Affordable Housing and Tax Relief

District of Columbia sent this bulletin at 11/20/2013 03:43 PM EST

Friends,

The Washington Business Journal recently published an article stating that the median selling price of a single family home in the District is roughly $600,000 and the median price for the month of September 2013 was $809,843! Following a down payment of approximately $30,000-$40,000, these figures equate to a monthly mortgage of roughly $3,000 and $4,000 respectively. For many, and especially potential new homeowners, the District’s housing market is out of reach.

That is why I’m joining community organizations, including the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development (CNHED), Manna, Inc., and others to work with the DC Department of Housing & Community Development in preserving existing affordability and to create and increase our affordable housing stock. On December 7 and January 11, I will be hosting Community Action Summits with community leaders, housing experts and stakeholders to share ideas and identify solutions.

Additionally, this is why I introduced and expect full passage in December of my “Senior Citizen Real Property Tax Relief Act of 2013”, which will enable longstanding residents on limited incomes to maintain their residences, and which is currently the only piece of proposed council legislation offering tax relief to District homeowners.

What about the rental units?

Everywhere I visit across the District, both new and longstanding residents share their concerns over their increasing rental costs. After listening to numerous proposals and reading in-depth studies, I have concluded that the easiest way to provide economic relief to renters and their families is to increase their standard DC tax deduction. Unlike homeowners, renters cannot deduct a mortgage interest and are less likely to file an itemized tax return.

The current standard deduction is $4,000 dollars. I am working on legislation to substantially increase the standard deduction for low-income workers, which would alleviate their tax liability and provide a significant tax rebate for more than 120,000 residents.

What ideas do you have for giving renters relief from the escalating cost of rental housing? Please email me at abonds@dccouncil.us.

Sincerely,

Anita

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

NORTH MICHIGAN PARK

Councilmember Anita Bonds was the featured speaker at the North Michigan Park Civic Association November Meeting. At the meeting, Councilmember Bonds discussed recent council actions, including her proposal to eliminate all property taxes for long-standing senior homeowners and her upcoming December 7th Community Summit to engage residents and community stakeholders in the discussion of affordable housing and employment opportunities.

WARD 7 READS! BOOK DRIVE

On Monday, November 11, Councilmember Anita Bonds joined education advocates and Smothers Elementary Principal Shannon Feinblatt at Ward 7 Reads Extravaganza, which raised funds and books for the ward’s 3,500 elementary students.

The successful event, spearheaded by ANC Commissioner Robert A. Jordan (7B06), collected over 6500 books representing over $15,000.00 in sponsorships! Parents in attendance were given educational information on the school lottery, various reading programs, and after school activities.

Many thanks are extended to Ward 7 principals, teachers, parents, students, Octo Consulting Group CEO Mehul Sanghani, Hon. Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7), Hon. Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Hon. David Catania (I-At-Large), Ward 7 Education Council President Eboni-Rose Thompson, Project Refocus Director Dr. Zina Williams, Oliva Consulting CEO Megan Lavin for their support.

HONORING VETERANS

On Veterans Day, Councilmember Anita Bonds co-hosted a scholarship fundraiser for District Veterans and their families at the American Legion Post No.8 on Capitol Hill, the eighth oldest American Legion Post in the nation.

The fundraiser raised nearly $15,000.00 for the Wilbert E. Warnke Veterans Legacy Fund/Homestretch, Inc., and proceeds will assist DC veterans with housing, transportation, child care, wellness services, and other life-changing skills.

This is the non-profit’s first annual fundraiser to address the root causes of homelessness among District veterans as a partner with Homestretch, Inc., a regional social services provider which helps empower disrupted families with children obtain transitional housing, counseling, and financial consulting.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION

On Wednesday, Councilmember Anita Bonds joined Verizon Communications in recognizing a diverse group of non-profit organizations that share the goal to eradicate domestic violence.

The event, held at the Latin American Youth Center, paid tribute to the eleven organizations that Verizon has financially assisted in developing, maintaining, and offering support for those affected by domestic violence.

