July 2017 DHCD Connection Newsletter

District of Columbia sent this bulletin at 07/19/2017 10:00 AM EDT

Department of Housing and Community Development Connection

Letter from the DHCD Director

Greetings Washingtonians,

The DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is pleased to announce the launch of the DHCD Connection, a monthly newsletter dedicated to sharing important housing and community development news. This newsletter is part of DHCD’s commitment to establishing a stronger connection with District residents, community-based organizations, small businesses, landlords, housing policy stakeholders, developers and financiers.

DHCD’s mission is crucial—to produce and preserve opportunities for affordable housing and economic development and to revitalize underserved communities in the District. Our goal is to create a newsletter that shares the most up-to-date information with our readers.

My hope is that the stories we share in this newsletter give our readers a glimpse of the unprecedented achievements the administration of Mayor Muriel Bowser is making in affordable housing and community development.

We look forward to your feedback, and sharing your success stories, as we continue to improve each issue.

Best,

Polly Donaldson, DHCD Director

Housing Was in Full Bloom in June

Future Bowen Flats resident Tamekkia Key (center) joins Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner, Adrian Washington of Neighborhood Development Co. (both to her left), DHCD Director Polly Donaldson and DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) Executive Director Todd Lee at June 23 ribbon cutting.

District Agencies Celebrated Successes

For the second year in a row, Mayor Bowser shown a spotlight on the District’s affordable housing and community development successes, during June Housing Bloom. Over 100 events were held by DHCD, other housing agencies and community partners in this month-long celebration. For example, we held a Saturday College on housing rules for landlords, tenants and realtors on June 3. A week later, we sponsored a FamilyFest at Greenleaf Recreation Center in Ward 6, where kids learned about healthy eating tips and persons of all ages received information on District housing, financial and other resources. Toward the end of the month, in addition to the Housing Expo and Scissors and Shovels events discussed below, we also held a hearing on our Annual Action Plan to get community feedback.

Housing Expo exhibit hall

Record 6,000+ Registered for 9th Annual DC Housing Expo and Home Show

In its ninth year, the DC Housing Expo and Home Show was bigger and better than ever. Over 6,000 persons—a record number—registered for the event, which featured over 150 housing-related exhibits, including a popular “tiny home” that attendees could walk through. We offered over 20 workshops; some classes, like on inclusionary zoning and home purchase assistance, had standing-room-only crowds. The aroma of freshly cooked salmon filled the air thanks to celebrity chefs who gave healthy cooking demonstrations, seniors played bingo, and a lively crowd near the stage enjoyed vying for prizes and giveaways. Our keynote speaker was Mayor Bowser, who highlighted her administration’s progress on affordable housing projects and noted: “We have a lot of housing resources available in the District, and through events like the Housing Expo we’re working to make sure people know about them.”

Mayor Bowser gives remarks at 4000 Kansas Avenue NW groundbreaking.

On June 23, Shovel in One Hand, Scissors in Another

We joined Mayor Bowser on June 23 for Scissors and Shovels 2.0, a one-day flurry of affordable housing groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings throughout the District. The day started with the mayor breaking ground on a 19-unit affordable housing building at 4000 Kansas Avenue, NW in Ward 4. Next stop was the ribbon cutting for the historic Phyllis Wheatley YWCA at 901 Rhode Island Avenue, NW in Ward 6. This property was renovated and reconfigured into 84 units of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless women. Director Donaldson and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner ended the day with a ribbon cutting ceremony for Bowen Flats, a new 41-unit affordable housing project in Ward 8. During her remarks, Donaldson noted how, at “no time in our District’s history have we invested more and housed more residents in a two-year period—and we’re not slowing down anytime soon.”

Housing Spotlight

Making the Dream of Affordable Homeownership Possible

In June, Jackie Clauss experienced one of the most memorable moments of her life when she became a first-time homeowner. “My three kids and I are forever grateful,” said Clauss, a D.C. Public Schools teacher. “My family was blessed with a home. It was a long way, but we got there.”

Clauss purchased her first home through the District’s inclusionary zoning Program, which offers eligible households an opportunity to purchase or rent an affordable housing unit through a lottery process. She also was a recipient of down payment and closing cost assistance through the District’s Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP).

“I appreciate the different parts involved in the process to make this happen,” said Clauss. “[DHCD has] made the dream of affordable homeownership possible.”

Innovative Strategies and Projects Result in Awards, Accolades

The District’s multi-pronged approach to housing production and preservation, homeownership, and development of vacant properties is winning national recognition. DHCD was announced on April 28 as a finalist for the Urban Land Institute’s Larson Housing Policy Leadership Award. This annual award, provided by ULI’s Terwilliger Center for Housing, recognizes innovative ways the public sector is addressing the nation’s affordable housing crisis. The winner will be announced in September.

