Hundreds of DC Residents to Organize for Affordable Housing at 5th Annual Citywide Tenant Town Hall

MEDIA ADVISORY            
June 20, 2012                  

Contact: Ash Kosiewicz, Communications and Advocacy Director
Farah Fosse, Affordable Housing Preservation Director
(202) 425-1303; (202) 590-4369
akosiewicz@ledcmetro.org; ffosse@ledcmetro.org

250 renters expected to follow-up with Council members, housing directors on #1 issue from Mayor’s One City Summit and present solutions to keep the District affordable amid trends showing dramatic loss of low-cost rental units in previous decade

WHAT: 5th Annual Citywide Tenant Town Hall
WHERE: National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW
WHEN: Saturday, June 23rd, 2012; 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WHO (confirmed): Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham; Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh; Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser; At-Large Councilmember Vincent Orange; Renters from across the city (250 attendees expected); Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Director Nicholas Majett; DC Housing Authority Director Adrianne Todman; DC Housing Finance Agency Director Harry Sewell; Office on Latino Affairs Director Roxana Olivas; Office of the Tenant Advocate Director Johanna Shreve; Department of Housing and Community Development staff; Office on African Affairs; Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs; AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly; CARECEN; Mi Casa; Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center; ONE DC; Legal Aid DC; Bread for the City; CNHED Housing for All Campaign; Empower DC; Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless; We Are Family; Many Languages, One Voice; Ethiopian Community Center; LEDC. ***Invitations to all councilmembers***

WASHINGTON – In the wake of successful efforts to restore $18 million to the Housing Production Trust Fund in the FY13 budget and the release of new data showing the number of low-cost rental units in the city has fallen by half since 2000, the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) is organizing the 5th Annual Tenant Town Hall with renters and community-based organizations from across the city. Residents will present their housing priorities and solutions, including the pressing need to help more renters buy their apartment buildings to prevent their displacement from communities undergoing significant revitalization. Tenants will also champion language access rights for immigrants and their role in the preservation of decent, affordable housing; continued improvements to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ (DCRA) proactive housing code inspections program; and the creation of a new policy to ensure that publicly subsidized apartment buildings slated for foreclosure do not lose their subsidy. The event will also feature the screening of four short bilingual films on tenant rights. In its 5th year, the Tenant Town Hall has served as a dynamic forum through which tenants have secured major victories for DC renters, including the right to sue landlords in court for refusing to fix housing code violations and the creation of the proactive inspections program. The town hall takes place just four months after DC residents identified the lack of affordable housing as the #1 issue facing the District at Mayor Vincent Gray’s One City Summit.

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Working families deserve to live in affordable homes and own successful small businesses, but too many are unable to turn these dreams into a reality. The Latino Economic Development Center equips Latinos and other DC-area residents with the skills and financial tools to buy and stay in their homes, take control of the decisions affecting their apartment buildings, and start or expand small businesses. Learn more at http://www.ledcmetro.org.

 

Wheaton Patch – Council’s Redevelopment Plan Includes Coalition’s Revisions

Below is news coverage from over the weekend related to the ongoing work of the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton, of which LEDC is a member.

On April 10, the Montgomery County Council recommended the appropriation of $66 million in public money to fund a series of planning studies and the construction of a new town square, office building, and underground parking on Parking Lot 13.

The Council also recommended language proposed by the Wheaton Coalition that in part requires Montgomery County to conduct a comprehensive parking study to identify how construction disruptions might affect existing businesses in Wheaton as well as study innovative models of local job creation connected to redevelopment projects. It also requires the County Executive to brief the Council on any planning or negotiations regarding job opportunities and training as well as small business protections prior to the finalization of any General Development Agreement.

To read the language proposed by the Coalition and adopted by the Council, click here.

