 Greetings Washingtonians,
Each year, the June Housing Bloom celebration of the
District’s housing investments and resources gets bigger and better. As you
will read in this month’s newsletter, we kicked off things by providing new
funding sources for nonprofit developers. That led into what surely was our
grandest-ever Annual DC Housing Expo and Home Show. We were celebrating a 10 year anniversary and DHCD team members, especially our Expo Coordinator
Pam Hillsman, went all out to make this event extra-special for current and
potential District residents. This included the partnership with WHUR that
brought HGTV’s Egypt Sherrod’s star power to the main stage...a brief glimpse of
the District’s unique history by author George Derek Musgrove… areas where you
could get landscape and home design advice…healthy cooking tips from several
local chefs—and not just one but two tiny homes! Our sister agencies in the
Administration that had tables were greatly impressed, the attendees were
enthused and we were ROCKING on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram feeds all day long!
Though June Housing Bloom, we are continuing to get the word
out with other events and announcements about the great work the District is
doing in affordable housing. Read more on what we’ve done thus far, and events
you can look forward to through the end of this month.
Polly Donaldson, DHCD Director
Follow me on Twitter: @maryrandolph
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 Thousands of attendees joined in the 10 year celebration
of the Annual DC Housing Expo and Home Show on June 9 at the Walter E.
Washington Convention Center. We plan to post a comprehensive recap of the
event on our website later, so stay tuned. In the interim, here are just a few
highlights.
 HGTV Star Egypt Sherrod, at the Expo in partnership with WHUR 96.3 FM, engrossed a packed main stage crowd with her story of how she got involved in real estate investing. She then shared practical tips on buying a home (it's not a great idea to just drive up to a house with a for-sale sign), home design (try to be a bargain shopper--stick to a budget) and home inspections (what are normal and abnormal problems in a house). Facilitated by WHUR's Molette Green, Sherrod patiently fielded lots of attendee questions, even when advised that her time was wrapping up. After leaving the main stage, she spent more time talking to attendees and taking photos at the Design Center. Here's a video tease of her presentation.
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Chocolate City co-author George Derek Musgrove explained how being a native of Baltimore was not a barrier in becoming fascinated with the District's history. Later, he mingled with attendees and signed books in the Authors' Corner. Separately, in the Kid's Corner, children gathered around as books like "A Chair For My Mother" (on saving money and acts of kindness) by Ms. Vera B. Williams were read to them. |
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 There were plenty of other activities for kids as well, including face painting, video games, an intense LEGO house building competition and educational games that taught them about financial literacy. For example, Bank on DC literally made learning about credit as easy as building blocks. Adults looking for more age appropriate learning tools got one-on-one credit counseling and credit reports (we pulled over 300 free reports during the Expo!), and/or talked to exhibitors and workshop presenters.
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 In closing, we had great attendance—including VIPs such as At Large
Councilmember Anita Bonds—as well as wonderful news coverage about the District’s
affordable housing accomplishments. This Washington
Informer article is a good example! As you await our fuller recap, this video will give you a deeper look into this celebratory event.
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 Mayor Bowser kicked off June Housing Bloom by opening the
application period for the Oramenta Newsome Predevelopment Loan (see article at above right).
June Housing Bloom is a
month-long initiative that was launched by the Mayor to showcase how the
public and private sectors are partnering to produce and preserve affordable
housing and revitalize neighborhoods across Washington, DC. Throughout June
Housing Bloom, which is designed to complement National Homeownership Month,
the Bowser Administration is holding events celebrating homeownership
opportunities, the production and preservation of affordable housing units, and
the transformation of vacant spaces.
Events and announcements that
occurred earlier this month include: (1) the 10th Annual DC Housing Expo and
Home Show on June 9; (2) a commencement recognition ceremony on June
8 for Partner Arms II in
Ward 4, which will provide housing for chronically homeless families; (3) Director Donaldson and Walda Yon from the Latino Economic Development Center participated
in a June
8 Facebook live discussion on the Mayor’s Facebook page; and (4) the announcement of $103 million in affordable housing investments. Some of these and
other past activities are described in this newsletter.
Upcoming events include the groundbreaking ceremony for the Liberty Place Apartments on June 22.
A full calendar can be found here.
Partner Arms II Will Provide Housing for Formerly Homeless Families
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 Director Donaldson provided remarks for the June 8 Commencement
Recognition Ceremony of the Partner Arms II Apartments, 4506 Georgia Avenue NW,
in the Petworth neighborhood of Ward 4. Upon completion of the rehabilitation project,
Partner Arms II will provide 12 units of permanent supportive housing (PSH) to
formerly homeless families earning no more than $35,160 (30 percent MFI). Among those in attendance was Ray Slade, DHCD’s
project manager for Partner Arms II. Donaldson discussed the District’s work in
the preservation of affordable housing for DC residents, the valuable work of
non-partner partners to deliver affordable housing, and the connection between
ending homelessness by preserving and producing affordable housing found in
projects like Partner Arms II.
