Content categorized as News

New housing inspection policy expedites infractions and fines, attempting to clear backlog

New housing inspection policies intend to fix backlog of unrepaired violations through an expedited infraction policy.

The Douglass Community Land Trust is making its first investment to support community control among new housing development in Ward 8

The Douglass Community Land Trust announced its first project in Ward 8, facilitating permanent affordability to 65-unit apartment complex in Anacostia.

Thanks to this little-known federal program, seven housing voucher recipients in D.C. just become homeowners

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson personally congratulated the most recent class of seven new homeowners for successfully completing the D.C. Housing Authority’s Home Ownership Assistance Program.

Many testified to support a bill to increase pay for workers who assist people with disabilities

About 50 people testified at a public hearing last week in support of a bill that would increase wages for direct support professionals.

DC government and Greater Washington Community Foundation align to end homelessness

The Bowser Administration collaborates with the private sector in a new initiative to combat homelessness.

Opioid crisis surges in DC region

The Association of American Medical Colleges convened a panel of doctors and other medical experts to discuss the recent dramatic increase in opioid-related deaths in DC.

Conflict over funding for public housing repairs steers DC budget toward an impasse

The D.C. Chief Financial Officer pushes back on D.C. Council’s plan for $24.5 million of Events D.C. reserve funds to be directed toward public housing repairs, threatening to block the FY2020 budget confirmation.

Good things are coming for these scholarship recipients as they recover from substance use disorder or mental illness

The scholarship from Woodley House will support all five awardees as they complete the certification program or pursue internships and jobs to put their credentials to use.

Experts say housing is the first step on the road to recovery from substance abuse

Housing and substance abuse experts said having housing before attempting to seek treatment for individuals who are struggling with substance abuse increases the likelihood of success.

Urban farming in a food desert

With only one full-service grocery store to serve more than 80,000 residents, urban farming and a community-supported agriculture program are meeting important nutrition needs.

More than 50 activists rally for housing rights outside the White House

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council hosted a rally outside of the White House Friday calling on officials to consider housing a human right.

Congress Heights landlord tries to avoid blame for apartment disrepair in effort to redevelop land  

CityPartners and the DC Superior Court continue to wrestle over the question of housing repairs for a property in Congress Heights.

Apartment development proceeds behind the Masonic Temple despite pushback from new Dupont civic group

Plans for a new 150-unit apartment building in Ward 2 ignited frustration among members of the Dupont East Civic Action Association – a group that opposes the project.

Tensions at this Cleveland Park apartment complex reveal a lack of coordination among District agencies that support low-income residents

One Connecticut Avenue apartment building has become a focal point for criticism of the District’s subsidized housing programs in recent months.

DC Council restores some funds to UMC and housing preservation

On May 28, the FY2020 Budget Support Act passed its second and final vote in the D.C. Council. Funds were added for the District’s only public hospital, the mayor’s Housing Preservation Fund, much-needed public housing repairs, and more.

This pilot program allows health clinics to prescribe produce to improve health, supported by grocery vouchers

Health clinics in D.C. may now prescribe produce to patients with chronic conditions in order to issue assistance to afford healthy food that will mitigate those conditions.

Nadeau proposes affordable housing requirements for development on former “quasi-government” property

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau proposed an amendment would include those properties under a law that adds affordable housing set-aside requirements to the sale of government land.

Mayor asks how to add 12,000 affordable housing units throughout DC by 2025

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser solicits community input though multiple summer meetings for the plan to build 12,000 new affordable housing units in DC by 2025.

Oversight hearing surfaces complaints about Virginia Williams Family Resource Center

Many individuals lodge complaints against the Virginia Williams Family Resource Clinic during a recent oversight committee hearing.

Activists dramatize budget session in an attempt to influence FY2020 appropriations

On May 8, advocacy groups held a mock council session outside of the Wilson Building to call for investments in housing, street outreach, and public housing repairs to be included in the 2020 DC budget.