 

Citi Community Development to Announce Major Contribution to LEDC to Boost Lending to Washington, DC Small Businesses

MEDIA ADVISORY
February 20, 2012

Media Contacts: David Roskin, Citi, 212-559-4767 or david.roskin@citi.com
Ash Kosiewicz, LEDC, 202-425-1303 or akosiewicz@ledcmetro.org

WHAT: Citi Community Development/LEDC Grant Announcement with DC Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor Hoskins
WHERE: Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) 2316 18th ST Washington, DC 20009
WHEN: Tuesday, February 21st, 2012; 10-10:30 AM
WHO: Bob Annibale, Citi Global Director of Community Development and Microfinance; District Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor Hoskins; LEDC Executive Director Manny Hidalgo; Capital Pilates Small Business Owner Fidel Garcia; Mindy’s Catering Small Business Owners Fredy Robles and Erin White; Citi and LEDC representatives

WASHINGTON– Tomorrow, Citi Community Development and the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) will announce a $500,000 contribution to help small businesses in the District access microloans to support business expansion, income growth, and job creation. Citi’s major commitment will enable LEDC to expand its micro-lending program and increase lending to small businesses by nearly 50 percent over the next year. In 2011, LEDC disbursed 81 small business loans that injected nearly $700,000 of capital into the regional economy, including 30 loans in the District. With an average loan size of $10,000, Citi’s  contribution will enable LEDC to make approximately 40 loans in the District in 2012. LEDC will leverage these funds to seek additional support in pursuing its goal of tripling the amount it will loan to small businesses in the Washington region in five years to approximately $2.16 million, including $650,000 for DC small businesses. Citi’s support for LEDC – the largest private gift to LEDC in its 20-year history – is the latest and largest in a long record of local investment in the greater Washington, DC area.  In 2011 alone, Citi and the Citi Foundation together committed more than $700,000 to support programs and partners involved in neighborhood revitalization, small business development, financial capability-building, and other initiatives.

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About Citi Community Development
Citi Community Development (CCD) is leading Citi’s commitment to achieve economic empowerment and growth for underserved individuals, families and communities by expanding access to financial products and services, and building sustainable business solutions and innovative partnerships. Our focus areas include: commercial and philanthropic funding; innovative financial products and services; and collaborations with institutions that expand access to financial products and services for low-income and underserved communities. For more information, please visit http://www.citicommunitydevelopment.com.

About LEDC
Working families deserve to live in affordable homes and own successful small businesses – but too many are unable to turn these dreams into a reality. The Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) equips Latinos and other DC-area residents with the skills and financial tools to create a better future for their families and communities. Participants in our programs learn how to buy and stay in their homes, take control of the decisions affecting their apartment buildings, and start or expand small businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.ledcmetro.org.

 

Community Celebration Welcomes DC’s Newest Housing Co-op to the Neighborhood

MEDIA ADVISORY
October 25, 2011

Contact: Farah Fosse, Affordable Housing Program Director
Ash Kosiewicz, Communications and Advocacy Director
(202) 590-4369; (202) 425-1303
ffosse@ledcmetro.org; akosiewicz@ledcmetro.org

Six years after uniting to fight poor housing conditions and a condominium conversion, the Norwood 1417 N St NW Cooperative will join Councilmembers in Logan Circle for colorful, festive grand opening – a triumph for affordable housing

WASHINGTON – Inspired six years ago to transform themselves from disgruntled individuals into an association of concerned residents willing to fight for their quality of life in the halls of the Wilson building and on social media, the residents of the Norwood 1417 N Street NW Cooperative will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, October 29th, from 12:30-7pm. After speeches from Councilmembers and the ribbon cutting ceremony from 12:30-1:30 pm, a cultural celebration will continue until 7 pm. The celebration is expected to attract 150 people and includes food, music, a theatrical performance on the story of the Norwood, and a traditional Guatemalan carpet made of sawdust depicting the building. The Norwood is home to a large number of Latino families, professionals and employees who work at nearby restaurants, hotels, stores – and even the White House. Their story is a shining example of what is possible when residents join their neighbors to keep their housing affordable and the DC government prioritizes the public funding necessary to make the preservation of affordable housing in the District a reality. Members set up a blog and a Twitter account to share their story as well as organized health fairs and summits on bedbugs in the District and on Capitol Hill. With the help of a loan for 9.7 million dollars from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the organizing work of the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), the Norwood improved housing conditions and purchased the building – an outcome that many DC residents are fighting for all across the city.

