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Partnership for Supportive Housing for Individuals with Mental Illness
On May 1st, Mayor Adrian Fenty held a press conference at SOME's (So Others Might Eat) Bedford Falls property to announce a partnership between the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Department of Mental Health (DMH). This partnership will provide $14 million to finance 300 units of supportive housing for the exclusive use of DMH consumers.
Of the 97 DMH funded units initially approved, 43 will be in SOME properties. Also present at the announcement were DHCD Director Leila Edmonds and DMH Director Stephen Baron. "We have heard over and over that access to affordable housing is the number one desire for individuals with mental illness," said Baron. "This partnership with DHCD will help us address access, and we at DMH will continue to provide flexible mental health services and support when wanted or needed." This announcement underscores SOME's commitment to create affordable housing with supportive services for the poor and homeless of Washington, DC.
CNHED Hosts DHCD Director Leila Edmonds and Councilmember Marion Barry at its Monthly Meetings
Over 100 CNHED members and supporters had the opportunity to hear from three key DC government officials at the organization's April, May and June monthly meetings. On April 17, the Coalition held its quarterly meeting with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Director, Leila Finucane Edmonds. Edmonds explained the Department's direction and described the FY 2009 budgets. In addition, Edmonds responded to the questions and concerns of CNHED members.
On May 15, the Coalition welcomed the Honorable Marion Barry as the guest speaker of the May monthly meeting. Councilmember Barry, who chairs the Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs, discussed the status of affordable housing in the District of Columbia, his anti-poverty initiative, and his thoughts on economic development in neighborhoods east of the river. During the meeting, CNHED's Board of Directors raised several questions to Councilmember Barry around the Local Rent Supplement Program, Housing Production Trust Fund, Tenant Purchase Funding, policy issues around workforce development, and the process for disposing of City-owned land. Councilmember Barry addressed each topic, reiterating the need for CNHED to continue its advocacy efforts.
On June 19, Councilmember Kwame Brown served as the keynote speaker for the monthly meeting. Councilmember Brown provided an update on economic development projects in the District and talked about what is being done to ensure that these projects are generating jobs and other community benefits for neighborhood residents. CNHED presented some of the concerns of its Board of Directors in regards to the organization's economic development priorities which Councilmember Brown addressed.
The Coalition recognizes the importance of hosting government officials and key players in the community development industry through its monthly meetings and looks forward to hosting more in the future.
Rent Supplement Update
On May 15th, the DC Housing Authority recently announced the recipients of its second round of project based local rent supplements. Local rent supplements allow a low-income family to pay one third of their income for rent with the remainder being paid by the DC Housing Authority. Among the nonprofits receiving rent supplement awards were CDSC partners Community Connections, Mi Casa, and SOME (So Others Might Eat).
The announcement took place at a newly renovated eight-unit apartment building located at 250-254 Malcolm X Blvd., SE. Community Connections recently completed renovations on this formerly unoccupied and dilapidated apartment building. The building will now provide affordable housing to eight very low-income families. The DC Housing Authority announced a total of 14 awardees. Community Connections received 99 local rent supplements from the DC Housing Authority and will utilize eight of the rent supplements for residents who live in the Malcolm X Blvd. building.
The announcement was attended by DCHA Executive Director Michael Kelly and Vincent Gray, Chair of the DC City Council.
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Freddie Mac Hosts Regional Housing Foreclosure Summit
On June 19th, Freddie Mac in conjunction with COG (Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments) hosted the Regional Housing Foreclosure Summit in Washington, DC. The event was attended by over 200 regional leaders representing government, the housing industry, and nonprofit organizations. A recent study, conducted by the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University and commissioned by Freddie Mac and COG, suggests that Metropolitan Washington now has one of the fastest growing foreclosure rates in the country, with families losing homes six times more frequently during the first quarter of 2008 than in 2007. The study also shows that over a one-year period, between February 2007 and February 2008, 15,613 homes entered foreclosure in the metropolitan area.
Summit participants came together to examine these findings, to assess the region's continuing vulnerability to foreclosures, and to find new ways to work together to strengthen the region's safety net for those affected. Freddie Mac announced that it will provide an initial contribution of $175,000 to what it hopes will become a larger pool of funds from the private sector and foundations to support nonprofit groups addressing the foreclosure crisis.
"Foreclosure puts everybody at risk Ð families, banks and neighborhoods," explained Ralph Boyd, Freddie Mac's Executive Vice President. "We're working nationwide to help families understand their options. Here in the Washington region, where we live and do significant community investing, we wanted to do even more. That's why we are starting a fund with COG to help local nonprofits. Our region's health is critical to all of us."
COG will administer the fund, which will make grants to several nonprofits. Freddie Mac also announced a $100,000 grant that will be disbursed to assist vulnerable children and families hardest hit by foreclosure. In conjunction with the Summit, the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington released a report entitled "You Have 10 Days to Move Out" highlighting the work of two dozen nonprofits that serve families impacted by foreclosures. The nonprofit groups profiled, such as CDSC partners Housing Counseling Services and Manna, Inc. provide money for shelter, food, and utilities on an emergency basis as well as homebuyer counseling programs.
Manna Celebrates Spring Road Property
In 1993, Manna, Inc. acquired and developed a twelve unit vacant apartment building at 1439 Spring Road, N.W. and sold it as condominiums to lower income, first-time homebuyers. These tenants successfully maintained the building and worked hard to improve the surrounding community. At the time, the surrounding neighborhood and block was depressed and there were other buildings available for sale at affordable prices.
The nearby rental property at 1441 Spring Road, N.W. was one such property and had become distressed over the years. This building suffered from poor management, code violations, and safety hazards that put the building at risk of being shut down and put the low-income tenants at risk of being displaced.
Manna, in years past, tried to purchase the building at 1441 Spring Road without success. In the spring of 2003, Manna again became involved when the Fernwood Tenants Association sought help to purchase the building. As a result, Manna joined forces with existing tenants to redevelop the property. An agreement was executed in 2005 and Manna subsequently purchased the building and sold the units to the existing low-income tenants, as well as new moderate- and low-income, first time homebuyers.
Recently Manna celebrated this success with homeowners, community members, and funders who supported and financed the project. Additionally, Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser provided encouraging words. Manna's work at 1441 Spring Road, now Fernwood Condominiums, represents the continuation of its mission to empower individuals, strengthen families and foster sustainable communities in Washington, DC.
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© 2008 NEWSBRIEFS is a bimonthly publication of the Community
Development Support Collaborative (CDSC), www.cdsc.org, a
project of Washington Grantmakers. The 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
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