[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98,110],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":71,"_73":71},"mediaId",6639567,"mediaKeyId","3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49","parentId",3626483,"title","DCHA tells council it can rehab roughly 800 units a year but warns HUD approvals and infrastructure costs slow work","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",7412000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49&start=7412&end=7412","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49/thumbnail_7412000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6639567/DCHA-tells-council-it-can-rehab-roughly-800-units-a-year-but-warns-HUD-approvals-and-infrastructure-costs-slow-work","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6639567-409e8389f341e5911bc9ee8c3ab2af10/orig.mp4?Expires=1770522387&Signature=YyfQFXO5j21Ukz0mQkcZ50sdALf2WoyPpAR2W0bt72g6Dx8TMS~pNJyerQOwjBROqafksDlITO3DAvFKPMZgXcKc7m3p3YEPpjdjverlSmEzpawAYfgNYZuI2n3IMOd-x96APTxR-Vv02vfUP7jZpThxeBwA3fJg6irPrWYnvcchLE-mdLBjpXZD-6EuAyY5mqW~hFML62977lMm62mdui8LEOS~ittY6cl1LScU1J3hxoLtjLzyxbGfc-7aAcJoewq7trZWRztO9Tkl4jSYYO5KyNrD2tjQGvORjNbfXaECehVySQob31bOVpYctXuDYKq1JaStwfiwm0AvAqBgGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","District of Columbia (Housing)","date","2025-05-30T00:00:00Z","article","DCHA officials told the Committee on Housing that the authority is pursuing an aggressive program of unit rehabs and is preparing a formal rehabilitation and redevelopment plan to prioritize offline and vacant units.

Deputy Director Daniel Denning said DCHA has completed 1,164 unit rehabs since January of last year and averages roughly 80 unit turns per month. \"Roughly about 800 units a year\" is DCHA's current capacity under existing staffing and contractor arrangements, Denning said.

Director Keith Pettigrew explained the authority faces an array of constraints: many offline units require major infrastructural work, supply and labor costs remain high, and pending Section 18 applications submitted to HUD take longer than in the past to receive final approvals. Pettigrew said some units are taken offline because large-scale repairs or repositioning make short-term rehabs impractical; he said DCHA is preparing both a more aggressive rehabilitation plan and a longer-term redevelopment sequencing assessment.

On per-unit costs, DCHA staff told the committee the average cost to turn a typical public-housing unit has risen substantially; the authority presented figures in the tens of thousands per unit, and staff said larger units and those with structural issues cost more to repair. Committee members asked for a property-by-property cost assessment and a clear schedule showing which units will be brought back online and when.

DCHA also described a multi-source funding approach to rehab: local capital allocations, HUD capital grants expected for FY25, prior-year local balances and HUD-held reserves. The authority said it is planning to obligate FY25 capital funds and expects to use a combination of local and federal funds to preserve and rehab units; the committee asked DCHA to provide a line-by-line capital-spending plan and to identify how contingency reserves would be used if federal funding were curtailed.

Council members and witnesses emphasized the need for clarity about which units are already offline and which are being held pending redevelopment, and asked DCHA to publish property- and unit-level vacancy and offline data. DCHA committed to provide a more detailed plan by the end of the year.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","District of Columbia (Housing) - Committee on Housing, Budget Oversight Hearing, Robert White, Chairperson - May 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","DCHA testified it averages about 80 unit turns per month and has completed 1,164 unit rehabs since January of last year. The authority told the committee it is preparing a more aggressive rehab and redevelopment plan but faces long HUD review timelines for Section 18 applications and rising per-unit costs.","taxTitle","Committee on Housing, Committees, Legislative, District of Columbia","taxId",15953,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":71,"_73":71},6639572,"Residents tell DCHA oversight hearing of inspection delays, management issues and intimidation at properties",1011,2712000,3723000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49&start=2712&end=3723","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49/thumbnail_2712000.jpg","/articles/6639572/Residents-tell-DCHA-oversight-hearing-of-inspection-delays-management-issues-and-intimidation-at-properties","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6639572-ae09ef168073c56ffe1c74d93484836e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770522387&Signature=W6B6luu1MmSV-l5agzCWSE2B1jsXZZCp7unAgodqA8YQuLpFOVboK1w-ULncYo5exwMvDYNuIHdJ3mBqAI60~yYdEqFv3Fe2YbG6da327vxcLsJh6lSl5sIngK5aKsh~6xVY1Y0WXV-rd3Wbbwh9m8JB4IEdMhGkNTeQwp-AZ9DML59cQ01Tr8IBxirh1qHsABw2pj9qHT05VULTJ45~tAp5m9WwV-ytxkyyFtliBsgV0oP4j84b-6RzNkGZZi4SmU1svwyMnkUn0ew-UbT-hjKpkMhpJVIdonDiDTyM0SQlRTWLxiWE8LjeMAzbpHuOSCRxU1PvyrTXHMP5Ea~LOQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Multiple residents used the Committee on Housing’s May 30 oversight hearing to describe ongoing and sometimes severe problems with inspections, property management and tenant advocacy services tied to public housing and voucher placement.