WHAT: The Norwood 1417 N Street NW Cooperative Grand Opening

WHERE: 1417 N Street NW (12:30-1:30 ceremony with public officials); 5 Thomas Circle NW at National City Christian Church (1:30p-7:00p for cultural celebration)

WHEN: Saturday, October 29th, 2011, 12:30-7 pm

WHO: DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown; Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans; DHCD Director John Hall; Office of the Tenant Advocate Director Johanna Shreve; Board and members of the new Norwood 1417 N Street NW Cooperative; LEDC; MLK Junior Latino Cooperative; Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development

 

Residents, Public Officials to Chart Future of Affordable Housing in DC at 4th Annual Citywide Tenant Town Hall

MEDIA ADVISORY            
July 8, 2011                             

Contact: Ash Kosiewicz, Communications and Advocacy Director
Anna Duncan, Lead Tenant Organizer
(202) 425-1303; (202) 590-4320
akosiewicz@ledcmetro.org; aduncan@ledcmetro.org

Tenants from across the city will present housing priorities to council members, key agency heads for response, including a new campaign launch to ensure DC residents can purchase their buildings and preserve affordability; Mayor Vincent Gray will attend

WASHINGTON – In the wake of efforts to save crucial affordable housing programs during recent budget talks and a Council vote mandating that the Gray administration draft a new Comprehensive Housing Strategy for the District, the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) is joining community groups, legal services organizations, and tenant associations to organize the 4th Annual Citywide Tenant Town Hall. Residents will present their housing priorities, including the launch of a new campaign to help more residents use the District’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) to buy their buildings at a time when tenants at more than 75 buildings citywide have received notices of sale since September 2010. Tenants will champion legislation that redefines “affordability” in the District, increased oversight and monitoring by the Office of Human Rights to prevent housing discrimination against voucher holders, and continued improvements to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ (DCRA) housing inspections program. The event will also feature the screening of a new documentary film, “We Own This,” about tenants who have used TOPA to buy their buildings and become homeowners. In previous Town Halls, tenants launched efforts that led to major victories for DC residents, including the right to sue landlords in court for refusing to fix housing code violations and the creation of DCRA’s proactive housing code inspections program.

WHAT: Fourth Annual Citywide Tenant Town Hall
WHERE: First Trinity Church, 309 E St NW, Washington, DC 20001
WHEN: Saturday, July 16th, 2011; 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM
WHO (confirmed): DC Mayor Vincent Gray; Office of the Tenant Advocate Director Johanna Shreve; Office of Human Rights Director Gustavo Velasquez; DCRA Director Nicholas Majett; Tenants from across the city (200 attendees expected); Staff of Council member Michael Brown; Department of Health representative Gerald Brown; representatives from the DC Housing Authority and the Department of Housing and Community Development; LEDC; ONE DC; Empower DC; CARECEN; the Coalition for Non-profit Housing and Economic Development; DC Jobs with Justice; Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless; Legal Aid Society of DC; Bread for the City; Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center; AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly *** Pending invitations to all DC council members and staff ***

 

Tenant Advocates Host “Before and After Tour” of Affordable Housing Struggles in NW DC Neighborhoods

MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2011

Contact: Lead Tenant Organizer Anna Duncan (for Columbia Heights)
Director of Affordable Housing Preservation Farah Fosse (for Petworth)
(202) 590-4320, (202) 590-4369
aduncan@ledcmetro.org; fosse@ledcmetro.org

Reality Tour to Show Results of Gentrification and Community Organizing in Columbia Heights and Petworth

