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Thousands more District residents who are behind on rent will get help this year than previously expected. DC will put an extra $20.6 million into the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) in 2024, the Department of Human…

It’s no secret that it’s expensive to rent in DC, especially for people who make below the city’s median income of $152,000 for a family of four. Despite DC investing hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in building and preserving…

The need for rental assistance in the city is high. DC's Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) reopened on Oct. 1 after closing in March due to the volume of applications. But by Oct. 10, the program closed again, due to high demand,…

After years of letting federally funded housing vouchers for people leaving foster care and facing homelessness go to waste, DC is implementing a new law to ensure every young person who needs a voucher gets one. The federal…

The DC government is making progress in housing people with its record number of vouchers, but people familiar with the process say the wait is still far too long. DC began fiscal year 2022 with 2,400 new Permanent Supportive…

At its last meeting before the summer recess, the DC Council voted unanimously to pass two bills related to housing. The first reforms a major housing program for people exiting homelessness. The second builds on existing tenant…

Contrary to earlier expectations, DC’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) won’t reopen for new applications this year even after an infusion of $33 million in new federal funding announced in the spring. Instead, about…

As debate kicked off on his rent control measure, at-large DC Councilmember Robert White issued a warning to his colleagues. “There is an absolute lack of data here. We are working today on a pile of assumptions,” White said on…

DC returned over $10 million in federal grants intended to fund programs aimed at ending homelessness from 2017 through 2021, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and The Community Partnership…

DC is poised to implement new protections for domestic workers, street vendors and young people in foster care, thanks to funding in the fiscal year 2024 budget. Over the last year, the DC Council has voted to create a domestic…

Getachew Gurumu became homeless for the first time after he received an eviction notice from his landlord during the pandemic. Then, without warning, he lost his job. Unsure what to do or where to go, Gurumu moved to McPherson Square in…

Makia never thought moving in with her mother was going to work. Makia, who’s using a pseudonym to protect her safety, entered foster care when she was 2 years old. She lived in at least a dozen places over 20 years, and ran away from…

When Ronnie Harris first entered foster care at 12 years old, she was certain she would be adopted. But, in what felt like no time at all, foster care swallowed her teenage years. The system jerked Harris across the city. Each time she…

Reports of mismanagement and voucher fraud at the DC Housing Authority (DCHA) continue to pile up, At-large Council member Robert White insisted at a press conference on March 30. White, who has chaired the council’s Housing…

In a major reversal from recent years, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed fiscal year 2024 budget slashes funding for eviction prevention and includes few increases for homeless services and housing. The biggest win, advocates say, is funding…

Amina Washington has heard it said many ways — when she’s working, sitting on sidewalks, going to get dinner or grabbing groceries. She heard it when she was sleeping outside, and she still hears it now, even though she’s been living in…

As the National Park Service moves to close all local encampments on its land, the DC government is considering relaunching a controversial pilot program that aims to connect encampment residents with housing vouchers. At least in…

It wasn’t the first time Moon has packed his life into his cobalt-blue backpack. Now middle-aged, he has left countless temporary homes since becoming homeless at 15. But this time, he was planning his next move in a city with a dwindling…

The DC Council’s reconstituted Housing Committee expects to have a busy year as legislators grapple with voucher backlogs, poor shelter conditions and a still-under-fire housing authority. Street Sense and The DC Line caught up with…

DC's beleaguered housing agency is taking steps toward overhauling its contracting policy, following a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) review published last fall that revealed many “systemic problems” with the…