Washington D.C. is facing a high demand for public housing. As "The District" continue to provide subsidized assistance, the supply for public housing is simply not enough to keep up growing demands.
Curbed reports Washington, D.C. continues to exert strenuous effort to alleviate housing issues of its residents like displacement and limited number of public housing units. This is because up to this time, the low income earners continue to cope with skyrocketing rents and gentrification.
Report says that the recent data from D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute reveals that 78% of these public housing units are in need of major repairs. That means there are 6,500 units that need renovation. An estimate of $1.3 billion is needed to do the housing restoration. Common problems are the new heating and cooling systems and roofs. But then it is noted that the "D.C. Housing Authority was only given $14 million for capital improvements" last year.
According to the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute's report, there are "55 % of all heads of households, or 4,000 households, in need of public housing are seniors and those with disabilities." Thus, ¼ of all of the public housing units, which means 14 units of the 40 public housing, are solely intended for this group of people. Then, "35% of households in D.C.'s public housing, or over 2,500 families, are those with children."
DCIST says that numerous "public housing properties in the District are slated for renovations that would yield 2,000 housing units." The list of the housing properties included the following: "Barry Farm (Ward 8), Greenleaf Gardens (Ward 6), Kenilworth Courts (Ward 7), Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings (Ward 7), and Park Morton (Ward 1)."
Based also on report, there are 3 housing properties that are currently being improved by the "New Communities Initiative, which only completed 305 units when the group released its first annual report in 2014." Of course, this was bombarded with criticism. Despite some stalled projects are moving forward, challenges still persist for the group.
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