As I conclude my first Council period as chair of the DC Council’s Housing Committee, I’m proud of the strides we’ve made in addressing housing challenges for our residents, while not shying away from the reality that there is so much more that needs to be done. When I took on this responsibility in January 2023, I committed to getting to the root of housing issues and bringing the committee closer to the community.

I’ve worked to ensure investments in housing and human services and conducted strong oversight to make sure agencies are meeting their mission for residents:

• I secured a $7 million increase for public housing repairs and maintenance in fiscal year 2025.
• $6.7 million increase for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), bringing the total to $26.7 million.
• $2 million increase for the Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) to help first-time homebuyers.
• $20 million increase for the Housing Production Trust Fund. This fund supports the development of new affordable housing units.
• $4.5 million increase for the Housing Preservation Fund. This fund helps preserve existing affordable housing units.
• Over the past year, DCHA reported 5,443 leased units in December 2023 and 5,666 in October 2024, a 4% increase in 10 months. That is 223 more units of housing available to DC residents.

I am laser-focused on addressing the various facets of DC’s housing crisis, from supporting residents struggling to pay rent to creating new affordable housing options.

We’ve made significant progress in stabilizing the DC Housing Authority (DCHA), which received a damning audit from H.U.D. right before I took over the committee. I pushed for the agency to be led by a permanent executive director with deep experience in public housing, and I’m thrilled that the board was able to bring on Director Keith Pettigrew. Most recently serving as CEO and President of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Director Pettigrew is a DC native who grew up living in the District’s public housing. I’ve held six oversight hearings with DCHA since I took over the Housing Committee to ensure they remain on target with meeting their mission for residents. In this same vein, I passed legislation to put a cap on the amount of bonus money the DCHA executive can give themselves, to avoid situations where leadership is getting a taxpayer-funded bonus despite not meeting the needs of residents.  

I fought to protect ERAP funding when the Mayor attempted to repurpose it and successfully secured additional housing vouchers to help residents transition from homelessness to stable housing. I also championed critical improvements to the voucher process, cutting down the time people are forced to live outside. When the mayor said she did not intend to implement an increase to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) last year, I rallied my Council colleagues and we fought back – even risking suing the administration to ensure we did not break our promise to increase SNAP for residents struggling to put food on the table.

This progress wouldn’t be possible without the uncommon collaboration of community leaders, advocates, and residents working together for real change.

The work is far from done, but I’m steadfast in my commitment to expanding affordable housing and supporting those who need it most. Let’s keep pushing for a DC where everyone has a safe, stable place to call home.