Hearing Attendees Learn Plans for Affordable Housing at Florida and Q NW
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 Representatives from DHCD and Mi Casa gave an overview of plans to transform property at Florida Avenue and Q Street NW into affordable housing during a June 14 public hearing.
Mi Casa will develop the property into the Barnett-Adan Apartments, a 24-unit affordable housing project with 75 percent family-sized units. It will include PSH, fully accessible and aging in place units. All units will be affordable to households making no more than $117,200 (80 percent MFI).
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 DHCD's DFD Manager Accepts HAND Emerging Leader Award
Three tables of DHCD staffers celebrated June Housing Bloom in a big way by joining Chris Dickersin-Prokopp and his family on June 12, as he received the emerging leader award at the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developer's annual gala. Chris is DHCD's development finance manager; he and his team play a vital role in producing and preserving affordable housing. See this short video, which really articulates his dedication to District residents. We also exhibited during the event, in a table manned by Sandy Allen and Terrance Laney. (Photo: Chris, center, receiving his award)
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 Mayor Bowser’s Roots
to Roofs DC initiative is not just designed to highlight housing
programs available to DC residents. Its goal is to tell the stories of
residents who have made the District their home. A new video shares the testimonies of five Washingtonians:
- Andrea Sumner, a District Government employee who purchased her first home last year, using the Home Purchase
Assistance Program (HPAP) and the Employer-Assisted Housing Program.
- Chelsey
Kelly, who thanks to DCOpensDoors bought her first home in Southwest.
- Delia
Garcia shared how DCOpenDoors became her new best friend by making real her dream of buying her first home.
- Juanda Smith used HPAP over 30 years ago to purchase her current cooperative in the Truxton Circle neighborhood.
- Robert Cook noted there are a wealth of resources—he used HPAP
to buy his Brookland home—to help first-time homeowners establish roots in the
District.
To learn more about housing resources in the District, go to rootstoroofsdc.com.
Mayor Bowser Announces $103 Million Investment in
Affordable Housing
On June 13, Mayor Bowser announced the
selection of nine projects that will produce or preserve housing for more than
1,700 residents—including seniors and residents experiencing homelessness—with
approximately $103 million in funding from the District Government.
The
nine selected projects will provide affordable housing in Wards 2, 4, 7, and 8.
The projects consist of four new production projects, three preservation
projects, and two mixed projects that preserve existing units but will also add
new affordable units. All projects will serve households making no more than $117,200 (80
percent MFI).
The
funding for the projects includes $78,218,179 from the HPTF, $25 million in equity from 9 percent low-income housing tax
credits (LIHTC), and 106 local rent supplement program (LRSP) vouchers.
The
projects will now proceed to the underwriting stage and join other selected
projects already in the pipeline at DHCD. The agency will release the next
Request for Proposals for affordable housing projects in late June.
 Helping Future
Homebuyers Become Financially Fit
The testimonies
in the Roots to Roofs DC video share a common theme: The District government
has a wealth of resources to help individuals and families become homeowners, even
in today’s housing market. One such resource is The Financially Fit Homebuyers
Club Workshop, created under a collaboration between DHCD’s Neighborhood Based
Activities Program, the DC Department of Insurance and Banking and the Mayor’s
Office of African American Affairs. A five-session series was launched June 14. It will be held every other Thursday, and will provide guidance on navigating
the homebuying process and available programs. Homeownership training is
facilitated by certified housing counselors from University Legal Services, Inc.
through a DHCD grant. The 25 participants who attended the inaugural training
were from the DC Running Club.
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 Here are the latest updates on the Action points under Vacant to Vibrant DC occurring as part of June Housing Bloom.
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Action 2—Supporting Small Business to Spur Homeownership: Participants in the District’s Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) program will bid on contracts to turn several sites into workforce housing. Two solicitations have been awarded, and two will be open until June 21.
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Action 3—Building Homes Through HIP: The Housing Investment Platform, an innovative program from the DC Housing Financing Agency (DCHFA) to turn two sites into workforce housing. A June 28 public hearing will consider the proposed disposition of several properties.
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Action 4—Expanding Green Space: A conservation event was held on June 20 in the Riggs Park neighborhood of Washington DC to celebrate the partnership with Casey Trees to expand and preserve green space. Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner, Director Donaldson, DHCD Chief of Staff Latrena Owens and Casey Trees Executive Director Mark Buscaino did a ceremonial ribbon cutting and signage placement. (See photo.)
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Action 5—Seeing a Tiny House in Action: Pre-site development will begin June 21 for 1109-1110 50th Street NE on two tiny homes that are part of a demonstration and community education project in partnership with the DC Students Construction Trades Foundation.
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