The growing demand for housing in Washington D.C. has made it difficult for low- and moderate-income households to afford to live in the district. Specifically, more than 70,600 renter households in 2019 were burdened by housing costs, meaning they spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing. To address inequities in affordable housing, the mayor ordered a review of how exclusionary and discriminatory land use decisions have impacted the location and availability of affordable housing. Additionally, the Department of Housing and Community Development and Office of Planning have been directed to collaborate on the preservation and production of affordable housing to strengthen and expand supply.
To support this work, Washington D.C. will partner with a FUSE Executive Fellow for one year to develop a strategic investment framework to expand and strengthen affordable housing options. The framework will draw from the affordable housing production targets developed for the district’s ten planning areas, and it will identify ways to leverage the First Right Purchase Assistance Program, to preserve pre-existing affordable housing options. The recommendations proposed will yield more affordable housing outcomes, strengthen and expand housing rental and purchasing opportunities, and address structural and systemic racism that has plagued the D.C. real estate market for decades.
