In Washington, DC, there’s a new initiative in town. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development has unveiled the New Communities Initiative, a public-private partnership that is designed to “redevelop…neighborhoods into healthy, vibrant communities for current and future residents.” This city-wide initiative will involve demolishing existing public housing and replacing it with mixed-income housing. New Communities promises the right to return as well as social support services and new or revitalized retail and public spaces for the low-income residents who currently reside in the targeted public housing developments. But the specter of HOPE VI haunts this ambitious plan, belying the “new” in New Communities. Hope VI, a HUD program introduced in 1992, also set its sights on destroying public housing in a purported effort to address the crime and poverty concentrated there. With the mixed-income developments that did not guarantee housing for ousted poor residents, Hope VI—also known as “Hopeless VI” or “Hope We Have A Chance to Come Back VI”—largely ended up being a Trojan horse for gentrification and permanent displacement. And the New Communities Initiative could be latest round of that shell game if low-income residents of color don’t have a say in the destiny of their neighborhoods.
At ONE DC, we don’t believe communities can be truly “renewed” without the input, energy, and vision of the residents. We believe that poor communities of color have untold treasures that should not be overlooked in the zeal to “reduce crime” and “revitalize.” In fact, the resident organizing and leadership at Barry Farm in southeast DC perfectly proves this point. The leaders of Facilitating Leadership in Youth (FLY) came to us a year ago, seeking support and resources in their fight for home and sovereignty at Barry Farm, which is slated for destruction in the name of the New Communities Initiative. These youth, primarily comprised of residents of Barry Farm, came to us for technical assistance. But they’ve turned around and helped ONE DC through their organizing strategy and passion. Eighty youth even came together to hold a retreat dedicated to articulating a strategy for change. They have gotten their parents involved, too. And surely the ancestors are present as well—Barry Farm is the site of a post-Civil War community established in 1867 for formerly enslaved and free people, and may be the oldest African-American neighborhood in the District. Today, more than 2,000 families in four public housing developments in DC are affected by the initiative, and since 100,000 units of public housing have been lost nation-wide in a decade, there’s reason for concern. And for organizing!
ONE DC’s mission is to exercise political strength to create and preserve racial and economic equity in Shaw and the District, focusing on community organizing, equitable development, popular education, and resident-led policy advocacy. After all, communities most impacted by economic and racial inequities should head efforts to address them. And address they do! DC residents working with us pushed through two ground-breaking community benefit agreements (CBAs) for public parcels in the gentrifying Shaw neighborhood. These CBAs stipulate how developers must incorporate benefits for the community—like affordable housing, living-wage jobs, and locally-based retail--into their plans. City officials received over 100 letters and countless phone calls from residents in support of Parcel 42, a ONE DC equitable development project. In addition, over 500 signatures were collected in support of this affordable housing and community retail initiative. There were also several delegations to the Wilson Building (where DC administrators are located) and meetings with top officials. Sustained engagement from these residents resulted in a city government guarantee that Parcel 42 would be a permanently affordable rental building, complete with community ownership. Pat Penny, a ONE DC board member who was born in Shaw but displaced three times due to gentrifying forces, spoke about the need for affordable housing and Parcel 42 on WAMU 88.5 FM’s “Kojo Nnamdi Show.” And across the river in Anacostia, Mayor Fenty ended closed-door negotiations regarding Poplar Point development and made the bidding process public due to ONE DC resident leaders’ organizing efforts there. Resident visionaries also secured city funding for a $2 million training and hiring program for over 500 residents at the planned Convention Center Headquarters Hotel--so that top brass makes good on their insistence that redevelopment benefits residents throughout the socioeconomic spectrum.
Which brings us back to the New Communities Initiative. The truth is, public housing is already mixed income. At Barry Farm, residents pay anything from zero to $800 a month. So what is this really about? We continue to ask inconvenient questions because the only acceptable answer is the city’s unwavering commitment to decent, affordable housing and involving residents’ input deeply and authentically. Now that would be something new.
