March 31, 2006 was a day of celebration for the members of the Brightwood Gardens Tenant Association, a 52-unit apartment building in the Brightwood neighborhood of the District of Columbia. With technical assistance from Georgetown University Law Center's Harrison Institute and a loan from BB&T and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the tenant association purchased the apartment building that some of the members have called home for over four decades. Association President Lynn Welters Newman, who has lived at 931 Longfellow Street, NW since 1962 helped organize this dedicated group of tenants who were determined to keep the building in the hands of its residents.

None of these residents have ever owned property before, but upon learning in early 2005 of the former owner's intention to sell the building, the residents quickly formed a tenants association and contacted Harrison Institute to assist them through the process of exercising their first right of purchase. The Harrison Institute, which has worked with thousands of tenants in DC to maintain affordable housing and promote home ownership for low-income residents, assigned attorney Samuel Jefferson and students Meghan Fennelly and Karla Cruz to work with the residents. The tenant association selected the National Housing Trust/Enterprise to act as the developer on this project.

Peabody Tenants Association Learns from Mistakes of Neighbors

When the tenants of 1363 Peabody Street, NW received notice that a 3rd party buyer wanted to purchase their multi-unit building, Housing Counseling Services (HCS) immediately organized a campaign to inform the residents of their rights under the Tenant Opportunity Purchase Act. At the first tenant association meeting, the prospective buyer offered residents money to move out of the building. In a neighboring building, this same buyer had successfully evicted or encouraged a large majority of low-income tenants to leave the property which subsequently was converted into market rate condominiums. Determined to avoid this same outcome, the tenants of 1363 Peabody Street decided to purchase their building. With assistance from HCS, the tenants formed an association, obtained strong legal counsel, and submitted a purchase contract. Now, more than six months later, the tenant association has a strong and active board of directors and are working together to obtain acquisition money to purchase their building.

Manna Fun Run Raises Money and Visibility for Affordable Housing

On March 25th, three hundred participants took part in Manna's 8th Annual 5K Fun Run/Walk for Affordable Housing. The event, held in beautiful Rock Creek Park, was a great opportunity to enjoy some fresh air and exercise and help support Manna's efforts to preserve affordable housing in the District of Columbia. On hand to cheer for the participants were Honorary Chairman and DC Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Stanley Jackson; DC Councilmember Adrian Fenty; and Manna Homeowner Elaine Hart.

Top finishers received prizes donated by local businesses, including Patagonia, Results Gym, and Marrakesh. The fun continued after the race when kids of all ages participated in a three-legged race and a potato sack race. Manna thanks everyone who attended and all of the volunteers who made this year's Fun Run another huge success! For more information on this event, go to the Manna web site.

New Mental Health Transitional Housing Facility at SOME

So Others Might Eat (SOME) recently completed the acquisition of two townhouses adjacent to their Jordan House facility - a short term crisis stabilization program for adults with mental illness. Once renovated, the two townhouses will be home to a new program providing safe, affordable, supported housing to persons who are homeless with severe and persistent mental illness. The new program will continue to engage individuals in accessing treatment, rehabilitation, and support services within the community after they have been stabilized at Jordan House. The facility is expected to open during the summer of 2006 and will accommodate 11 clients.

Spring Brings Affordable New Homes to First-Time Buyers

The Marshall Heights Community Development Organization (MHCDO) sold two new single-family detached houses to first-time home buyers in April, 2006. Vincent and Linda Abney became the proud owners of a new 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home on Buena Vista Terrace, SE, and Edwina Richardson and her three children moved into a similar model on Drake Place, SE. "Thanks to MHCDO, my wife and I have a beautiful house that we can afford in a nice neighborhood near where I grew up," said Vincent Abney. "We had such a good home buying experience that we're sending our family and friends to MHCDO."

MHCDO President Carrie L. Thornhill presents Edwina Richardson and her family with a housewarming gift for their new home.

MHCDO built the Abney's home on a vacant lot acquired through DC's Home Again Initiative. Since 2003, MHCDO has created nine opportunities for affordable homeownership through its participation in the District's program. MHCDO expects to sell six additional new homes on Hilltop Terrace, SE by mid-June.

Financial Management Training Pays Off for Nonprofits

Financial management is an area critical to the growth and stability of any nonprofit organization. On April 6th, the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED) partnered with the Community Development Support Collaborative (CDSC) and DC LISC to host a day of financial management training. More than 50 representatives from 23 nonprofit organizations attended the hands-on training session including CEOs, CFOs, accounting staff, and board members. The training focused on methods to improve financial reporting and build the capacity of boards of directors for the planning and fiduciary responsibilities to their respective organizations. The training was sponsored by Citigroup.

Meyer Funds New Initiative on Leadership Development

Meyer Foundation, a longtime WG member, announced a three-year, $2.2 million initiative to address the issue of executive burnout among nonprofit executives. The purpose of the project, Rewarding Leadership, is to provide large leadership development grants for training, networking, and professional development. Up to five outstanding, mid-career executive directors will be selected each year to receive funding. For more information, visit the Meyer Foundation web site.

© 2006 NEWSBRIEFS is a bimonthly publication of the Community Development Support Collaborative (CDSC), www.cdsc.org, a project of Washington Grantmakers. CDSC invests in the revitalization of DC's neighborhoods and the preservation of affordable housing with capacity building grants, training, and technical assistance. CDSC | 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20006 phone: 202.296.4582 | fax: 202.785.4331 | e-mail: info@cdsc.org