On June 7, our community gathered for Jubilee Housing’s Annual Justice Housing Breakfast. This event is a chance for Jubilee to welcome both longtime friends and newcomers to share Jubilee’s mission, impact, and future direction. It is also a chance for attendees to decide if they want to partner with the organization by contributing, pledging, or getting involved in other ways.

Thanks to the generosity of attendees, Jubilee raised nearly $200,000, including donations for 2023 and pledges for the next 2 years! These funds will go toward general operating support — everything from unit maintenance to essential resident services for kids through seniors — and they are more critical than ever as we expand to welcome new families.

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau opened the event with an invocation and blessing for the morning ahead. Jubilee Advisory Council Member Tiffani Moore gave the convocation, providing an overview of Justice Housing and why she personally supports Jubilee.

“Housing is a fundamental human right and foundational need that is associated with everything in a person’s life. Education, employment, mental and physical well-being — all is buttressed by having affordable, sustainable, and resilient housing. We live in unprecedented times and housing affordability and supply challenges are part of the national discourse.

Jubilee Housing is at the forefront of this conversation in our community and is wholly committed to using its voice to fiercely pursue housing justice and end homelessness and housing insecurity in Washington, DC, especially for historically marginalized people and communities of color.”

Tiffani Moore, Jubilee Housing Advisory Council

Jubilee Housing President and CEO Jim Knight followed with a speech on the Jubilee Year, a term that refers to a 50-year cycle of renewal defined by qualities such as filling gaps, breaking down boundaries, and resetting the system.

“Our founders chose the name Jubilee to anchor this work in the transformational vision of the Jubilee Year. They did so in an earlier era when the economy was not working for everyone. They knew this vision has the power to disrupt the status quo and bring generative change. These transformative elements of the original Jubilee Year are as potent now as they ever were. As we prepare for our Jubilee Year, we are reimagining how we can live these principles with greatest impact.”

Jim Knight, Jubilee Housing President & CEO

In a series of video interviews, residents, staff, and board members who make up the Jubilee community shared, in their own words, what Jubilee Housing means to them. Speakers included Knight as well as Resident Charletta Cowling, Resident and Board Member Karen Salmerón, Resident and Board Member Samuel Buggs, Director of Reentry Gina Daye-Williams, Director of Resident & Family Services Miya Gaskins, Director of Youth Services Audrey Walker, and Board Chair Clint Mann.

Jubilee Resident and Board Member Karen Salmerón returned in person to the stage to share her perspective and, as Jubilee approaches its 50th anniversary this fall, what this moment means.

“The first thing this moment means to us is a chance to celebrate all that this community has accomplished. At the same time, we recognize there are members of our community who have not yet found their path forward. We see this as a moment to renew our profound commitment to promoting justice and equity through housing and services. We are working to imagine new ways of supporting our existing neighbors as we prepare to welcome new ones. We need your partnership as we chart a future where more DC residents have opportunities to thrive.”

Karen Salmerón, Jubilee Housing Resident & Board Member

Jubilee Board Chair Clint Mann closed the time with the audience, sharing his draw to the organization and making a call for support.

“The last time Jubilee hosted their Justice Housing breakfast was in 2019. Like you, I sat in a room, just like this, and heard about the incredible work Jubilee is doing and heard firsthand, from a resident just like Karen, about the impact that Jubilee had on their lives, and the lives of so many others. I sat in the audience of that breakfast thinking what more could I do to help? What more could I do to give back? What more could I do to make a difference?”

Clint Mann, Jubilee Housing Board Chair

Thank you to supporters and attendees, as well as Breakfast Co-Chairs Karen Salmerón and Jim Gray and our fabulous Table Captains!

If you want to get involved, there is still time!

Many partners have leveraged their networks, company giving programs, gifts of stock, and more.

“Justice Housing is one solution to mend the divide in our communities, to heal the divisions between residents of different wealth and race, to close the gaps between those with the most resources and those with the fewest. To us, justice housing is where it begins. And we cannot forget or leave behind those who are most affected by our trends of gentrification and displacement.”

Tiffani Moore, Jubilee Housing Advisory Council