--District of Columbia Housing Authority--

“THE AMERICAN DREAM: TO OWN YOUR OWN HOME…A CLEAN, DECENT, AFFORDABLE HOME IN A SAFE, WELL-KEPT NEIGHBORHOOD WITH COMMUNITY SERVICES. UNTIL RECENTLY, THAT DREAM WAS UNTHINKABLE FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA’S PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS. FOR DECADES, THEY ENDURED DEPLORABLE HOUSING CONDITIONS IN THE SHADOW OF THE NATION’S CAPITAL. LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS SAW NO WAY OUT OF PUBLIC HOUSING SLUMS, LET ALONE INTO A NICE HOME OF THEIR OWN. WELL, ALL THAT’S CHANGING NOW. RIGHT HERE AT WHEELER CREEK, IN THE ANACOSTIA REGION, THE AMERICAN DREAM IS A REALITY.

TAKE A GOOD LOOK. YOU’D NEVER GUESS THIS LOVELY COMMUNITY OF 314 MIXED-INCOME HOMES IS PUBLIC HOUSING. YET THIS IS JUST ONE OF 5 PUBLIC HOUSING COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN REVITALIZED SO FAR BY THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY.

“When we talk about the Anacostia Region, which here-to-for had been viewed as a region that was desolate, there really weren’t a lot of resources that were coming into the community…the Anacostia Region is very very different and the landscape for the Anacostia is changing drastically.”

BEFORE 1995, MORE THAN 2,300 UNITS IN THE DISTRICT WERE VACANT OR UNINHABITABLE. MANY OF THE REMAINING 9,500 UNITS HAD DETERIORATED TO HORRIBLE CONDITIONS. COMPLEXES WERE BADLY MANAGED IF AT ALL. CRIME AND GANG WARFARE RULED; RESIDENTS DESPAIRED. GOVERNMENT DIDN’T SEEM TO CARE. IT HAD ALLOWED PUBLIC HOUSING TO FALL INTO AN APPALLING STATE THAT IT COULD NOT RESCUE.

IN 1995, A D.C. SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE CONCLUDED THAT SOMETHING DRASTIC HAD TO BE DONE. HE REMOVED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FROM THE D.C. GOVERNMENT AND PLACED IT INTO RECEIVERSHIP. DAVID GILMORE, THE COURT-APPOINTED RECEIVER, WAS HANDED A HUGE MANDATE: TRANSFORM PUBLIC HOUSING IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL. AND THAT’S HOW THE ROAD TO RECOVERY BEGAN.

MR. GILMORE AND HIS TEAM RESTRUCTURED THE D.C. HOUSING AUTHORITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. THEY STARTED REHABILITATING ITS INVENTORY OF PROPERTIES AND INSTITUTING SERVICES FOR ITS RESIDENTS. THEIR GOAL: PROVIDE DECENT, SAFE, WELL-MANAGED HOUSING FOR THOUSANDS OF LOW-INCOME AMERICANS WHO CANNOT AFFORD IT ON THEIR OWN.

“This is a rather large agency, it has a budget of more than $200 million a year, it provides housing to approximately 10% of the city. We are undoubtedly the largest landlord in the city. We have a very, very big responsibility. We take it very seriously because it is important.”

“The biggest challenge we have is increasing the supply of affordable housing. We have a very large waiting list for both section 8 and public housing.”

IN SEPTEMBER 2000, RECEIVERSHIP ENDED. MR. GILMORE AND HIS TEAM ACHIEVED A STUNNING 5-YEAR ROAD TO RECOVERY OF PUBLIC HOUSING IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. LEGISLATION CALLED FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO A NEW GOVERNING STRUCTURE: A BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS AND MR. GILMORE’S HAND-PICKED SUCCESSOR, MICHAEL KELLY, AS THE AUTHORITY’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

“What we do here becomes a model for the rest of the country. When Congress looks to see what is working and not working in public housing, it’s just a drive from where they’re living to the Capitol, and the public housing they pass in many ways shapes their policy development.”

THE NINE COMMISSIONERS ON THE BOARD ARE A DIVERSE GROUP. FOUR ARE BUSINESS PEOPLE WITH A BACKGROUND IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND URBAN AFFAIRS. THEY ARE NOMINATED BY THE MAYOR AND CONFIRMED BY THE COUNCIL. ONE IS A LABOR REPRESENTATIVE AND ONE IS DEPUTY MAYOR FOR PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

"The vision for the board is to stay committed, to make sure that we change the culture of the Housing Authority so that residents are treated and looked at as customers as you do in the private sector, and that we work to empower customers and to empower the staff to serve the customers better."

We all have a great interest in improving the housing authority and we all have great compassion for the customers that we serve.

THREE COMMISSIONERS ARE PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS ELECTED AT RESIDENT COUNCIL MEETINGS, A VITAL PART OF THE VISION.

“This housing authority has a philosophy that there is nothing that takes place within the public housing community that does not involve working with our residents. We do this from the initial planning stages, through a series of meetings that are well-advertised, involvement with the resident organization, through a charrette planning process that involves not only the public housing residents but the larger community as well.”

GUIDING THE NEW LEADERSHIP IS A MULTI-FACETED 3-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN THEY DEVELOPED. IT CHARTS THE COURSE OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY BASED ON 10 GOALS TO BUILD STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS. THIS PLAN SETS THE PATH TOWARD EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE YEAR 2003.

“…One of the things I’d like to do here in the District of Columbia in terms of reshaping and retooling our mission is to become much more of a customer-driven agency that gives to our staff the tools and resources they need to deliver a quality product much like the expectations would be in the private sector.” “…we look to remain accountable to the public on this goal toward excellence.”

