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Manna Fundraiser Grosses Record Amount
Over 250 guests attended Manna's 11th annual Friends of
Manna Silent Auction.
On October 26th, Manna hosted its 11th annual Friends of Manna Silent Auction.
Conceived in 1996 by Manna Board member Jim Gray and a few of his neighbors, the event was
intended to share with the local community the news of Manna's efforts to revitalize DC's
neighborhoods. Over the years the event has grown in size and scope, with over 250
homeowners, beneficiaries, staff, and neighbors attending this year's event at the Carnegie
Institute. The event grossed $171,000, a new record, as attendees bid on sporting events,
restaurants, giveaways, and gift baskets. Charlene Drew Jarvis, President of Southwestern
University, gave informal remarks about Manna's impact on the community through its 25 years
of service and Goddesses of Rhythm,a local drum project for girls, provided the
entertainment.
Harrison Institute Guides Tenants Through Purchase Process
The four-story masonry and wood building that stands at 1440 Columbia Road has been home to
some of its residents for decades. In 2001, the tenants' association bought the building
through Washington D.C.'s Tenant's Opportunity to Purchase Act with a loan from the
Department of Housing and Community Development. With legal assistance from the
Harrison Institute for Public Law at Georgetown University and development assistance
from CityPartners, the nine members of the association are making substantial progress in
deciding the final scope and details of the renovation. Financing has been assembled
through DC LISC and DHCD to complete the substantial renovation. Construction is
scheduled to begin in the spring of 2007, and all 18 condominiums should be ready for
occupancy by the end of that year.
SOME Purchases Building to House the Elderly
So Others Might Eat (SOME) recently placed a contract on a building on Good Hope Road
which will provide affordable housing to 45 seniors. The building, which was purchased with
a Site Acquisition Funding Initiative (SAFI) loan through the Washington Area Housing Trust
Fund and DC LISC, is the next step in SOME's commitment to providing additional
permanent supportive housing in Washington, DC. The first floor of the building will need
substantial renovation due to significant damage, but many of the second and third floor
apartments are in good condition. Additionally, SOME will convert the 27 current units into
a combination of SROs, efficiencies, and one-bedroom apartments in order to accommodate more
seniors. The renovation will also include community space and is scheduled to open by
summer 2008. The District's DHCD Housing Production Trust Fund will be used for both
acquisition and renovation costs, along with funds from PNC Bank and SOME.
SOME will extend its services to 45 more seniors at its
new property on Good Hope Road.
ONE DC and Duncan Cooperative Preserve Affordable
Housing
On October 25th, residents of 4625-27 13th Street NW purchased their building with financing
from DHCD. The residents named their association the Duncan Cooperative. Due to the
residents' commitment to making sure every current resident would be able to stay in the
buildings, the association decided to form a limited equity coop rather than convert to
condominiums, a decision which will preserve the Duncan as an affordable housing resource
for future generations. ONE DC (formerly Manna CDC) is excited to provide
organizational training and development assistance to these residents.
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SOME's Mary Claire House Opens
On September 1st, SOME opened the doors of Mary Claire House. The facility, adjacent to
SOME's Jordan House Crisis Stabilization program, provides safe, affordable, supportive
housing to the homeless with severe and persistent mental illness. Through its programs,
SOME helps its residents transition into more permanent housing. With support from the
Department of Mental Health, SOME was able to hire a live-in Peer Support Specialist, who
helps provide a warm and therapeutic environment of community living for the 11 residents in
the building. Mary Claire House has already seen successÑ4 of its residents have
transitioned into safe, permanent housing.
Mary Claire is SOME's newest supportive housing facility
for homeless adults.
Meyer Foundation Recognizes Outstanding Nonprofit
Leaders
On November 13th, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation will host its inaugural
presentation of the Meyer Foundation Exponent Award. The award is part of a three-year,
$2.2 million initiative called Rewarding Leadership, created to support, sustain, and
build awareness of visionary nonprofit leaders. This year's event, hosted by Kojo Nnamdi,
will honor Rhonda Buckley of the Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts, Betty Jo Gaines of
Bright Beginnings, Jim Knight of Jubilee Housing, Jayne Park of the Asian Pacific American
Legal Resource Center, and Kerrie Wilson of Reston Interfaith.
Manna Sells Condos to New
Homeowners
Manna will begin settlements this month on the first building of Madeline Gardens,
located at 1240 Holbrook Terrace. Each building is made up of 10 affordable condominiums
which Manna is selling to first-time homebuyers. The property was acquired from DHCD and
will become home to participants from Manna's Homebuyer's Club, an initiative that helps
low-income, credit-challenged, minority families to use their Individual Development
Accounts for the purchase of a home.
HCS Helps Tenants Become Homeowners
After buying their building, the tenants of the Cresthill
Apartments are now proud homeowners.
Nestled between new multimillion dollar condos and dilapidated homes sits the Cresthill
Apartments at 1430 Belmont Street NW, a Jubilee Housing affordable rental building. When the
Cresthill Apartments went up for sale earlier this year, the tenants' association
immediately took action to purchase the building. With the assistance of Housing
Counseling Services (HCS), the members of the tenants' association are looking forward
to homeownership as they purchase and renovate their beloved building and convert it into a
housing cooperative. "We've been waiting for and anticipating this for so long," said Sheri
Dillard, a member of the tenants' association. HCS helped the association's board of
directors understand the purchasing and development processes and how to work with housing
partners. HCS has also begun training on cooperative housing for all the association's
members, so they can effectively run their new housing cooperative. Plans for renovations
will begin in January 2007 with the goal of completing the work by the year's end.
According to Ms. Dillard, "It's a new name in the neighborhood. For so long we have been
'tenants,' now we're going to be homeowners."
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© 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
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