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 […]
High-Rise Life
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 […]
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, […]
One DC housing voucher provider is about to get its annual performance review. The public can comment, too.
by Marlene Berlin It’s budget season at the DC Council, and Council committees are holding performance oversight hearings on DC government agencies through March 7th. What the Council members learn in these hearings will prepare them to respond to the mayor’s fiscal year 2026 budget with their own recommendations, which are then incorporated into the […]
Residents and landlords speak at an apartment-focused Council hearing on crime
by Marlene Berlin The DC Council, for the first time, is considering legislation that seeks to address crime in apartment buildings specifically. And at last month’s hearing on the bill, many of the nearly five dozen witnesses testified in detail about the personal and community impacts. The majority of witnesses at the December 10th hearing […]
Sign up to testify at a Dec. 10 Council hearing on an apartment building security bill
by Marlene Berlin DC apartment residents: If you have something to say to elected leaders about security in your building, now is a good time to do so. The DC Council Committee of the Whole, and the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, are holding a joint hearing on December 10th on legislation drafted and presented […]
Apartment updates: Police calls rise, case managers remain absent, and tenant leaders continue to press for change
by Marlene Berlin We have several updates on the safety and security issues the residents of area apartment buildings have faced for at least the past five years. Sedgwick Gardens – the apartment building that drew attention to the District’s “Housing First” policy for the homeless In 2019, The Washington Post reported: The SWAT team, […]