WASHINGTON – On Monday, July 11th, residents of Columbia Heights and Petworth will open their homes to share stories of their struggles to preserve affordable housing in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods. Washington, D.C. is the only city in the country with a unique law (the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, or TOPA) that gives tenants the right to determine what happens to their apartment building when it is for sale. The Before and After Neighborhood Tour will visit four multi-family buildings (two where residents utilized TOPA to buy their buildings and convert them into affordable cooperatives, and two apartment buildings where tenants are trying to purchase) to meet with residents and hear their unique stories. DC’s tenant purchase program is one of the major focuses of this year’s Fourth Annual Citywide Tenant Town Hall, on Saturday, July 16th at 2:30 pm at First Trinity Lutheran Church (309 E St NW, near Judiciary Square).

WHAT: Before and After Neighborhood Tour of Columbia Heights and Petworth

BEFORE: Hear from tenants who live in run-down apartment buildings that are for sale and who are organizing to prevent their displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods.

AFTER: See newly renovated, affordable housing co-ops where long-term neighborhood residents are now owners!

WHERE: 1st stop: 710 Jefferson St NW
2nd stop: Brightwood Gardens Cooperative – 941 Longfellow St NW
3rd stop: 1333 Euclid St NW
4th stop: Quest Cooperative – 1428 Euclid St NW

WHEN: Monday, July 11th, 5 to 7 PM
Meet at 710 Jefferson St NW at 5 pm; we’ll walk to 941 Longfellow St NW (2 blocks),
then drive to 1333 Euclid St NW (or meet there at 6 PM), then walk to 1428 Euclid St NW (1 block).

WHO: Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), Save Our Safety Net, 710 Jefferson St NW Tenants’ Association, Brightwood Gardens Cooperative Association, 1333 Euclid St NW Tenants’ Association, Quest Cooperative Association

 

LEDC to Host 20th Anniversary Celebración Gala: Growing Communities, Growing Commitment

MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2011

Contact: Ash Kosiewicz, Communications and Advocacy Director
(202) 540-7411; akosiewicz@ledcmetro.org

WASHINGTON – Recognizing 20 years of work in the DC area, the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) will host its 20th Anniversary Celebración Gala on June 17th at the Organization of American States from 6-10 PM. The event, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Mount Pleasant disturbances from which LEDC was born, will chronicle LEDC’s growing commitment to the DC area’s Latino and low-to-moderate income communities over the years and its vision forward. Joined by public officials from the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, LEDC will present its Latino Economic Development Visionary Awards to LEDC’s founders, including Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Raúl Yzaguirre; LEDC’s first Executive Director Marcelo Elissetche; and the former leader of the Latino Civil Rights Task Force Pedro Avilés. In honor of its 20-year partnership with the DC government, LEDC will present its Latino Economic Development Achievement Award to the DC Department of Housing and Community Development. The event will feature musical performances by Mount Pleasant songwriter Lilo Gonzalez and Grupo Ritmo y Sabor and debut the video “From Mount Pleasant to Wheaton: LEDC’s 20th Anniversary Story.”

WHAT: LEDC’s 20th Anniversary Celebración Gala: Growing Communities, Growing Commitment

WHERE: The Organization of American States Main Building
17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

WHEN: Friday, June 17th, 2011
6 PM to 10 PM
Program begins at 7 PM

WHO: Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Raúl Yzaguirre; Marcelo Elissetche; Pedro Avilés; Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor Hoskins (accepting award on behalf of DHCD); DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton; Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services BB Otero; DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown; DC Councilmember Mary Cheh; DC Office of Latino Affairs Director Roxana Olivas; Director of Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett’s Office of Community Partnerships Bruce Adams; other DC and Montgomery County officials (invited); LEDC Executive Director Manny Hidalgo; LEDC Board, staff, and participants/residents

