Over 20 developers, community groups join together for affordable housing

A coalition of community organizers and developers announced that they have come together to pursue the growth of affordable housing in Washington, D.C. In a press release, it noted that many of these organizations have disagreed with each other on policies in the past. Despite this, they share one common goal.

That is, according to Greater Greater Washington, “D.C. isn't building enough overall housing for everyone who wants to be here, and it isn't either creating or preserving enough affordable housing for people who can't afford rising rents or sale prices.

This year, the D.C. Office of Planning will solicit community recommendations for plan amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, a document outlining priorities for D.C.’s future growth and change. In response to this solicitation, the new coalition will meet over the next several months to address the following issues:

• Meet the housing demand
• Equitably distribute housing
• Best utilize areas near transit
• Include families
• Prioritize affordable housing as a community benefit
• Preserve existing affordable housing
• Protect tenants
• Support neighborhood commercial corridors
• Clarify zoning authority​
• Improve data collection and transparency

The coalition is comprised of:

• Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2B
• All Souls Housing Corporation
• Bread for the City
• Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED)
• Coalition for Smarter Growth
• DC Fiscal Policy Institute
• DC Policy Center
• Ditto Residential
• Enterprise Community Partners
• EYA
• Greater Greater Washington
• The JBG Companies
• Jews United for Justice (JUFJ)
• Jubilee Housing, Inc.
• Latino Economic Development Center
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
• MidAtlantic Realty Partners
• New Legacy Partners
• United Planning Organization
• Valor Development
• Ward3Vision
• City First Homes

In a statement, Rob Wohl, tenant organizer for the Latino Economic Development Center, said, “We need policies that preserve the affordable housing we already have as the District develops. It’s clear the city needs more units to meet the demand of the people coming here, but we also need strategies to protect tenants who are struggling to stay in the city. Those goals don’t have to be in conflict.”

For more information on the coalition, there is a website created here.

• Coalition [Official Website]

• Diverse groups agree: DC needs more housing and more affordable housing now [Greater Greater Washington]