From Refugee
to Ward 1
Warrior.
Jackie Reyes Yanes arrived in Washington, DC in 1990 at just 12 years old, escaping civil war in El Salvador, landing in Mount Pleasant with nothing. She became a teen mother of 3. She talks about issues she has lived. She found community at the Latin American Youth Center and let that experience set the direction of her life.
Everything Jackie fights for, she has lived. Affordable housing isn't a policy paper to her, it's the story of her father buying a home on a dishwasher's wages. Affordable childcare isn't a campaign promise, it's what she needed and didn't have.
A New Beginning in Mount Pleasant
Arrived in DC at 12 years old, fleeing El Salvador's civil war. Ward 1 became home.
Found Community at LAYC
The Latin American Youth Center gave her resources, belonging, and a model for what community support could look like.
Rose Through Resilience
Young mother. Survivor of homelessness. Her father bought their home on a dishwasher's salary. She built a career in public service, one neighbor at a time.
FROM LIVED EXPERIENCE TO DELIVERED RESULTS
20 years of service, Jackie turned her story into action across District government:
Getting Things Done.
Jackie Delivers.
Before running for DC Council, Jackie built a 20+ years career in DC government getting things done for real people, securing millions in funding, protecting families from displacement, and opening doors for immigrants and young people who had none. Jackie wants to create opportunities for all Ward 1 neighbors.
In 2017, in response to the first Trump administration, Jackie created the Immigrant Justice Legal Services Grant, providing free immigration legal representation to DC's immigrant communities. She helped grow it from an initial $400,000 into a $3.5 million coalition fund, giving thousands of DC immigrants access to lawyers fighting for their right to stay.
When fire destroyed the Monseñor Romero Apartments, more than 150 residents faced the very real threat of permanent displacement. Jackie stepped in, fought for the victims, and helped them form a housing cooperative, giving the families legal ownership and control of their own building so they could continue living in their community, not lose it.
View Testimony →Jackie helped thousands of DC residents navigate the District's emergency rental assistance programs (ERAP, Stay DC), directly facilitating more than $15 million in financial support for families behind on rent, preventing evictions and keeping people housed when they had nowhere else to turn.
Jackie expanded language access across DC's constituent services agencies, specifically within the Mayor's Office of Community Affairs (MOCA), ensuring that residents who speak Spanish and other languages could access the same District services and receive the same quality of help as English-speaking residents. No one left behind because of language.
Jackie created DC's Summer Youth Employment Program for recently arrived immigrant youth, opening the door for young newcomers to earn income, gain work experience, and build leadership skills for a brighter future.
Coordinated through the Mayor’s Office on LGBTQ+ and Capital Pride Alliance the celebration of WorldPride DC 2025 generating approximately $310.7 million in total economic impact and drawing 1.2 million attendees.
“Exclusion by omission is worse than intentional exclusion, because it means you never even thought about the people you were leaving behind.”
Become a Warrior Volunteer →One plan.
Achievable
promises.
These are commitments built from 20 years of conversations in every neighborhood in Ward 1. Jackie will get the job done!
Small Business Revival & No More Taxes for Our Local Businesses.
Rising commercial rents and lack of capital are forcing out the bodegas, taquerías, and family shops that define our neighborhood. Jackie's Small Business Activation Program puts real money, up to $50,000 in direct grants, behind every Ward 1 business that needs it.
"A strong Ward 1 depends on a strong tax base, and that starts with small businesses. I am the only candidate focused on growing our economy without raising taxes, by investing in our local entrepreneurs."
— Jackie Reyes Yanes
Small Business Activation Grants, $5,000 to $50,000
A dedicated Ward 1 grant fund, $5,000 to $50,000, for any Ward 1 small business, for equipment, renovations, inventory, hiring, and expansion. No bureaucratic maze. Real capital, fast decisions, multilingual.
Cultural and Commercial Corridor Destinations in Ward 1
Officially create, designate and protect Cultural and Commercial Corridor Destinations highlithing Ward 1's diverse communities and vibrancy.
Festival Activation, Culture on Every Corner
Year-round neighborhood activations, Día de los Muertos, book festivals, live music, night markets, movie nights. Culture drives foot traffic, foot traffic keeps businesses alive.
One-Stop Business Solutions HUB
Navigators assisting entrepreneurs and business owners, reducing business opening time and connecting them to financial resources.
Small Business First Right of Purchase
Activate Vacant Storefronts through a Small Business First Right of Purchase to avoid small business owners being displaced.
The Neighborhood Solution Center. You call. We answer.
The NSC isn't a hotline, a website, or a new government agency. It's a ward-based hub in the Ward 1 Councilmember’s office, where seniors and young people work side by side as paid Community Ambassadors, answering phones, walking the streets of Ward 1, and delivering direct support to neighbors. Real people. Real help.
"I want a grandmother from LeDroit Park and a 19-year-old from Columbia Heights both working for their community, and both getting a paycheck for it. That's the NSC."
