The Maycroft will serve 64 families and individuals with deeply affordable housing and supportive services

Washington, D.C. – On April 11, 2019, Jubilee Housing will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Maycroft, a justice housing apartment community located in the heart of Columbia Heights. The Maycroft has 64 spacious units, a no-cost healthy food market, Jubilee’s Teen Drop-In Center and Family Resource Center, Martha’s Table’s early childhood education center and McKenna’s Wagon, and a Green Enterprise certification. The Maycroft is Jubilee Housing’s tenth apartment complex in Ward 1.

Guests will hear from Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, DHCD Director Polly Donaldson, DCHFA Director and CEO Todd A. Lee, and other community stakeholders. There will also be guided tours of the Maycroft property where attendees can see unit interiors, Martha’s Table facilities, and the Resiliency Room powered by Pepco’s emergency battery.

“Jubilee Housing and Martha’s Table are valued partners in Ward 1, and I am proud to finally have the Maycroft open to provide affordable housing, early childhood and critical community services,” said Ward 1 DC Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau. “I’m excited to welcome our new residents home.”​

Martha’s Table will operate three programs on the first floor of the Maycroft: their nationally accredited early childhood education program for children six weeks through three years of age; McKenna’s Wagon, a mobile food van that serves hot meals to people experiencing homelessness and hunger at two downtown locations; and a no-cost healthy food market located in the lobby of the building.

“It is important to preserve the affordability in buildings like the Maycroft; which has a rich history and residents committed to their community,” said DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Director Polly Donaldson. “That’s why we used a variety of local and federal financing tools to renovate the building and provide supportive and community services. As a result, Maycroft residents are coming home to safe, stable and affordable housing.”

The Maycroft will feature a 50 kilowatt emergency battery funded by a $65,000 grant from Pepco as part of a pilot resiliency project. In the event of a power loss at the building, the battery will power the Resiliency Center for three days. The Resiliency Center will provide refrigeration for medication, a television and radio, lighting, and multiple electrical outlets to charge cell phones and other communications devices.

“We are so pleased to partner with Jubilee Housing to provide this technology that can support our customers when they need us most,” said Melissa Lavinson, senior vice president of Pepco Holdings. “This pilot is part of our ongoing efforts to evaluate new technologies and services that can connect our communities, create new energy choices, and power a cleaner and brighter future for our customers and communities.”

The Maycroft is an Enterprise Green building with a 70.2 kW solar panel array on its roof. The array was made possible through a collaboration with New Partners Community Solar Corp., an independent nonprofit founded by partners at the law firm of Nixon Peabody. This array, combined with other arrays around the city in their community solar pool, will generate up to $50,000 in energy credits that will reduce the electricity bills of Jubilee’s most rent-burdened households, many of them at the Maycroft. The solar array also will provide supplemental power to the battery storage.  Pepco will manage the interface between the battery storage and solar installation in a pilot environment, allowing the company to learn more about how these technologies can be used in future applications.

“Columbia Heights is one of the city’s most thriving areas. We see people getting priced out of this neighborhood every day, so being able to preserve 64 units of affordable housing in this area is something that we feel is important not only to the community, but to the entire city.

“D.C. has become one of the most gentrified areas in the country. In order for everyone to have access to the the District’s prosperity, more deeply affordable housing has to be created in thriving areas,” said Jim Knight, Jubilee Housing’s Executive Director.

Sixty-six percent of the units in the Maycroft will be set aside for families and individuals that make 30% or less of the area median income (AMI). All units will be reserved for families and individuals making 60% or less of the AMI.

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Jubilee Housing builds diverse, compassionate communities that create opportunities for everyone to thrive.