Three affordable housing projects that received DHCD financing recently received accolades:

The Washington Business Journal honored The Beacon Center, a 99-unit mixed-use project at 6100 Georgia Avenue NW, and the John and Jill Ker Conway Residence, a 124-unit project at 1005 North Capitol Street NE, as standouts for the best 25 real estate deals for 2016.
The Conway Residence also received the 2017 Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Washington TRENDS Award for Excellence in Housing Development.
The Girard Street Senior Apartments was awarded best small affordable housing project by the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers.

On a related note, Director Donaldson was honored to represent the District during the Daniel Rose Fellowship study tour of Seattle and Alaska this spring.

Springing Into Step: Expanding Affordable Housing, Transforming Vacant Properties

This spring and early summer, we were pleased to announce news on several projects that will provide over 100 units of affordable housing to District residents:

Six District-owned properties in Historic Anacostia were awarded to Mi Casa and Development Corporation of Columbia Heights to produce family-style affordable housing units.
Flywheel Development LLC and Neighborhood Development Company will construct 40 new townhomes on vacant property in Wards 7 and 8.
HPTF financing will preserve affordable rental units in Wards 1 and 8: (1) So Others Might Eat (SOME) will be able to provide supportive services for 36 families thanks to $4.9 million in HPTF financing that will preserve rental housing in Ward 1; and (2) the United 2nd Street Tenants Association and Mi Casa received $2.6 million in HPTF funding under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) to acquire and preserve 25 rental units in Ward 8.
Over $5 million in HPTF funding will help preserve nearly 100 affordable housing units in Wards 5 and 7: (1) Housing Up received funding to rehabilitate Hedin House, a 48-unit apartment building in Ward 5; and (2) Residence at Minnesota Gardens Cooperative Inc. received funding for the acquisition and preservation of 48 affordable housing units in Ward 7.

And more is to come. Our Spring 2017 funding notice and request for proposals (RFP) recently closed and proposals that will produce and preserve more affordable housing units are now being evaluated.

July 2017 Edition

Check Out Our New Video

We launched a new video at the DC Housing Expo and Home Show that tells a great visual story of how we work to produce and preserve affordable housing, and revitalize neighborhoods, in the District.

Hooray for HPAP! $1.1M+ Given to 21 Households in June

Over the years, our Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) has helped thousands of residents become first-time homeowners. Recent enhancements to the program now give residents even more purchasing power. Congratulations to the 21 households that received over $1.1 million in down payment and closing cost assistance in June.

Lauren Pair Is New Rent Administrator

Lauren Pair was sworn in July 7 as Rent Administrator for the District of Columbia by Mayor Bowser. In her role, Pair will provide leadership and direction as a recognized technical authority on issues related to rent control.

Comment on Action Plan by July 25

We are soliciting public input on our draft Fiscal Year 2018 Action Plan regarding our use of federal resources for affordable housing and community development. Residents and stakeholders should read the draft plan and mail written comments to DHCD Director Polly Donaldson by July 25, 2017.

Visit Us at Fox 5 Zip Trip on July 28

DHCD will be in the Congress Heights community on July 28, from 6 am to 11 am, as part of Fox 5 DC's Zip Trip. The exact site is Gateway DC at 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. Stop by our tent to learn about our programs.

Offers Sought to Transform Three Parcels in Congress Heights

Developers have until September 11, 2017 to respond to a Solicitation for Offers (SFO) to develop three sites in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Ward 8 into affordable housing. Preference will be given to proposals that address senior housing needs.

Other News of Note

How the FY18 Budget Supports ‘Inclusive Prosperity’

For the third year in a row, Mayor Bowser has prioritized affordable housing as a building block to the middle class by investing another $100 million into the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF). Other notable housing-related enhancements in her FY 2018 budget include:

$10 million for a new Housing Preservation Fund;
$1 million increase for the Employer Assisted Housing Program, which offers first time homebuyer assistance to District government employees; and
$6.2 million for Safe At Home, a program that provides grants to allow seniors to age in place.

Setting the Record Straight on the District’s Affordable Housing Wins

Director Donaldson appeared on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on May 10 to counter a Washington Post article that took a negative slant on DHCD’s administration of the federal HOME Investment Partnership Program. Donaldson also responded separately to the Post in a letter to the editor. In addition, Deputy Mayor Kenner distributed a response to the public in a detailed memo that further spelled out the affordable housing successes of the Bowser administration.

Getting More Than the Lead Out

Certain low- and moderate-income households can get help reducing home safety hazards, thanks to an expansion of DHCD’s Lead Safe Washington (LSW) Program. The Healthy Homes Program (HHP) initiative will use intervention and repair services to address one or more home hazards for households currently enrolled in the LSW program: damp and mold growth, excess cold, asbestos, radiation-radon, easy entry by intruders, fire risks, poor lighting and fall risks.

Stats Support Affordable Housing Achievements

The Bowser administration is producing and preserving more affordable housing than ever before in the District's history. And we have the data to prove it. Check out the DMPED dashboard (see graphic at right), as well as a pipeline report of DHCD-specific projects.