Supporting Ward 4’s Housing Needs

Achieving success in life often begins in the comfort of our own homes. Strong, safe neighborhoods form the foundation upon which vibrant communities are built. Investing in housing infrastructure is as critical as funding for schools, roads, or public transportation systems.

 

Lisa believes that as a strategic investment, housing yields substantial community benefits, providing health and wellness, better educational outcomes for kids, economic stability, social cohesion, and addressing the historic underfunding of certain neighborhoods - a practice we can no longer afford to overlook. Housing investment is a step toward fostering communities that are prosperous, diverse, and welcoming.

 

As your Ward 4 Councilmember, Lisa is committed to: 

 

• Mixed-use projects that incorporate the community priorities. We can create self-sustaining communities where people can live, work, and play in close proximity. 

• Collaborating with local government agencies to address stalled development projects along the Kennedy Street and Georgia Avenue business corridors. Lisa believes we need to restart these projects, boost local business activity, and revitalize these important commercial areas.

• Prioritizing housing projects near public transport hubs to improve accessibility. High-density housing around these hubs can promote affordability and lessen commuting costs.

• Increased oversight of the Housing Production Trust Fund to expand affordable and workforce housing opportunities in Ward 4. 

• Supporting community land trusts to acquire and preserve land for long-term community benefits, thereby stabilizing housing costs and ensuring long-term affordability.

• Working to preserve affordable housing units in our communities.

• Oversight of the use of both tenant and project-based vouchers. DHCA and DHCD have considerable opportunities to reform administration over its voucher programs, and doing so could mean greater access for individuals and families needing housing. 

• Strengthen DC’s property rehabilitation programs. The Single Family Property Rehabilitation Program and the District’s Small Buildings Program are two critical programs to ensure low-moderate income homeowners and small landlords have access to funds that support property rehabilitation. These programs should be fully funded, championed, and operationally efficient to produce the results homeowners need.

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Supporting small landlords that provide naturally occurring affordable housing units. These landlords play a crucial role in maintaining the availability of affordable housing in DC. To assist these small owner-operators, Lisa supports creating a public-private partnership that offers small owners access to resources, including property management training, technology, a network of contractors, administrative and procurement support, and broader collaboration on issues impacting small housing providers. By supporting these small landlords, we can effectively prevent displacement by preserving the stock of naturally occurring affordable housing. This, in turn, promotes community stability and helps sustain generational wealth within the community.