D.C. HOUSING ENTERPRISES AWARDED NOVOGRADAC 2024 QLICI OF THE YEAR AWARD

 

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                                CONTACT: Alison Burdo, media@dchousing.org

Honor recognizes DCHE’s financing of Whitman-Walker’s new Max Robinson Center in Ward 8

WASHINGTON, D.C. [June 3, 2024] – D.C. Housing Enterprises has been named the winner of the Novogradac 2024 Real Estate QLICI of the Year award, a distinction that recognizes its investment in the development of Whitman-Walker’s new Max Robinson Center, a healthcare and research destination providing comprehensive and inclusive care as well as health-related legal and support services to the District of Columbia’s East of the River communities.

The Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits’ annual Community Development QLICIs of the Year Awards recognize community development entities (CDEs) that made exceptional qualified low-income community investments (QLICIs) in the past year.

D.C. Housing Enterprises (DCHE), a nonprofit subsidiary of the D.C. Housing Authority, made an $11 million commitment in 2023 to the Max Robinson Center at Whitman-Walker, which has a more than 50-year history of service to and advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, including offering HIV treatment and prevention-related care. The funds originated from $55 million in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) allocated to DCHE by the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institution Fund to deploy capital into economically distressed communities and businesses.

“The New Market Tax Credits are an opportunity to positively impact District families by supporting the development of projects, programs and services that empower and enrich their lives,” said Keith Pettigrew, executive director of the D.C. Housing Authority. “Healthcare access is a significant issue for many DCHA and other low-income residents. D.C. Housing Enterprises is honored to support the creation of a state-of-the-art Max Robinson Center and partner with Whitman-Walker as it helps bridge gaps in healthcare equity among historically marginalized communities.”

In August 2023, the Max Robinson Center opened at its new location at 1201 Sycamore Drive SE on the St. Elizabeths campus in the Congress Heights neighborhood. The new 118,000-square-foot facility includes a pharmacy, 65 exam rooms, 12 behavioral health suites, and 24 conference and team rooms, and provides services and programs to more than 15,000 people annually.

“Since its inception in a church basement 50 years ago, Whitman-Walker has always been dedicated to offering health care to those with the greatest need while treating them with dignity and respect, and that is what led us to expand our services in 1993 to the residents of Southeast Washington when we opened our original Max Robinson Center in Anacostia,” said Naseema Shafi, CEO of Whitman-Walker Health. “Heath care disparities in Ward 8 became even more evident during the pandemic, emboldening us to expand our level of care and services including research to the community – which also meant the need for a larger facility. We’re therefore truly appreciative of the substantial funding we’ve received. It allowed us to build a new, cutting edge, 6-story Max Robinson Center that has enabled us to treat an additional 10,000 patients per year while also growing our research program exponentially.”

In total, the Max Robinson Center received more than $32 million of NMTC allocation from DCHE, Capital Impact Partners, JPMorgan Chase, Jubilee Manna Community Development Enterprise, and Industrial Bank. Additional financing support was provided by JPMorgan Chase as the NMTC investor and EagleBank as lender.

Along with the fiscal support of the Max Robinson Center, DCHE has also committed $11 million in NMTC to nonprofit DC SAFE’s shelter for domestic violence survivors in Ward 5, called the SAFE Space Crisis Shelter. DCHE is continually seeking opportunities to invest NMTCs in support of projects that reinvigorate local economies, improve access to healthcare or social services, increase the number of affordable housing units, or expand and diversify education options.

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About D.C. Housing Enterprises
D.C. Housing Enterprises is a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit community development entity and subsidiary of the District of Columbia Housing Authority. DCHE was certified as a community development entity in 2009 to attract greater investments to the District of the Columbia to support the financing of commercial, mixed-use and community facility projects that are critical to the creation of healthy and economically vibrant mixed-income neighborhoods. Since its founding, DCHE has closed on $150 million in funding for projects in education, affordable housing, health care and other services needed by low-income District residents.

About DC Housing Authority
The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) is committed to providing safe, affordable, and quality housing to the residents of the District of Columbia. The agency emphasizes fostering a collaborative work environment to meet the highest expectations of the affordable housing industry. With a focus on innovation and community development, DCHA strives to improve the lives of individuals and families by creating sustainable and thriving communities. Learn more at our website about DCHA and the work that the agency is doing to impact the residents of Washington, D.C.

About Whitman-Walker
For more than 50 years, Whitman-Walker has been part of the fabric of the Washington D.C. and national community as first responder and care-provider for those living with HIV; a leader in LGBTQ care and advocacy; a research center working to discover breakthroughs in HIV treatment and prevention science; and one of D.C.’s most trusted partners during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Whitman-Walker envisions a society where all people are seen for who they are, treated with dignity and respect, and afforded equal opportunity to health and wellbeing. More info can be found at: whitman-walker.org.