Jim Knight and Marty Mellett at the Maycroft Ribbon Cutting.
As the city begins the process of reopening and rebuilding from the pandemic, it is a time to position our priorities at the forefront. For Jubilee Housing, this means investing in our mission to provide justice housing™ for DC residents who have the most barriers to housing.
Justice housing is deeply affordable housing, with onsite and nearby programs and services, in resource rich neighborhoods. This model serves as a guidepost for creating diverse, equitable communities, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
We applaud the mayor’s recent budget proposal to invest $400 million in the Housing Production Trust Fund over two years – Fiscal Year 2021 and 2022. Her plan also includes funding for the Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP) program, which is essential to providing deeply affordable units at or below 30% of AMI, or about $38,700 for a family of four.
However, there is a risk that pressure to meet large production goals can drive investments in affordable housing to higher income ranges, where more units can be produced for less money.
Applying justice housing principles to budget and policy means targeting deep affordability – 30% AMI and below – and insuring that projects in that income range compete well for financing.
Jubilee’s mission has always been focused on those with the fewest financial resources. The first pillar of the justice housing model is “deeply affordable to those with the greatest barriers.” Two thirds of our apartments are affordable at 30% and below of Area Median Income (AMI). We also have homes that are set aside for people experiencing additional obstacles, such as homelessness, or returning home from incarceration.
Second, justice housing locates deeply affordable housing in resource rich neighborhoods. Access to ample public transportation, grocery stores, high performing schools – you name it, the things that all of us need to thrive. When there is affordable housing located in neighborhoods of opportunity across all eight wards of the city, it makes DC a more inclusive, equitable place for all residents.
Justice housing, at its best, comes with onsite and nearby supportive services. For instance, Out of School Time (OST) programs support two critical outcomes at the same time. First, they help students develop socio-emotional skills and bridge the many gaps in education. Many children have fallen behind during the pandemic and OST programs are a way to help ensure these children get the extra help they need. Second, they enable parents to work additional hours to help offset income loss during the pandemic.
It’s called justice housing because it delivers just access to resources for people who are often cut off from them. It’s also called justice housing for what it does for the neighborhood and city beyond — it counteracts a legacy of segregation and discrimination as it creates and sustains diversity, fosters inclusion, and demonstrates that neighborhoods can flourish with socio-, racial- and economic diversity as cornerstones.
To have justice in housing policy, there must also be an increased investment in affordable homeownership.
For decades, we have watched with joy as numerous Jubilee residents moved from affordable rental housing into homeownership. However, the housing market is now out of reach for those same households. We must combat market conditions by setting aside funding not only for deeply affordable rental units, but also to bridge the affordability gap in home ownership.
Government has done so historically through programs like the GI Bill, although not equally for people of color.
We support greater investments in the principles of justice housing, such as deeply affordable housing (both rental and homes for purchase) located in every ward of the city, alongside investments in OST programming, and housing-plus-services specifically geared towards those with the most barriers including returning citizens, persons with disabilities and those overcoming chronic homelessness.
As we move towards recovery, we invite you to contact your local council member to advocate for the budget items that help us rebuild DC to be a more equitable city. To learn more about the budget items we support click here.