News

Some families living in rapid rehousing (RRH) received letters in the mail last week informing them the DC Department of Human Services (DHS) would be terminating their rental subsidies on Oct. 31. The letters, dated Aug. 17, contradict an…
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Summary: With a backlog of over 70,000 households, the demand for public housing is steadily growing in the city amid a precipitous rise in housing costs. Meanwhile, seniors and people with disabilities already in D.C. public housing…
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More than 1,000 families who have stayed in the rapid rehousing program (RRH) beyond its usual time limit due to the pandemic are receiving an official extension — and some may get an extra reprieve along with job training. No one in…
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Southwest residents are pushing for soon-to-be-available land to become a new community-controlled, permanently affordable housing and retail space. At a community meeting Thursday, lead organizers Coy McKinney of grassroots…
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The DC Council capped its deliberations on the fiscal year 2022 budget last week, giving final approval to the Budget Support Act at its virtual legislative meeting on Aug. 10. Council members introduced several amendments at the meeting…
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In what’s known as a hot spot for maternal mortality in the United States, Mallory Mpare is seeking to make a difference for pregnant people of color in the District through a mobile health clinic that brings comprehensive care to parents…
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During the pandemic, families living in rapid rehousing have not been required to move out once their time in the program ends. Now, with the publicly declared health exemption coming to an end, many program participants are growing…
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The DC Council debated several amendments to fiscal year 2022 budget legislation to include a measure to tax high-income earners at a higher rate to support a number of new initiatives, as well as a failed measure to allocate additional…
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With the public health emergency ending, DC tenants have a range of protections and resources available to help navigate responding to an eviction notice.
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UPDATE: DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson released the Committee of the Whole’s draft committee reports on the Fiscal Year 2022 Local Budget Act and the FY 2022 Budget Support Act on Monday afternoon. He also released a statement…
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For Emilie Cassou, the meals served to students like her son at his public elementary school in the District aren’t worth the tray they’re served on. Some might look at a typical lunch served to students and see a ham and cheese…
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A law meant to protect consumers by prohibiting businesses from refusing to accept cash took effect on April 4. There’s just one problem — it’s unenforceable. Or, rather, DC officials put off enforcement during the public health emergency,…
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Built of wood and featuring a distinctive A-frame construction, the new Little Free Library at CentroNía, a bilingual and multicultural early childhood education provider in Columbia Heights, looks much the same as the existing…
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With the District’s public health emergency due to expire soon, the DC Council voted Tuesday to approve legislation aimed at avoiding a sudden end to the consumer and tenant protections in effect in the District since the pandemic began.…
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There’s not much left of Deatrice Belt’s old neighborhood, the public housing community on Eaton Road SE known as Barry Farm. There’s the old basketball court, a surface now cracked and covered over with weeds, where people used to gather…
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Keith Pollard, the deputy director of youth housing programs at SMYAL (pronounced “smile”), knows just what it’s like to come face to face with discrimination. He began his advocacy work with the organization in 2015 because he “always…
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Long-held criticism of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs — which manages everything from licensing plumbers and other professionals to enforcing housing safety codes and issuing building permits — led to a new law in April…
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At a quarter past 3 on a recent weekday afternoon, Alexander, an unsheltered resident who lives in a tent, was trying not to cry. Alexander, who agreed to an interview under the condition he not be photographed or fully named, has been…
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For years, many homeless residents in DC lived in Franklin Park, located on K Street NW. Not only were tents a permanent fixture on the park’s grassy lawns, but nonprofits such as Martha’s Table used the park as a base for homeless…
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It’s been more than a decade since DC lawmakers sought to add the District Opportunity to Purchase Act as a new tool to preserve affordable housing in the city. But the resulting program has languished ever since, prompting the DC Council…
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