded program that reduces the federal tax liability of private-for-profit employers hiring new employees from selected target groups. Employers hiring qualified applicants may obtain tax relief through the WOTC program. Matching the WOTC would incentivize businesses to hire from economically challenged neighborhoods like those in Ward 8, would be to introduce legislation that creates DC's own version of this program as a match.
- Ensure job training resources available for all residents who are seeking employment
- Work with the D.C. Department of Employment Services to target programs for residents in Ward 8
- Attract new business capital to Ward 8 and develop a “Best Businesses” in Ward 8 list that is based on the number of constituents they hire
- Attract new and diversified business capital by leveraging federal and local government dollars while exploring direct investment by partners within and outside the Ward.
- Foster and support diverse career opportunities for Ward 8 residents, specifically within the Federal government, Professional services including architects, auditors, engineers, doctors and lawyers, and Health Services including allied health professions, physicians, dentistry, midwifery, nursing, medicine, pharmacy, psychology, and other health professions.
Public Safety
Crime in Washington DC increased by 54 percent in 2015. I will advocate for more preventive measures to decrease crime in our community. As your Ward 8 Councilmember, I will work to:
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Introduce the "Safe Way Home" Act whereby the council member will offer emergency funding to community organizations and concerned community members to implement programming that focus specifically on mentoring and youth engagement activities. This funding will be offered to organizations that serve the Ward 8 communities that have the highest crime rate. This initiative is proposed to be in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation and Events DC. As part of the program, the participating organizations will commit to monthly community meetings where community concerns and the progress of the participating organizations will be discussed. This bill will compliment the NEAR Act of 2015 that was proposed by Councilmember McDuffie.
- Partner with the Metropolitan Police Department, individuals and organizations within the community to build nonviolent approaches to prevent crime and build peace. Guided by the success of national organizations such as Guardian Angels and Cure Violence, and consistently push for policies that treat crime as an epidemic that can be cured by systematically and structurally addressing its root causes.
- Support community organizations that work with youth across Ward 8. This includes bringing together and building a robust communication network between nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, health service providers, and local schools. The issue of crime is multifaceted and must be coordinated through broad and diverse partnerships and approaches at a community level.
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Provide ongoing workshops for seniors on crime preventive measures.
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Partner with CSOSA on anger management community based programming.
Education
As your Ward 8 School board representative, I worked vigorously to ensure that our students have the highest quality of education, ensured that parents were empowered, and fought for schools to remain open. As your Ward 8 Councilmember, I will work to:
Offer more incentives and resources for summer enrichment and after school programs
- Promote additional career and vocational training for Ward 8 youth and adults
- Work with Ward 8 school leaders to recruit and retain the highest quality teachers and school leaders
- Work with philanthropic groups to support additional funding for Ward 8 Schools
- Champion a variety of programs aimed at decreasing youth violence
- Work with local school leaders to increase programs that support daily attendance and decrease incidents of truancy
- Work with local school leaders and community members on innovative strategies to improve graduation rates in Ward 8
- Propose a simplified way for small nonprofit organizations to work with youth through the public school system. These partnerships will ensure that youth receive diverse opportunities, mentoring, support, access to before and after school programs and intervention when needed. By strengthening the support system around our youth we can guarantee an increase in educational and career attainment
- Provide incentives and support for Ward 8 residents of all ages to further their education. By partnering with the University of the District of Columbia and other local universities, we will expand opportunities for Ward 8 residents to further their desires for the personal and professional rewards of achieving higher levels of education.
Housing for All
I believe that housing is a human right and should be safe, habitable, and affordable with freedom from forced eviction. As your Ward 8 Councilmember, I will work to:
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To encourage homeownership, he will fight to increase funding for the Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP). Currently, qualified HPAP applicants can receive up to $54,000.00 in financial assistance to purchase single-family homes, condominiums, and cooperative apartments. I will work to increase the financial assistance for first time home buyers by at least 25%.
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Champion the fight against Ward 8 resident displacement by proposing legislation that would offer a tax benefit to homeowners who live near major development project. As opposed to claiming property deductions and credits the following tax year, residents will be able to receive relief when they pay their biannual property taxes.
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Work with the Office of the Attorney General to enforce District Housing Laws. Together they will hold developers and landlords who house residents in poor and dilapidated buildings accountable to ensure that tenants live in safe and habitable conditions.
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Provide high quality information about the home ownership programs for diverse income groups in Ward 8
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Provide community workshops on affordable rental and home ownership options in Ward 8
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Offer mortgage and rental assistance to seniors and ensure housing that they can afford