“There is no such thing as the ‘voiceless.’ There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.”
~Arundhati Roy
Your voice can help break the silence.
Join Tenant Advocates in Opposing Emergency Legislation to “Reform” DC Housing Authority Board
Today, the Legal Clinic joins our legal services and tenant advocacy colleagues in urging the D.C. Council to vote no on the District of Columbia Housing Authority Stabilization and Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2022. See below for the letter we sent to the Council today. Take action to urge your elected representatives to pursue real reform instead of this bill, which is harmful at worst, performative at best. Send an email with Empower DC’s email action. Sign up to make a phone call with Jews United for Justice for Monday or...
read moreWashington Legal Clinic For the Homeless Board of Directors Appoints Amber W. Harding as New Executive Director
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, board president Jim Rocap announces that after conducting a nationwide search, the Board by unanimous vote has appointed Amber W. Harding as the new Executive Director.
read moreStatement on the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Scathing DC Housing Authority Audit
The recent report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) that lays out eighty-two ways in which the DC Housing Authority (“DCHA”) is failing residents, tenants, and voucher holders confirms what housing advocates and residents have long known.
read moreThe Migrant Services and Supports Emergency Act of 2022: A Poisoned Apple
Immigrants of all countries of origins, languages, and incomes should be welcomed and supported as new residents. We reject any assertion that immigrants are in competition with long-time DC residents for resources, as DC has sufficient resources to meet the needs of all who come here. Similarly, we reject the scarcity mindset that leads to pitting these populations against each other.
read moreThat’s a Wrap for DC’s Budget: Did We Meet Our Goals for Housing?
Our collective advocacy during the fiscal year 2023 budget season led to significant policy wins, and increased investment in deeply affordable housing – and there is still more work to be done!
read moreAction Alert: It’s Past Time to Reform Rapid Re-housing!
The Legal Clinic, along with the Fair Budget Coalition, is advocating for money to keep families facing termination from rapid re-housing housed, an increase in permanent affordable housing subsidies, and legislative reform to make sure that this problem gets fixed systemically.
read moreAction Alert: Pass Emergency Legislation to Stop Encampment Evictions!
Councilmember Brianne Nadeau has announced emergency legislation that would prohibit encampment evictions and the creation of “no tent” zones while also addressing some of the health and safety concerns raised by unhoused and housed residents. The Council will vote on the bill next Tuesday, December 7, and nine votes are needed for the bill to pass.
read moreAction Alert: Tell DC Council to End Homelessness and Repair Public Housing!
We are in crunch time for DC’s budget! We need your help to tell the DC Council that they have a lot of work to do to end homelessness and repair public housing.
read moreDC’s Approach to Homelessness: Lessons from 2020
With a significant infusion of federal dollars, a new understanding of the importance of housing as healthcare, and a commitment by DC Department of Human Services to undergo an analysis of the racial equity impact of its programs, now is the time to take these lessons to heart and make substantial changes to the status quo.
read moreDC Budget Update: Affordable Housing and Homelessness
The DC Council needs to do so much more to get us to a #JustRecoveryDC. DC had a preexisting affordable housing crisis that is about to get much worse as a result of the global pandemic and economic recession.
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