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When this is all over I may not even be one of the people who comes back to Kelsey Gardens, but I continue to fight this fight for all the low-income and single parents that will come behind me, so that they can have an affordable place to call home! Pat Gaston, Kelsey Gardens Board Member
Affordable housing is a critical issue in the Shaw neighborhood. Rents and prices have gone up rapidly, spurred by unrestricted market-rate development. As a result, some long time residents have already been forced to move, more may be on the verge of being displaced. ONE DC (formerly Manna CDC) recognizes that having affordable housing, now and in the future, is a key to achieving racial and economic equity in our neighborhood. Preserving the over 1,000 Section 8 apartments in Shaw as affordable housing for the future is a huge part of this process, especially because and because long term contracts have expired and this housing is now at risk. Click here to view a PDF file of ONE DC's report, The Changing Face of Shaw: Stories from the Frontline
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Housing Goals ONE DC Shaw Housing Initiatives actively organizes Shaw residents to protect existing affordable housing and to create new units through development partnerships. Our particular focus is to preserve and build housing that Shaw people can actually afford given the neighborhood’s lower average income, and that will remain affordable for future generations. In keeping with ONE DC’s progressive values, all of this work requires building resident capacity to control and own a significant share of future development in Shaw.
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Examples of Our Work R Tenant Purchase: For tenant associations that pursue their First Right to Purchase, ONE DC can be a trainer, technical assistance provider, or partner to assist tenants to build their capacity and take control of their housing. ONE DC provided key assistance to the 1330 Tenant Association on 7th Street NW, which purchased its building in January 2004. The Tenant Associations at Lincoln Westmoreland I. Kelsey Gardens, and the Plymouth have been working with us to analyze their options for buying their building in the future. For more information, visit our Tenant Organizing page. You can also obtain a copy of our publication Building by Building: A Tenant Leadership Manual which clearly details the tenant purchase process. R Tenant Organizing: ONE DC can assist Shaw tenants with organizing and strengthening their Tenant Associations. Potential threats to tenants include landlord opt-out of the Section 8 program, insufficient maintenance and management, or otherwise failing to provide good and affordable housing. Thus, tenant associations must be equipped to take action to protect tenants’ interests. ONE DC is supporting the Kelsey Gardens Tenant Association as they fight their landlord’s attempts to displace them from their homes at 7th and P Streets. R Development Partnerships: To ensure that new development projects include enough affordable housing and the right kind of affordable housing (as well as neighborhood based retail and local jobs), ONE DC plans to partner and/or collaborate with for-profit or non-profit developers of new rental or ownership housing. Vacant land along 7th Street and elsewhere will be redeveloped in the next few years, and offers the last best chance for new affordable housing a housing market that is otherwise out of control. Temperance Row is an example of a potential development partnership that the ONE DC will oversee.
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