ACTIVISTAS DE VIVIENDA ASEQUIBLE Promoviendo la Vivienda Accesible en el Distrito
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Affordable Housing Activists is a small, but dedicated advocacy group focused on bringing attention to and improving upon the District’s affordable housing issues and needs. AHA's mission is to join with others to create a constituency of concerned neighbors and friends who will act as a powerful voice to influence public policy and resource allocation for affordable housing in the district. We are building a network of friends, supporters and advocates for affordable (low/moderate income) housing, displacement prevention and preservation of economic and racial diversity in D.C. neighborhoods.
We keep our supporters informed and active in affordable housing issues and events in the District via both mail and email alerts (for those who have email) as well as work with other advocacy groups such as WISH and ACORN in certain lobbying efforts. Earlier this year for example, AHA participated in the lobbying effort that resulted in DC Council’s unanimous vote to fully fund the Housing Production Trust Fund, which will provide millions in funding for affordable housing. It is our job as residents of the District to make sure the Mayor and City Council hear our concerns and know our interests and determination in keeping affordable housing a top priority so that long term moderate and low income residents will continue to have a place in the city and the opportunity to benefit from the positive changes that are occurring now.
Recently, the District of Columbia has experienced an economic boom ripe with new development and opportunities for businesses and new homeowners alike. But with this development come several challenges to the city to protect and continue to serve its long time lower and moderate income residents. The sudden growth and revitalization has caused an increase in real estate values that threatens to displace many at the lower end of the economic ladder. According to a March 2002 news release of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Washington, DC ranked highest in house price appreciation in the United States. In the past year alone home price appreciation has seen a 15% increase. The result is that homes once appraised at $120,000 in 1998 are selling for as much as $335,000 in 2002. Many regular three bedroom homes are even being sold for $400,000 to $500,000. The increased sales prices have been accompanied by a significant jump in real estate taxes over 100% in many instances. With this sort of sales price increase many of the residents of the District can no longer afford to be homeowners in the District, especially if it is noted that over half of the area’s households make less than $66,200 yearly making them low income households at best. The rental market has seen the same crunch. More than 60% rental households in the District are very low-income, meaning they bring in $41,400 or less each year. The average advertised rent for a two bedroom unit in the District (excluding Northwest where rent for a 2-bedroom is $2048) is $1272, almost double the $693 average in 1998.
Protecting the existence of housing that is affordable to the majority of its residence is a great challenge for a city that until the passing of the Housing Act of 2001earlier this year had not had a solid housing policy. The residents’ needs for long term affordable housing outreach government resources and for this reason the responsibility of providing affordable housing for District residents has frequently fallen upon the shoulders of nonprofit and community based organizations. However, these nonprofit and community based producers of affordable housing and related services are finding it more and more difficult to produce such housing services in gentrifying neighborhoods. Competition for limited city resources is short changing lower income, long-term residents who are unable to afford the high cost of living, putting them at great risk of being displaced out of their homes and neighborhoods.