DC Fair Shot February kickoff announces Mayor Muriel Bowser and Department of Housing and Community Development’s selection of Jubilee Housing’s Ontario Place development bringing 52 units of deeply affordable housing and an innovative aquaponics farm to Ward 1.
WASHINGTON D.C.—On February 2nd, 2022, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced that Jubilee Housing’s Ontario Place has been selected to advance to the next stage of underwriting for the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) 2021 Consolidated RFP round.
As such, Mayor Bowser’s commitment to “new affordable housing” is exemplified in Jubilee’s RFP selection. The Mayor commented February 2, 2022—“I set bold goals for new housing, for new affordable housing, and for new affordable housing in every neighborhood of the District because we know where you live affects your pathway to the middle class. Today’s selections move us closer to all three of those goals and particularly moving us to a more equitable distribution of affordable housing in the city.”
Jubilee Housing is honored to be selected by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to help the District advance towards the goal of creating 12,000 affordable homes by 2025. This selection paves the way for construction on this shovel-ready project that will provide expansion to Jubilee’s deeply affordable housing portfolio.
Jubilee Housing creates justice through housing—Justice Housing™. It is deeply affordable housing, in resource rich neighborhoods, with onsite and nearby wrap-around services. Two-thirds of units are reserved for households earning 30% or below of the MFI, and one-third of units are reserved for households earning at 60% or below the MFI.
Jubilee Housing’s work in providing justice through housing is inspired by economist Harvard Professor Raj Chetty’s research on wealth disparity, which concluded that zip code is the biggest determinant of future wealth. Furthermore, Jubilee Housing provides much more than housing in pursuit of our founders’ desires to address racial and economic divides.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to continue our work in advancing equity through housing. As we begin to rebound from the pandemic, it is critical to invest in initiatives that provide access to prosperity for residents with fewer financial resources. Locating deeply affordable housing in resource-rich neighborhoods helps connect residents to greater opportunity, while promoting greater inclusion and equity for the city as a whole,” said Jubilee Housing President & CEO, Jim Knight.
Jubilee’s project selection is for the planned development of 2400 Ontario Road, NW which will be razed and a new building will be built in its place. This new property will provide 52 housing units, half of which will be reserved for returning citizens with the other half comprising a mix of family-sized apartments to address the ever-growing burden on families with limited incomes. The project sits adjacent to King Emmanuel Baptist Church (KEB) located at 1721-1725 Kalorama Road, NW, totaling almost 6,000 square feet and includes constructing 18 much needed single occupancy units for returning citizens, a resource center for residents, and a communal kitchen and dining space for the housing community. Together the two properties will complete Jubilee Housing’s continuum of housing for returning citizens.
In addition, Ontario Place will be home to an innovative aquaponics facility, planned with research and evaluation provided by Georgetown University’s Steers Center for Global Real Estate, and infrastructure and design by FreshMinistries—a non-profit located in Jacksonville, Florida—will produce around 13,000 plants per month and directly contribute to other workforce development programs hosted on site. Half of the produce will be used to help feed the housing community while the other half is sold at market to generate income and offset program costs. “It’s almost too good to be true, being able to provide quality food on a consistent basis in a place with limited resources is invaluable,” said Fresh Ministries Founder, Chairman and CEO Rev. Dr. Robert V. Lee III.
This selection follows DHCD’s selection of Jubilee’s EucKal project for the development of 1724 Kalorama NW and 1460 Euclid Street NW. Jubilee expects to close on construction/permanent financing later this year and begin a yearlong renovation of the currently vacant properties. When complete, the project will deliver 50 units of deeply affordable homes as well as an expanded Sitar Arts Center and office space for Jubilee Housing at the Kalorama site.