Become a Member Today
|
Where's On Tap Magazine?
|
Help Us Tell Your Story Premium Content Dry January Guide
Log In Sign Up
  • Play

    Play

    • A D.C. Beginner’s Guide to Working Out in Winter
    • Lace Up: A Boxing Guide for Beginners
    • Balance Gym Talks Safe Exercise This Fall
    • 10 Ways to Ring in 2021 from Home
    • How to Celebrate President Biden’s Inauguration from Home
    • Radar: To Do in D.C. 1.20-1.24
    • Beginner’s Guide: Meditation
  • Life

    Life

    • A D.C. Fall + Winter Style Guide
    • New Pup-Friendly Locales in the DMV
    • The Best of DMV-Made Winter Beauty + Skincare
    • Help Us Tell Your Story
    • Bar Owner Chris Marshall + Bartender Anna Welker Talk Booze-Free Business
    • DRY Botanical Bubbly Is Changing the Drinking Game
    • Make Room for Self-Care in 2021
  • Eat

    Eat

    • Sandwich Pop-Ups Are These Restaurants’ Bread + Butter
    • Mozzeria Brings Joy, Jobs and Pizza to the District
    • Alexandria’s King & Rye Serves Modern Updates on Southern Classics
    • Cuisine Solutions Simplifies Holiday Cooking
    • Han Palace Offers Dim Sum + More to Explore
    • HalfSmoke’s Winter Wonderland Cures the Seasonal Blues
    • Arlington’s Colony Grill: Your New DMV Pizza Spot
  • Drink

    Drink

    • Zero-Proof in D.C.
    • D.C.’s St. Vincent Wine Creates Covid-Conscious Experience
    • Inside Aslin Beer Company’s Creative Can Design
    • Top #MadeinDC, Booze-Free Beverage Brands
    • Top #MadeinDC, Booze-Free Beverage Brands
    • D.C.’s St. Vincent Wine Creates Covid-Conscious Experience
    • Eight Zero-Proof, Made-in-D.C. Drinks to Kickstart 2021
  • Culture

    Culture

    • D.C.-Based Meme Maker + Podcast Host Dave Tarnowski
    • Evoking the Senses with D.C. Gallery Transformer’s FlatFile
    • Same Voice, Different Stage: Morning Edition’s Esther Ciammachilli
    • Paper Routes to Reclamation: Women in the Arts Mid-Pandemic
    • Dry January + Beyond: the Alcohol-Free Movement Continues to Grow
    • Nat Geo Explorer + Environmental Community Organizer KM Reyes
    • Paper Routes to Reclamation: Women in the Arts Mid-Pandemic
  • Music

    Music

    • D.C. Seeks Support for Music Venues
    • Sondre Lerche Creates Solace on New Record
    • Byrdland Records Comes to Union Market
    • The Age of Aquarius + Covid: Yelle Releases “L’Ère du Verseau”
    • The Year in Review: Voices in D.C.’s Music Scene Reflect on 2020
    • A Music Lover’s Recap: Best of 2020 + What’s Ahead in 2021
    • A Voice for Venues: The Fight to Save Our Stages
  • Events

    Events

    • Dry January Mixology Workshops
    • Valentine’s Day with Tiki on 18th
    • Fashion on Film: The Rise of the Miniskirt – Norah Noh
    • Browse Events
    • Live Salon: Hotel Zena
    • Virtual Tour: Forgotten Women of Arlington National Cemetery
    • Live Tour: Downtown DC Callboxes (Women’s History Edition)
  • Log In
    Sign Up

    Help Us Tell Your Story
    Dry January Guide
Log In Sign Up
Radar: To Do in D.C. 1.27-1.31 Premium Content
Rahne Alexanders I Am the End of the Patriarchy
Tephra ICA in Reston Offers Virtual Art Experiences
FORWARD sculpture at The Reach Kennedy Center
Interact with the Kennedy Center’s Outdoor Exhibit “UNITY | PEACE | FORWARD”
Indulge in Afternoon High Tea at The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City
Han Palace Offers Dim Sum + More to Explore
Arlington’s Colony Grill: Your New DMV Pizza Spot Premium Content
Home » Articles » Life » No Place Like Home: Local Organizations Fighting for Housing Justice

Life

Housing Illustration Illustration by James Coreas

No Place Like Home: Local Organizations Fighting for Housing Justice Premium Content

Share:

August 7, 2020 @ 10:00am | M.K. Koszycki

In 2020, Washington D.C. went from being the most intensely gentrified city to 13th on the list, according to a June report by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. That doesn’t necessarily mean a marked level of improvement, though, and is more indicative of the fact that while gentrification continues to be rampant in D.C., other cities have simply outpaced the District. Notoriously high rates of gentrification, whether noted in studies or firsthand accounts by those affected, is just one of many reasons why acquiring and maintaining safe, affordable housing is a challenge to many in the District.

Several organizations throughout the area are working to ensure that D.C. residents can actually afford to live and work in this city. Paired with the ever-looming presence of gentrification, this is an effort that becomes even more necessary as the economic effects of Covid-19 show no signs of slowing and rent strikes abound alongside newfound forms of housing insecurity.