Those honored were: Ayuda, Asian-Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project, Becky Lee’s Women Support Fund, Dance Institute of Washington, District Alliance for Safe Housing, Latin American Youth Center, Mary's Center For Maternal & Child Care, Neighborhood Legal Services Program, Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders (SMYAL), and Vida Senior Centers.

This month, Councilmember Anita Bonds presented Verizon with a ceremonial resolution from the Council of the District of Columbia acknowledging the company’s history of charitable and civic contributions to District-based organizations.

Among the charitable contributions given in the past five years, Verizon has donated more than $37 million to DC nonprofits that help make a positive impact in the community, created the HopeLine program to donate hundreds of used cellphones to survivors of domestic violence, partnered with the University of the District of Columbia to launch four new teaching gardens to provide students from the College of Agriculture and Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences with hands-on agricultural and urban gardening experience. Currently, Verizon companies employ 638 skilled employees in the District, of which 435 are DC residents.

FALL INTO FITNESS

Last week, Councilmember Anita Bonds visited the Washington Senior Wellness Center, where she continued her campaign to encourage older residents to “Fall into Fitness”.

The initiative provides seniors an opportunity to learn how to stay fit by taking advantage of low-impact exercising such as: walking, stretching, chair exercise, and line-dancing. The initiative also encourages healthy eating and features a demonstration of turning fruits and vegetables around the house into tasty and delicious fruit smoothies.

Photo- Chef Tate, Councilmember Anita Bonds, Dr. Ruby Lathon.

SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, DEC. 7

ANITA BONDS COMMUNITY ACTION SUMMIT ON HOUSING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

4058 Minnesota Ave. NE , 9AM until 2PM

Come share your ideas by participating in work groups and hear from expert panelists to examine the following issues:

Affordable Housing and Homeownership
Job Training and Placement
DC's First Source Law
Rent Control

MEET MARIO CRISTALDO

The office of Councilmember Anita Bonds is pleased to announce the addition of well-known community and Latino activist Mario Cristaldo as our new Community Outreach Analyst.

Mr. Cristaldo has vast experience in community outreach, having served as Director of Community Relations with Manna Inc., where he managed community building initiatives for over eight years. In this capacity, he worked with neighborhood residents, citizen organizations, financial institutions, and elected/appointed officials to gain support, partnerships, and financial opportunities for their housing development projects.

Mr. Cristaldo will also be a top advisor to the Councilmember on issues related to affordable and rental housing initiatives, having served on the DC Rental Housing Conversion and Sales Task Force under Mayor Anthony Williams.

A resident of Mt. Pleasant with his wife Cara Fulton, Mario Cristaldo received a Master of Science degree in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University.

Photo- Councilmember Anita Bonds and Mario Cristaldo.

District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue Introduces Tax Refund Visa Prepaid Card Option For Personal Income Tax Returns

(Washington, DC) - The District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) announced today a new option taxpayers can choose to receive their local income tax refunds. Beginning next year, a prepaid card will be available as an alternative to paper checks and direct deposit.

The prepaid cards will be available at no cost to taxpayers, and no bank account or credit check is required to enroll. Taxpayers who choose to receive the cards can use them to conveniently and securely pay bills and make purchases online, by telephone, and at retail locations. In addition, taxpayers - including those without bank accounts - can make in-person cash withdrawals at most banks.

The DC OTR issues more than 50 percent of income tax refunds via paper checks each year. The switch to the tax refund cards will save the District money by reducing check printing and mailing costs.

The new prepaid card will be ready to use after being activated by the cardholder, providing taxpayers with immediate access to their District tax refund. In addition to ATMs, cardholders can get cash back at the point-of-sale (with PIN transactions) at most retail locations. Cardholders are also protected against unauthorized or fraudulent charges (terms and conditions apply).

Those who do not select an option on their tax return will receive a tax refund card. However, refunds under $25 or greater than $2,500 do not qualify for the tax refund card and will be issued by check.

For additional information on the prepaid card option, taxpayers should visit: otr.dc.gov/refundprepaidcards

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1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW ~ Washington, DC 20004 ~ Suite 408

(202) 724-8064 office (202) 724-8071 fax www.dccouncil.us abonds@dccouncil.us

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