— Jackie Reyes Yanes
Community Ambassador Corps
20 part-time paid Ambassadors, 10 seniors (55+) and 10 young people (18–24). They staff the phone line, walk Ward 1 corridors, and connect residents to District services. Starting wage: $18/hour.
Street-Level Support, On Your Block
Ambassadors walk assigned Ward 1 neighborhoods weekly, checking on elderly residents, flagging broken lights, potholes, and trash, distributing resources in English and Spanish.
Constituent Hotline, 72-Hour Response Guarantee
Call 202-724-8181. A real person answers who knows your neighborhood. Every case opened, tracked, resolved. Monthly public dashboards track resolution rates. No runaround.
Intergenerational Mentorship Built In
Seniors and youth Ambassadors are paired together, real mentorship happening through the work itself. Older residents bring neighborhood history; young people bring energy and tech.
Monthly Neighborhood Town Halls
In-person meetings in Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, LeDroit Park, and Park View every month, in English and Spanish. Jackie shows up. No exceptions.
Keep Ward 1 Affordable for Everyone.
Too many of our neighbors, the teachers, nurses, restaurant workers, and artists who make Ward 1 who it is, are being pushed out. Jackie's father bought their home in the 1990s working as a dishwasher. That door must stay open for the next generation.
"My father bought this home on a dishwasher's wages. That dream should still be possible. I'll fight every single day to make sure it is."
— Jackie Reyes Yanes
Expand Homeownership via HPAP
Raise DC's Home Purchase Assistance Program fund to $30 million and lift the individual income limit to $150,000, opening the door for teachers, nurses, first responders, and working professionals who earn too much to qualify but too little to buy.
Strengthen Rent Control
Close the loopholes landlords use to skip DC's rent stabilization rules. No more renovictions. No more bad-faith vacancy filings. Your rent is your rent.
Anti-Displacement Task Force, With Real Tools
Four concrete actions: (1) an Inspection Request Team responding within 72 hours; (2) a Vacant Property Partnership Program converting empty buildings into affordable units; (3) expedited permitting so housing gets built instead of stuck; (4) block-by-block displacement risk tracking with direct intervention for families at risk.
More Affordable Units, Now
All new Ward 1 developments above 10 units must include at least 20% affordable at 60% AMI or below. No waivers. No buyouts.
No Parent Chooses Between Career and Caregiving.
Childcare in DC costs over $2,500 a month, more than most mortgages. Ward 1 families are making impossible choices every single day. Jackie will end that, because a District that doesn't invest in its youngest residents has given up on its future.
"Childcare shouldn't cost $2,500 a month. You're working hard for your family. This District should work just as hard for you."
— Jackie Reyes Yanes
Affordable, High-Quality Child Care from Birth to 36 Months
Affordable, high-quality child care for every Ward 1 child, regardless of family income. No waitlists. No exceptions. Every child from birth to 36 months deserves a safe, nurturing, high-quality seat before entering pre-kindergarten.
Fair Pay for Early Childhood Educators
Salary supplements bringing all early childhood educators to at least $22/hour, with benefits and professional development. The people shaping our children's first years deserve professional pay, not poverty wages.
Build New Childcare Facilities in District & Private Spaces
Use District-owned vacant properties and underutilized private spaces, including church halls, community centers, and commercial ground floors, to build and renovate childcare facilities across Ward 1. More seats, lower costs, closer to home.
Subsidized Infant & Toddler Care
Expand subsidy eligibility to families earning up to 150% AMI, covering working Ward 1 families who earn too much to qualify but too little to pay $2,500 a month.
Safe Streets Start with Strong Communities.
Real safety is kids outside after dark. Seniors at the bus stop without fear. Neighbors who know each other's names.
"Unfortunately, at this moment, a curfew for youth under 18 is necessary to protect our communities and keep the District safe. But real safety means more than that, seniors at the bus stop without fear, neighbors who know each other’s names. My approach: smart infrastructure, activated public spaces, and community-driven programs that address root causes, not just symptoms."
— Jackie Reyes Yanes
Light Every Block in Ward 1
Full audit and upgrade of every street light in Ward 1, prioritizing alleys, transit stops, and park paths most frequently reported as unsafe. Bright streets are safe streets. Year 1 commitment.
Activate Public Spaces
Year-round programming in Ward 1 parks and plazas, outdoor movies, weekend markets, sports leagues, senior fitness classes. Public spaces belong to the community, not to fear.
Youth Employment = Community Safety
Guaranteed summer and after-school jobs for every Ward 1 young person who wants one. A teen with a job, a paycheck, and a mentor is the most effective crime prevention strategy we have.
This Campaign
Runs on You.
Door-knocking. Phone banking. Yard signs. Showing up June 16. Every hour you give is a vote for the Ward 1 we deserve. Jackie's campaign is neighbor-powered, that's the only way it works.
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