“…we are currently collecting rent at a 99% measure, we are at a 99% occupancy, our emergency work orders are completed within 24 hours and routine work orders are done within 14 days. These are all the types of indicators that rival or best a private sector approach to the delivery of property management services.”

“Besides being a property management company and a real estate development company, we’re also a company that looks at the needs of the social and recreational health of our clients. And the best way we find to do that is to partner with those nonprofits or city agencies or for-profits that provide these services and be in a position to identify a need and match up resources…”

“There’s child care, there’s senior care, there’s educational opportunities for GED. We’ve got a wonderful youth violence prevention model that we’ve got going here…”

“…our mission is to be able to work with this population, the younger population to some degree who fell out of the mainstream. But D.C. housing is working very closely with the Alliance to assure the future of this particular generation.”

THE D.C. HOUSING AUTHORITY IS ORGANIZED INTO 3 REGIONS: ROCK CREEK, POTOMAC AND ANACOSTIA. THEY OPERATE LIKE SEMI-AUTONOMOUS HOUSING AUTHORITIES MANAGED BY REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS. EACH HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR ABOUT 3,000 UNITS. ANACOSTIA, WITH ITS 16 PROPERTIES, IS A FINE EXAMPLE OF A REGION UNDERGOING DRAMATIC REVITALIZATION. IT TAKES COOPERATION AND DEDICATION ON EVERY LEVEL: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE MAYOR’S OFFICE, COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, HOUSING AUTHORITY STAFF AND THE RESIDENTS THEMSELVES.

“Each of our resident organizations has what is called the resident council which is very similar to a civic association in a privately owned community. One of the things that we have found is that if resident organizations come together and form a business entity—a community development corporation—it increases their ability to go out and to contract …not only with the housing authority, but to contract with other venders as well for entrepreneurial opportunities.”

…It’s important that we recognize the real value of the resident leaders and their commitment to service.”

Dorothea Farrell,Commissioner-Resident

“…it has been wonderful working with Michael Kelly for the year and a half. I met him while we had David Gillmore, the Receiver, and he’s a positive person, he has good ideas and we share ideas with him…”

Paul Berry

THE D.C. HOUSING AUTHORITY CELEBRATED ITS GREATEST VOTE OF CONFIDENCE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT AWARDED THE AGENCY A $35 MILLION DOLLAR HOPE 6 GRANT. THIS IS THE LARGEST OF 5 PREVIOUS HOPE 6 GRANTS FROM HUD. THIS ONE GIVES THE IMPETUS TO TOTALLY REDEVELOP THE ARTHUR CAPPER AND CARROLLSBERG PROJECTS-- A 23-ACRE PUBLIC HOUSING SITE LAYING IN DECAY ALONG THE ANACOSTIA RIVER NEXT TO THE WASHINGTON NAVY YARD.

Sharon Ambrose,City Councilmember

“This is a vision of new housing communities throughout the city and for this particular development it’s a vision of a new District of Columbia along the waterfront.”

Col. Rick Trion, Commanding Officer, Marine Barracks, S.E.

“I can’t tell you how excited we are at the prospect of the Hope 6 grant coming to Washington, D.C. and Mr. Kelly leading the way here.”

“It’s going to bring a bit of Renaissance into southeast Washington. I see the Marines as part of this recapitalization in the Hope 6 grant.”

Paul Berry

THIS HOPE 6 GRANT IS EXPECTED TO SPARK ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN INVESTMENT INTO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. IT SEEDS AN AMBITIOUS $400 MILLION REDEVELOPMENT PLAN THAT CALLS FOR MIXED-INCOME PUBLIC HOUSING, OFFICE SPACE AND RETAIL SPACE TO BE BUILT OVER 4 YEARS.

Russell Simmons

“…that’s a spectacular example of the kind of work we hope to do. We’re going to replace 700 public housing units, we’re going to add 300 – 400 middle and moderate income housing. We’re going to add 600,000 square feet of office space. What we will do is remake a neighborhood of about 25 acres. It will provide space for all the people we relocate to come back…We’re replacing public housing one for one. This is a very rare occurrence and we’re very proud of it as a part of our Hope 6 application.”

Sharon Ambrose

“This is very special because it’s going to be a fabulous partnership between federal, city and private sector enterprises.”

“…we’re taking the opportunity of actually building office buildings, which will provide jobs, we hope, for our residents because part of the Hope 6 process provides training opportunities, educational opportunities, and we’re going to make a community—not just a bricks and mortar community, but also, we’re addressing the needs of the residents…

Marcie Cohen, Commissioner, DCHA

“…we want them all to come back and have a great place to live that’s a great neighborhood again.”

Michael Kelly

“ It’s actually looking at having this valuable grant tool and this reconstruction revitalization project and we’re rebuilding people’s lives at the same time we are rebuilding neighborhoods.”

Eleanor Norton Holmes, Delegate, District of Columbia

“…the outpouring of residents says everything about the D.C. housing authority in coming forward with one of the rare and most important models for how to do Hope 6 in this country.”

Gene Ford, Chairman Mid-City Financial Corp.

“Fortunately, the housing authority staff that we have now, backed by the Mayor with his visions--I think its—I’m the proudest of anything and I think it has more potential than anything I’ve ever seen to serve the city and all of the resident that are there and to come.”

Michael Kelly

“We have a slogan here which is a commitment to excellence. That whole theme comes from the real desire we have from the Commission as well as from HUD and the mayor’s office to make public housing here in the district the best in the whole country.”