“As we see our neighbors in the D.C. metro region continually struggle to keep a roof over their head, it has become even more apparent that we need to view housing through a social justice lens,” says Wesley Housing President and CEO Shelley Murphy.

Wesley Housing provides operative and affordable housing in D.C. and Virginia, with 25 communities and 1,780 total housing units.

“We view housing as a fundamental human need, and the pandemic and other recent events have highlighted the continued difficulties that people of color have in finding and keeping safe, decent affordable housing,” Murphy says. “Our communities are filled with working families and individuals of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, 83% of which are non-white.”

She adds that through strong partnerships in the region, she and her team have made amazing strides toward adding more than 500 affordable housing units to the region in the next three years.

“But there is still so much work to be done,” she adds. “Beyond providing a safe, quality, affordable place to live, we also offer 100% of residents access to our Housing Stability Initiative (HSI), which works by stabilizing residents’ housing and then builds on that foundation by teaching new skills and behaviors to become self-sufficient and ultimately break the cycle of poverty.”

Grassroots organization Justice First also fights for housing justice through their organizing efforts. Like Wesley Housing, Justice First understands the intersections of inequality that can make fair and affordable housing inaccessible to many in the District, especially Black communities and other communities of color.

“Justice First is fighting for social and racial justice across a broad spectrum of issues ranging from rampant police terror to affordable and decent housing,” says Nicole Roussell, a Justice First organizer. “Our work fosters grassroots leadership among Black and other youth of color to build a fightback movement capable of challenging systemic inequality.”

Roussell lists unchecked police violence against Black and oppressed communities, widespread unemployment, sky-high rents, and the threat of eviction amid a pandemic as realities faced by families across D.C. and nationwide.

“While banks and big business are bailed out, working people bear the brunt of the crisis,” she notes. “Empowering youth and building a strong, multinational grassroots movement right here in D.C. are the critical building blocks of our fight for social justice. It is only through organizing that we can win.”

Some of the recent efforts Justice First backed includes supporting tenants of neighborhoods in Congress Heights and the Basilica Tenants Associations in their fight to keep their homes from sale to developers who would not maintain the buildings as safe, affordable and accessible. Wesley Housing has several projects underway, including a rental development for older adults in Winchester, Virginia among other projects.

Through different approaches, both Justice First and Wesley Housing leverage their collective might to make sure that D.C. area residents have access to the safe, healthy and affordable housing they need to survive.

Justice First: www.justicefirst.org; @justicefirstorg

Wesley Housing: www.wesleyhousing.org; @wesleyhousing

Support Housing Justice in the District

There are plenty of organizations in D.C. helping homeless individuals find stability to influencing policies that keep residents safely and affordably housed. Read on for a list of organizations worth checking out to learn more about housing justice, homelessness in the District, housing policy and more. Note: Mission statements taken directly from the website of each organization.

Coalition for Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development
“The Coalition for Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development fosters just and equitable community development solutions that address the needs and aspirations of low- and moderate-income District residents by convening, advocating and educating diverse stakeholders.” www.cnhed.org; @cnhed on Twitter + Facebook

Housing Up
“Housing Up builds thriving communities in Washington D.C. by developing affordable housing and offering comprehensive support services to homeless and low-income families. We believe that people who have safe, affordable housing and genuine opportunities are empowered to transform their lives.” www.housingup.org; @housingupdc on Twitter; @housingup on Instagram + Facebook

Jubilee Housing
“Jubilee Housing was founded in 1973 when members of Church of the Saviour saw a need to address substandard housing in the heart of Washington, D.C. We banded together to purchase The Ritz and Mozart apartment buildings in Adams Morgan. Since then, we have grown to encompass 10 buildings in Ward 1, serving nearly 800 people with housing and supportive services each year. Today, as low- and moderate-income families are being squeezed out of the District due to lack of affordable housing, our work makes sure they can benefit from the progress of the city. Our work creates justice housing.” www.jubileehousing.org; @jubileehousing on Twitter + Instagram

Pathways to Housing DC
“The mission of Pathways to Housing DC is to end homelessness and support recovery for people with complex health challenges.” www.pathwaystohousingdc.org; @pathwaysdc on Instagram + Twitter

Enjoy this piece? Consider becoming a member for access to our premium digital content and to get a monthly print edition delivered to your door. Support local journalism and start your membership today.

Share:

Related Articles

No Articles

District Fray Dry January
drizly paid placement ad
ANXO Community Ad
COMPANY
About United Fray Team Where’s On Tap Magazine?
GET INVOLVED
Become A Member Virtual Community Corporate Wellness Media Kit
EXPLORE
Eat Drink Music Culture Life Play Past Issues
OUR CITIES
Washington D.C. Jacksonville Phoenix
Subscribe

By clicking submit, you agree to receive emails from District Fray and accept our web terms of use and privacy and cookie policy.

© 2021 District Fray.

Enjoying Our Article?

Thanks for reading District Fray Magazine. We’re glad you’re here!

Access even more premium articles when you claim your free membership.

Activate My Free Membership