Category: Affordable Housing

DC: Testimony in Support of Inclusionary Zoning

Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I am speaking on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, a regional nonprofit based in DC. I would like to express my support for the good work of the Office of Planning. In addition to diligent work on small area plans and development review, the Office of Planning’s major effort to revise and update our outmoded, 1950s zoning code is coming to completion this year. I have appreciated how DCOP has engaged the public through working groups, and provided us with new research and analysis to support a robust discussion. OP’s detailed assessment and proposed code revisions will help us fulfill the 2006 Comprehensive Plan vision to build a sustainable, inclusive city.

Urban Hipsters and Long-time Residents Unite! Housing Strategies to Preserve Mixed Income Neighborhoods as D.C. Grows

How does a growing city ensure that affordable housing is available to its population? As DC gains population for the first time in decades, we must take advantage of creative new tools and cross class and cultural boundaries if the city wants to be affordable for all.

D.C. – New Resources for Housing and Homelessness Advocates

D.C. – New Resources for Housing and Homelessness Advocates

The lack of affordable housing has long been a problem in the District. For some residents, this means that they are forced to live in housing that eats up nearly all of their paycheck, leaving little for other basic necessities such as food and clothing. For many others, the cost of housing is so high that they are forced to double up in homes and apartments, move out of their community, or live in their cars or out on the streets.

REGIONAL – Urban Land Institute’s “Beltway Burden”

REGIONAL – Urban Land Institute’s “Beltway Burden”

To find affordable homes, many in the workforce have followed the popular advice to “drive till you qualify” by moving to remote suburbs such as Warren and Fauquier counties, VA, in the west; Spotsylvania County, VA, and Charles County, MD, in the south; Frederick County in the north; and Calvert County, MD, in the east.  As reflected in this report, however, efforts to save on housing expenses often lead to higher transportation costs, with the result that an even larger portion of household budgets are consumed by the combined burden of housing and transportation costs.

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D.C. – Fair Budget Coalition’s Annual Budget Recommendations 2009

D.C. – Fair Budget Coalition’s Annual Budget Recommendations 2009

The Fair Budget Coalition fights for a just and inclusive District of Columbia through advocacy and organizing and by advancing budget and public policy initiatives which reflect the inter-dependency of the District’s community and economic development systems. Organized in 1994, Fair Budget is a coalition of grassroots community groups, human service providers, advocates, faith organizations, and concerned community members.