We at Jubilee Housing want to salute our city leaders for their important work in finalizing the District’s budget as COVID-19 resulted in lost revenue of nearly $750 million. It started with Mayor Muriel Bowser maintaining her long-term commitment to affordable housing in this very challenging budget cycle, and it took another step toward equity when the D.C. Council approved more than $120 million in additional funding for the production of affordable housing.

As we seek to rebuild the District in an equitable way after the setbacks of COVID-19, few forms of support will make a bigger difference for residents with low incomes than deeply affordable homes in vital neighborhoods. Many of us know that where you live greatly affects your quality of life, from access to resources and education to life expectancy. Affordable housing is a pathway to increased equity for individuals and families, and for our city as a whole.

The pandemic has highlighted cracks in education, housing, and other crucial social systems. We are witnessing historic calls for equity as Americans from all backgrounds join the Black Lives Matter movement and other communities of color in demanding change. Jubilee’s work creating justice through housing has become increasingly more critical.

In the last two years, we were able to purchase four buildings in the Adams Morgan/Columbia Heights area that will enable us to preserve over 125 new units of deeply affordable housing. These properties will include some of the city’s only affordable three- and four-bedroom units as well as units for returning citizens. We’re hopeful that the additional funds in the D.C. budget will allow Jubilee Housing to move forward on developing these units soon. 

In the meantime, we’re also focused on ensuring that Jubilee residents who are students can continue their education despite the pandemic. We all recently learned that the D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) will be operating virtually for the first term of the coming school year. This leaves many of us wondering how school will work for our children, particularly given that about 30 percent of DCPS students lack the technology (computers and internet access) to engage in virtual learning from home, according to the D.C. Policy Center.

Jubilee Housing is pleased to step into this void and offer limited, safe, in-person support to our students. You can learn more about this effort from our Director of Youth Services Audrey Walker here. To provide this service, we will need to double our programming hours and capacity. That will require your support to offer a much-needed place for students to learn, get healthy meals, and access technology.  

We appreciate you standing with the Jubilee community. Read more in this newsletter and in our 2019 annual report about how your unfailing support has allowed Jubilee Housing to make continued progress on our justice housing goals. And if you haven’t done so already, join us in creating a city where everyone can thrive!