Candace Smith, a mother of three in Ward 3, testified that she was notified in April 2024 she would receive a permanent supportive housing voucher but had received no meaningful update and remained at “step 4” of the process a year later. “I have no answers, but only to continue to wait on a call that I don't know when is coming,” she said. Smith told the committee she faces market-rate rent increases on July 1 and is uncertain whether she will be able to sustain housing without the voucher.

Other residents described failed inspections, pest and mold problems, missed repair appointments and slow or nonresponsive follow-up from management and the Office of the Tenant Advocate. A long-serving tenant and advocate known in testimony as “Miss B” said building managers often intimidate tenants and that urgent maintenance and notice practices are inconsistent. She said the OTA had not responded in a timely fashion to her complaints.

Karen Lundrigan described mouse infestations, mold and multiple building code failures; a Department of Buildings inspector had condemned her unit, she said, but she reported difficulties obtaining consistent assistance from DCHA. Contessa Allen Starks and others described missing recertification files, delayed casework and long periods in which files appeared to be lost or unprocessed.

DCHA and committee staff acknowledged the complaints, with the committee inviting residents to work with staff and the authority for case-level follow up. Council Member White told Candace Smith the committee would follow up with the agency to try to surface and resolve the specific case, and asked DCHA to improve communication protocols for inspections, pending voucher briefings and recertification workflows.

Resident speakers and advocates also recommended DCHA tie building-level staff evaluations and contractor performance to resident feedback to incentivize better treatment and faster responses. The committee asked DCHA to consider and report back on whether resident feedback can be used in building-level personnel evaluations or contractor bonus structures.

The committee left the written record open through June 6 for additional testimony and case submissions.","Individual residents described long waits for vouchers, failed inspections, poor property management and slow Office of Tenant Advocate responses. Witnesses urged more transparent communication, resident-facing oversight and enforcement of management practices.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":71,"_73":71},6639577,"Advocates demand $60 million annual public-housing repairs and a statutory right to return",274,3073000,3347000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49&start=3073&end=3347","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49/thumbnail_3073000.jpg","/articles/6639577/Advocates-demand-60-million-annual-public-housing-repairs-and-a-statutory-right-to-return","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6639577-15b7134fa653c718fd50cef1dbae023f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770522387&Signature=BqeoZnIRd2yLWq9Ys102Xyphhs6V~lpN8xd9VS9DlAhJuuVHZH-i64QAZg-2O8EwOk6jU900aM4cnkUCaN-V7F4~gLR-BWH1KuXHWWRBaJg8j-kaS9dhtaIwMv3zpr81GA9O~8XIox18pl37LqnpNRp38x02iIRN9OPRwIEz~olLcdkqqU~z9lC~sBqVlJpTBJ8hZ89y2xc5kPudD4~eQAgo2QW1jJ~KRp3z7YFDvL0~nB-FT0~F-~OBGDDBG4AI1gRuK6QiyJo1veoSyqgoHNrMvlRJOjWGERo5BPYQfxfY30Sd1EuDC46Tyzh-QT-G26MpBbK~ZsBAehOQeanthA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the May 30 oversight hearing, public-housing residents and advocates pressed the Committee on Housing to make a recurring commitment to preserve and repair D.C.’s public housing and to enshrine residents’ rights in local law.

Speakers from Empower DC, SOME, Jubilee Housing and tenant groups told the committee the Mayor’s allocation of $52.4 million spread over FY26 and FY27 is insufficient and unstable. “We are calling for $60,000,000 per year for public housing repairs and increased council oversight,” Farrah Fassay of Empower DC said, noting tens of thousands of deeply affordable units are at risk if repositioning and demolition proceed without firm preservation commitments.

Advocates repeatedly asked the Council to codify a right of return without rescreening for residents displaced by redevelopment or repositioning. Legal Aid supervising attorney Eleni Christidis urged the committee to require DCHA to publish property-level vacancy and offline-unit data and to “codify into local law public-housing residents' absolute right of return.”

Many witnesses also criticized the makeup and functioning of the DCHA board (the STAR board and proposed successor structure). Witnesses and resident leaders asked the council to ensure resident-elected positions, legal-services representation and a tenant advocate seat are included in any permanent board and to require confirmation hearings for nominees.

