 Greetings Washingtonians,
DHCD is moving full steam ahead with its Fiscal Year
2018 goals of producing and preserving even more affordable housing for
District residents: We’ve issued a request for applications for a manager of
our $10 million Housing Preservation Fund.
Last November, the DC Housing
Preservation Strike Force, created by Mayor Bowser, released a
six-point action plan on how to preserve and protect 100 percent of the District’s
current affordable housing. Such action
is crucial because studies show the city lost at least 1,000 units of subsidized
housing between 2006 and 2014, another 1,750 units are at risk of being lost, and
an additional 13,700 units with subsidies that will expire by 2020 are possibly
at risk of loss.
One of the Strike Force’s recommendations was to provide
seed money of $10 million for a public-private fund to facilitate early
investments in preservation deals and leverage greater amounts of private
capital to preserve affordable housing.
We worked quickly to get that fund approved in the Mayor’s
FY 2018 budget, and now we need a manager to structure, administer, and manage the
fund.
We are asking our non-profit and for-profit partners to contact preservationfund.RFA@dc.gov for more details on the necessary qualifications.
Most key, applicants should have a desire to serve the residents of the District of Columbia by finding ways to preserve safe and affordable housing throughout the city.
Polly Donaldson, DHCD Director
Follow me on Twitter @maryrandolph
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 At Archer Park ribbon cutting: Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, Mayor Bowser, Pam Askew of WC Smith, Polly Donaldson of DHCD, Todd Lee of the DC Housing Finance Agency, Dan O'Neill of SunTrust Bank and Barry LeNoir of the United Black Fund
Mayor Bowser Celebrates Archer Park Ribbon-Cutting; Cautions About Federal Proposals
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Director Donaldson and other private and
public sector partners celebrated the grand opening Nov. 15 of Archer Park, a 190-unit
affordable housing development in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Ward 8.
Archer Park features 182 affordable rental units for
households at or below 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) as well as
eight units of permanent supportive housing (PSH) for individuals and families
experiencing homelessness and at or below 30 percent AMI. The DC Government
provided gap financing for Archer Park using $7.2 million from the Housing
Production Trust Fund (HPTF), $400,000 from the DC Department of Behavioral
Health, and $19 million in equity from low-income housing tax credits through
the DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA).
Mayor Bowser stressed how Archer Park is allowing more families
and individuals who are making a better life for themselves; and noted that the current U.S. House tax
reform bill (H.R.1) would more difficult for
Americans to access affordable housing and a pathway to the middle class.
Donaldson remarked it takes commitment, vision and resources like HPTF to get affordable housing out of the door, and that is her job--one she is very passionate about.
 A rendering of The Solstice, new affordable housing coming to East Capitol Street NE.
Nearly 200 Affordable Housing Units Produced and
Preserved in Ward 7’s Greenway Neighborhood
DHCD recently closed its
first two loan agreements for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, totaling more than $26.5
million, to fund two affordable housing projects in Ward 7:
- HPTF financing of $19.6 million was provided to 3534 East Cap Venture LLC for the new construction of
the Solstice, at 3534 East Capitol Street NE. This will be a 137-unit
apartment building, with 122 units for households at or below $55,150 (50
percent AMI). The project also received $21.5
million in tax exempt bond financing from DCHFA.
- HPTF financing of $6.9 million
was provided to Milestone Senior Owner, LLC for the acquisition and
rehabilitation of three apartment buildings along the 3600 block of
Minnesota Avenue SE. This project will provide 45 units for households at or below
$55,150 (50 percent AMI).
Both projects also will
provide 15 PSH units for households at or below
$33,100 (30 percent AMI).
 National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week: Sharing How to Avoid Health Hazards
DHCD’s Lead Safe Washington (LSW) program participated in National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week Oct. 22-28. The goal of this week is for individuals, organizations, and government agencies to collaborate in an effort to reduce childhood exposure to lead. The outreach events allowed the LSW team to share the following information with the public: (1) the sources of lead exposure; (2) lead poisoning prevention and response; and (3) helpful initiatives, policies, and resources. During the week, the LSW team:
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