The District’s cry

OPINION:

Across the country, poor people are being forced out of their homes in the name of revitalization. We have seen this happen in Atlanta, Baltimore, and more recently in New Orleans. Government officials say that this is a good thing, that this is progress. But the redevelopment of houses that result in the displacement of low-income people is not progress; it is a path to urban removal.

You don’t have to look beyond the borders of the District of Columbia to see how the poor are being squeezed out. As rents skyrocket and developers set their sights on low-income neighborhoods, especially east of the River, the city is losing its people and its culture. Unfortunately, the D.C. government is not doing enough to stop the ongoing displacement of its low-income residents.

As a recent newspaper series highlighted, the government has ignored the horrific living conditions that many low-income residents face and has allowed developers to use a gaping loophole to convert affordable housing to luxury condos.

And it gets worse. The latest form of displacement is D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s “New Communities Initiative,” which calls for the demolition and redevelopment of four sites across the District, including public housing developments that house over 2,000 families. Although “New Communities” is in the early stages, the District has already broken its promise to make one-third of the redeveloped units affordable to those who earn less than 30 percent of the area’s median income.

“New Communities” originally called for the redeveloped housing to be one-third market rate, one-third affordable, and one-third deeply subsidized in an effort to preserve affordable housing. However, at Northwest ONE, the first “New Communities” site, the number of non-market housing units has already been significantly reduced. Barry Farm, another site, will be at least 60 percent market rate. With these percentages, “New Communities” certainly will live up to its name—as most of the current low-income community members will be forced out.

Residents are angry and scared. They look to the government for assurances not just that their neighborhoods will be better, but that they will be able to benefit directly from these improvements by living there. In return, they receive broken promises. Development is a good thing but displacement is not. The District should seek instead to foster resident-led development with impacted residents at the table. Affordable housing projects are stalling across the country. “New Communities” currently has a $500 million gap in financing, and there is no plan to close the gap. When funding comes up short, poor people lose and developers simply increase the number of market rate units. Yet, the District is pushing ahead with its plan to raze over 2,000 units of affordable housing. This is a recipe for displacement.

But progress and development do not have to result in displacement. Building affordable housing, creating better transportation options, and opening businesses previously only seen in the “burbs” don’t have to be an indication of displacement. Instead, the D.C. government could, and should, keep its promise of better housing and services for low-income people by working with these communities, not around them. The District has kept its promises in the past. It has helped the residents of the Duncan and MLK Co-ops purchase their buildings. It awarded Parcel 42 in Shaw to a popular development partner who listened to and worked with residents in formulating the development plan. I believe that the D.C. government wants to keep its promise to the low-income residents of D.C. who are affected by “New Communities”; I believe that it wants to see resident-led development. Now, the District must make this happen. As a former resident of public housing in Baltimore, I have received and seen my share of broken promises. As executive director of Organizing Neighborhood Equity, I have seen how the government has allowed market-rate development to displace low-income residents in D.C. It is time for the District to make good on its word to preserve affordable housing.

The D.C. government should slow down and put the needs of its low-income residents first. It should listen to the residents of public and low-income housing who live in these communities. They are the untapped resources that “New Communities” should be about. They are the people the District should work with to create a development plan. The District should be investing in the people, not just the land.

Dominic T. Moulden is executive director of ONE DC.