Resident speakers described housing conditions and the consequences of long waits for repairs: nearly half of renters were rent-burdened, advocacy witnesses said, and older adults and young adults were increasingly seeking services. Witnesses urged the Council to pair any production goals with robust funds for the Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP) and project- and sponsor-based components that keep deeply affordable housing operational.

Committee members asked DCHA about plans to bring vacant units back online and asked advocates and the authority for property-level plans and timelines to be provided to the committee. The committee kept the record open for written testimony through June 6.","Multiple community groups and residents urged the Committee on Housing to restore and expand public-housing repair funding, press for stronger resident rights in redevelopment and to change DCHA’s board appointment process to increase resident representation.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_46":104,"_48":105,"_50":106,"_52":107,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":108,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":109,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":71,"_73":71},6639580,"Providers ask D.C. housing committee to fund more supportive vouchers and speed the voucher-to-lease process",325,949000,1274000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49&start=949&end=1274","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49/thumbnail_949000.jpg","/articles/6639580/Providers-ask-DC-housing-committee-to-fund-more-supportive-vouchers-and-speed-the-voucher-to-lease-process","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6639580-d55d163d58e3b3ad7856d14bfbfa82c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770522387&Signature=ilNipSpfl77gokaskbspnqSGu-9gqBIwjFBdh13UIqczYaY76lNhM1iE90NO1CEtGTu7NKTkbvzP6rOPlpX1RYB5M3N~f6yR682dZyDgE34zBQv~2vxzLGy-cobNCZD1AZGhiEeWwUfbO4aU-uQ4CLHNzVIZrVHqcqSBQxJvrjj0viZQMjyFnQuFhkkfU0~AbYKX4XtU9Y1fFGR8c6-73VH4mW6wFL-ABs3I994qSiC0uaH1k4GyUKe1QjMw~AQ5TuH3G7SfQLIPoicPhY7bgvurH~zEZYYOj8AfAtpdupfOBhznW~9p8qelN3hiKdJy5QHDmE1HvKpxf4Yg2Rii4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives from service providers told the Committee on Housing that D.C. must invest in permanent supportive housing (PSH) for single adults and fix backlogged voucher processes that delay placement of people experiencing chronic homelessness.

“Permanent supportive housing is a nationally recognized housing-first best practice,” said Andy Wosnick, director of policy at Miriam’s Kitchen, which leads the Way Home Campaign. He told the committee the Mayor’s proposed FY26 budget includes no PSH vouchers for single adults and urged the Council to fund PSH vouchers at the campaign’s recommended pace.

Wosnick and Community of Hope President and CEO Kelly Sweeney McShane described progress on voucher processing but said significant bottlenecks remain. McShane said providers, DCHA and the Department of Human Services had agreed to a third-party, facilitated process review to identify steps that could shorten the time from voucher match to lease-up, and that participants were aiming to reduce that timeline to 90 days.

Wosnick asked the Council to consider a multi-year commitment of new PSH vouchers. The Way Home Campaign asked the Council for 1,260 PSH vouchers per year for three years; Council Member White and other witnesses noted D.C. has struggled in the past to build administrative capacity when voucher allocations arrived in large, one-time infusions.

Several speakers, including Makenna Osborne of the Children’s Law Center, flagged an additional urgency: roughly 587 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) that have been used locally will lose their federal funding in FY26 and will need a local subsidy to avoid exits from housing. DCHA and DHS are coordinating on a continuity plan, committee members said, and the authority reported it had been engaging with providers on prioritizing lease-up.

Director Pettigrew acknowledged improvements and said DCHA and DHS had begun biweekly coordination meetings with providers to streamline processes. Noeli Wishart, DCHA’s utilization supervisor, told the committee the average time from voucher issuance to lease-up for federal vouchers was about 97 days for households that do complete leasing, and that DCHA planned to continue working with partners to reduce that timeframe.

Committee members asked DCHA for process metrics, including inspection response times, and asked providers to submit concrete recommendations for pilots or short-term process changes that could be tested during the budget year.

Providers indicated a willingness to pilot contracted workflows — for example, nonprofit partners handling certain eligibility steps or inspections — but said such changes should be carefully scoped and tested to avoid creating new bottlenecks.

