by Marlene Berlin The “Housing First” policy adopted by Mayor Bowser’s administration is missing a key element, according to the clinical and community psychologist who developed the model for housing the chronically homeless. Although the unhoused person’s need for intensive case management is an eligibility requirement, DC officials have stated that people who qualify for […]
Nov. 6 DC Council roundtable examines housing vouchers for homeless people in need of behavioral health services
by Marlene Berlin The District government’s permanent supportive housing program serves people who have been chronically homeless and struggle with one or more of the following conditions: substance abuse, mental illness, and physical or developmental disabilities. PSH vouchers come with intensive services – which recipients can refuse – but caseworkers must check in at least […]
Leaf collection has begun, but you don’t have to rake. Put the leaves to work in your yard and garden instead.
by Kathy Sykes Fall provides a great opportunity to suppress weeds and provide essential nutrients for next year’s yard and garden. But there is no need to spend money on mulch and fertilizer. Mother Nature is providing both. Fallen leaves are a free resource with many benefits. They create an organic layer, providing not only […]
DC Water’s next project in the neighborhood: water main and lead pipe replacement
by Marlene Berlin DC Water, still wrapping up its long-running Soapstone Valley sewer rehabilitation project, is about to start another project in the neighborhood. Beginning in November, the agency will replace small water mains and lead service lines on Brandywine, Cumberland, Chesapeake and Davenport Streets west of Connecticut Avenue. “We’re replacing and updating the existing […]
Backyard Nature: Slime mold brings people together
by Marlene Berlin On my many hikes in Rock Creek Park, I often get to meet wonderful and interesting people who teach me wonderful and interesting things. That’s what happened one day in July. I happened upon a trio of hikers who had stepped off the trail a bit. They were examining something – yellow […]
Backyard Nature: A new and unwelcome bug
by Marlene Berlin In late June, I spotted a bug I had never seen before. I was hiking in Rock Creek Park on the Western Ridge Trail. The insect was red, with white dots on its wings. It flew away before I could get a photo. But hiking in Soapstone a few days later, I […]
Avalon the Albemarle residents choose a buyer
by Marlene Berlin The vote is in, and the winner is clear. Residents of Avalon the Albemarle apartments at 4501 Connecticut Avenue are awarding their right to purchase the building to WC Smith. WC Smith, a relative latecomer to the process, received 124 votes. True Ground Housing Partners, the first to make an offer to […]
Two companies are now competing to purchase the Avalon apartments
by Marlene Berlin A second company is seeking to purchase Avalon the Albemarle, the 1950s apartment building at 4501 Connecticut Avenue. WC Smith, a privately held developer and apartment management firm, is competing with True Ground Housing Partners, an affordable housing developer that presented its plans to residents in March. True Ground wishes to convert […]
At a Council hearing Wednesday, be heard or brush up on apartment safety issues
by Marlene Berlin Starting at 9:30 a.m. on May 28th, the Housing Committee chaired by at-large Council member Robert White will hear testimony on four bills. The proposed Eviction Reform Amendment Act of 2025 and the RENTAL Act of 2025 seek to speed up the eviction process for tenants found to have committed serious crimes […]
An affordable housing nonprofit wants to buy the Avalon apartments
by Marlene Berlin An affordable housing developer and nonprofit is in the process of purchasing Avalon the Albemarle apartments at 4501 Connecticut Avenue. It’s also informing residents of their right to buy the building themselves, under the District’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, or TOPA. At a meeting with Avalon residents on Wednesday, February 19th, […]