Content categorized as Housing Vouchers

DC task force recommends major investments in affordable housing to prevent crime

The District Task Force on Jails and Justice made 80 recommendations to the Mayor to invest in more affordable housing, to help communities and prevent crime.

Uptick in COVID-19 also reaches DC shelters

Thirteen people living in D.C. shelters have tested positive for COVID-19 cases since Nov. 18 according to data from the Department of Human Services, ending a 20-day streak of no new cases among shelter residents.

DC attorney general sues 7 discriminatory landlords and property managers

Karl Racine announced three lawsuits against seven landlords and property management companies for denying tenancy based on race, disabilities, and sources of income.

Why privatization became the fashionable solution to public housing

Public policy has turned toward privatization of public housing after decades of federal disinvestment created slums out of public housing.

Landlord that discriminated against housing voucher recipients will pay District $250,000 penalty

In addition to the $250,000 fine, Evolve, LLC, will have to implement anti-discrimination training for its employees and cease all advertising that indicates voucher recipients are ineligible.

With 16 beds up and 32 more on the way Hope Has a Home looks to transform medical respite care for DC’s homeless community

Hope Has a Home committed to opening 48 medical respite beds in the District, doubling the city’s capacity for this service. The program was launched by AmeriHealth Caritas D.C. and Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas in partnership with Unity Health Care and Pathways to Housing.

Two proposed bills to mitigate housing discrimination may only duplicate existing protections

Two bills addressing housing discrimination received a hearing on Feb. 20. In response, critics voiced their concerns regarding the enforcement of this legislation and whether they are adequate enough to fully address this deep-rooted systemic issue.

Public hearing raises questions about civil rights enforcement

At a Feb. 19 meeting, the Committee on Government Operations heard testimony addressing the Attorney General Civil Rights Enforcement Clarification Act, including how the legislation stacks up to other states and concerns about concurrent authority.

Curtis Investment Group fined $900k for housing discrimination in DC

The Office of the Attorney General announced a major victory in a legal battle against property management company the Curtis Investment Group.

The city’s next 5-year-plan to end homelessness provides more questions than answers

Last week the ICH presented a draft of Homeward D.C. 2.0 in an effort to revitalize the goals of their initial plan, Homeward D.C., and fix shortcomings discovered during its implementation over the past four years. During the meeting, multiple D.C. residents, many of whom were formerly homeless, expressed their concerns with the city’s ability to fulfill the plan’s ambitious goals. Along with the general vagueness of the document itself, residents took issue with the lack of transparency regarding policy meetings and the little progress being made for universally affordable housing.

People experiencing homelessness can transform homeless services if given the chance

Reginald Black, a Street Sense artist and vendor explains how solutions to homelessness could be led by those experiencing it themselves.

HUD awards local public housing authority almost $924,000 to provide housing for DC residents with disabilities

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Community Connections almost $924,000 for permanent supportive housing.

Brookland Manor residents keep battling possible displacement

Brookland Manor residents keep on fighting the possible displacement they face with upcoming redevelopment.

Thanks to this little-known federal program, seven housing voucher recipients in DC 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.

Redemption

Artist and vendor Ronald Smoot shares his view on life after being released from jail

Safe, secure, and positive: Moyo Onibuje on his new home in Columbia Heights

Vendor Moyo Onibuje discusses his experience finding housing, the comforts of his new home, and his ambitions for the future.

Days before Christmas, activists pressure DC councilmembers to protect their most vulnerable constituents

Approximately 15 representatives from the People For Fairness Coalition canvassed the Wilson Building on Dec. 21, seeking more funding and stronger legal protections to address… Read more »

DC landlord sued for refusing housing vouchers

A lawsuit against several real estate companies claims discrimination against tenants with housing vouchers.

19 city agencies, Metro and the D.C. Council failed the ‘Domestic Violence Report Card’

There is a lack of services available to victims of domestic violence in Washington, D.C. A coalition of advocates assessed 22 District agencies and the D.C. Council to evaluate how they handle situations of domestic violence internally and externally. 

Activists rally to stop demolition at Barry Farm

Residents of the Barry Farm housing development held a rally on Aug. 18 to halt demolition and to demand a seat at the table to discuss the redevelopment plan for the area.