The committee kept the record open for written testimony through June 6.","Service providers and advocates at the May 30 hearing urged the Committee on Housing to increase permanent supportive housing (PSH) vouchers for single adults and to back an externally facilitated process review to cut the lease-up timeline to 90 days.",{"_33":111,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":112,"_41":113,"_43":114,"_45":115,"_46":116,"_48":117,"_50":118,"_52":119,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":120,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":121,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":71,"_73":71},6639585,"D.C. housing committee warns proposed DCHA budget cuts would shrink repairs and risk displacement",8546,236000,8782000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49&start=236&end=8782","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626483-000f0d824d92c40f875ee819b4b96b49/thumbnail_236000.jpg","/articles/6639585/DC-housing-committee-warns-proposed-DCHA-budget-cuts-would-shrink-repairs-and-risk-displacement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6639585-e85b7a5a6992f5070ccd049bf9ba7eb6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770522387&Signature=GbuZmWkFrmEQQ79IR7TGMCuyMOHU~6uxjcPce90YbPECs0M5kR-2aO0zLyPcUk~TRcGu6f-~st7fkKsPzvAh9X9MOBeGXcx3X-CDQzg~xGl8Eir5DVr6B~fgpZPrD5jiks~ItNEEJ3YpeR1cHFDAcIWfhn6msABv-TLDsrDtszPQA1EACEY5rcfVtCxm6SriKK7dAJj0EbC4xk1gnd~6N6E~8Xws9YfaBDYvMbUrb1Xlx2IAuMLc6T3W4PfdiT4DHOW-QM42Up2Ly87lR~t~6FY-S~VTlkxvVvDB85z0jkLy95rw9UGqLli6X8eJG0S3Z3eAr9htcKQBBw2EWwpO~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Council Member Robert White, chair of the Committee on Housing, opened the May 30 budget oversight hearing by warning the committee and witnesses that the city is operating on a compressed schedule and that the Mayor’s FY26 budget proposals for the D.C. Housing Authority risk worsening displacement.

“This is a setup for a new wave of displacement, and I'm incredibly concerned,” Council Member White said, summarizing testimony he expected from agencies and providers about the likely local effects of federal funding uncertainty and proposed local cuts.

Advocates and resident leaders told the committee the mayor’s proposal would keep local voucher investments steady but would eliminate a recurring $7 million a year set aside last year for public-housing repairs and maintenance. Several witnesses said the change, combined with a proposed reduction in funding for DCHA’s public-safety activities, would undermine the authority’s ability to preserve aging buildings and protect residents.

Farrah Fassay of Empower DC pressed the committee for a sustained local commitment to repairs and to require DCHA to publish property-level vacancy and offline-unit data. “Over 2,300 deeply affordable homes throughout D.C. are sitting vacant, while tens of thousands of people need affordable housing,” she said, calling for $60 million annually for public-housing repairs — the amount urged by the Fair Budget Coalition and other groups.

DCHA Director Keith Pettigrew told the committee the authority has been rehabbing units and is preparing a more aggressive rehabilitation and redevelopment plan. He said obstacles include aging building systems, supply and labor costs, and delays in federal approvals for Section 18 repositioning requests filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Director Pettigrew said DCHA is committing available local capital funds and HUD capital grants to vacant-unit turns and repairs and is using reserves and prior-year funds to accelerate work, but he warned that some repairs require major infrastructure replacement and are costly. Deputy Director Daniel Denning told the committee the authority has completed 1,164 unit rehabs since January of last year and currently averages roughly 80 unit turns per month.

Council members pressed DCHA on how long it will take to bring offline units back into service, how the authority will prioritize projects given a reduced FY26 capital proposal from the Mayor and what contingency planning DCHA has in case of federal funding cuts. Director Pettigrew said the authority is refining monthly tracking so units coming back into inventory can be prioritized for quick leasing.

Several council members and witnesses urged the committee to ensure the DCHA board’s structure and oversight are adequate to protect residents during repositioning and redevelopment. Witnesses asked the council to codify a guaranteed right to return to redeveloped properties without rescreening; DCHA leaders said they have committed to strong resident protections but that a property-by-property plan and clearer statutory protections would give residents greater certainty.

The Committee left the hearing with multiple outstanding requests for DCHA: a more detailed property-level plan and timeline for returning units to service; an accounting of available capital and repair funds (including prior-year balances and HUD-held reserves); a schedule for implementing a targeted rehabilitation plan; and contingency scenarios in the event of federal funding cuts.

The Committee kept the hearing record open for written testimony through June 6.","At a May 30 Committee on Housing hearing, residents, providers and Council members pressed the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) and Council staff about Mayor Bowser's FY26 proposal, which holds voucher funding flat, cuts recurring maintenance dollars and reduces public-safety support for public housing.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DCHA tells council it can rehab roughly 800 units a year but warns HUD approvals and infrastructure costs slow work

Residents tell DCHA oversight hearing of inspection delays, management issues and intimidation at properties

Advocates demand $60 million annual public-housing repairs and a statutory right to return

Providers ask D.C. housing committee to fund more supportive vouchers and speed the voucher-to-lease process

D.C. housing committee warns proposed DCHA budget cuts would shrink repairs and risk displacement