Council of the District of Columbia member Anita Bonds, Democrat At-Large, held an open house on January 29, 2015, to introduce herself as chairwoman for the Committee on Housing and Community Development. Bonds’ fellow committee members shared their vision for improving housing conditions in Washington, D.C.
The Committee on Housing and Community Development is in charge of development, maintenance, preservation and regulation of housing and neighborhoods in the District. Bonds, a D.C. native, made it very clear that affordable housing is one of her top priorities.
Bonds’ Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director, David Meadows, told Street Sense in an interview that Bonds’ main goal is to “ensure that the District of Columbia remains a diverse community, culturally and economically, where everyone can live.”
Meadows said that Bonds is “appalled” by the rising cost of living, and recognizes that for very low income residents, and even those who are middle class, the high cost of living is very hard and in some cases unattainable.
The committee is currently looking into rent control laws and ensuring proper spending of The Housing Production Trust Fund.
Last year, Bonds hosted a series of Community Action Summits and working group sessions with “tenant association presidents, developers, government officials, affordable housing advocates, ANC representatives, apartment building owners, real estate agents and providers to create a comprehensive approach to the most important issue facing the District of Columbia today,” according to a press release issued in December. Meadows noted that Bonds plans on hosting more sessions this year.
Bonds is also working specifically towards affordable housing for the elderly. Last year she drafted and helped pass a bill called the Senior Citizen Real Property Tax Relief Act, which planned to eliminate property taxes for residents who are at least 70-years-old if they have lived in D.C. for 20 years. Former D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray signed the bill into law and funded it, but the reduction of taxes was deferred. Meadows noted that, as chairwoman, Bonds will be doing everything she can to fund this legislation.
“Know that we are very serious about housing,” Bonds said. “You gotta have a place to live.”