EVENT SPONSORS: Wells Fargo, Capital One, Walmart, Bank of America, Citi, M&T Bank, Calvert Investments, Condortech Services, Inc., E*Trade, HSBC Bank USA, Latham & Watkins LLP, PNC Bank, Rippeteau Architects, PC, Verizon, Aronson Foundation, B.F. Saul Company, Dan Blumenthal, Local 16, Westfield Wheaton

 

Facing $18 Million Cut, Residents and Advocates to Urge DC Council to Protect Tenant Purchase Program

MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14,2011

Contact: Farah Fosse, Affordable Housing Preservation Program Director
(202) 590-4369; ffosse@ledcmetro.org

Councilmember Michael Brown and the Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development to convene Council Roundtable on the District’s Tenant Purchase Program in wake of DC Mayor Vincent Gray’s proposed budget that cuts $18 million from the Housing Production Trust Fund, the program’s main source of financing

WASHINGTON – The Council roundtable will feature a screening of a new documentary film, “We Own This,” about DC residents who have used the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). Through tenant purchase, thousands of residents in the District have become homeowners, preserved their affordable housing and have taken control over the future of their housing. The video shows how this unique law empowers tenants to make choices about their housing, creates new homeownership opportunities, and contributes to diverse, stable, and involved communities. After the video, residents from each ward of the city who have purchased their buildings and created affordable housing cooperatives will talk about the positive impact this program has had on themselves and their community. Additionally, tenants who are currently trying to purchase their building, and affordable housing developers and lenders, will present on the current need for support for the tenant purchase program. In recent years, there has been a major decrease in the Housing Production Trust Fund due to the downturn in the real estate market, severely limiting the number of tenants who can get an affordable loan from the city in order to purchase their building. Now, the proposed $18 million cut from the Fund in the 2012 budget would essentially wipe out this funding source for new projects. Without financing from the Fund, tenant purchase will cease to be accessible to low-income residents.

 

Community Celebration to Champion Affordable Housing Victories in the District of Columbia

MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2011

Contact: Ash Kosiewicz, Communications Manager
Farah Fosse, Director of Affordable Housing Preservation
(202) 425-1303; (202) 590-4369;
akosiewicz@ledcmetro.org; ffosse@ledcmetro.org;

As the local rental market heats up, DC residents plan extravaganza to celebrate tenant organizing victories in 2010 and build momentum for 2011

WASHINGTON – As rents in the Washington region reach their highest level in 20 years, the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) is organizing a Tenant Celebration, Talent Show, and Cook-off to celebrate victories won by local tenant associations in 2010 to preserve affordable housing. The event will showcase “We Own This!,” a new documentary profiling renters in the District who have successfully used DC’s tenant purchase law to become homeowners and save their housing amid pressures threatening DC’s dwindling affordable housing stock. Tenants will talk about their organizing victories in 2010, including the Kenyon St “Yes We Can” Housing Cooperative’s successful purchase of their apartment building at 1372 Kenyon Street in Columbia Heights in June, 2010. Recognition will also be given for the long-term preservation of affordable housing units for tenants living at the Riggs Plaza apartment complex slated for redevelopment in Northeast. Tenants will also celebrate the new tenant right to sue landlords in Superior Court for poor housing conditions, a major victory that was won last year thanks to the efforts of tenants from all over the city. Tenants will also build support for proposed legislation that would regulate the use of the Nuisance Abatement Fund to ensure that it is used to preserve affordable housing and prevent displacement when there are serious housing code violations.

WHAT: Tenant Celebration, Talent Show, and Cook-Off
WHERE: Trinity AME Zion Church, 3505 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20010 (entrance on Oak St NW)
WHEN: Friday, January 28th; 6:30 – 9 PM
WHO: Latino Economic Development Corporation; Tenants from across the city; Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham (invited); At-Large Councilmember Michael Brown (invited); Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas (invited); tenant leaders from the Kenyon Yes We Can Cooperative and the Riggs Plaza complex.

 

3rd Annual Citywide Tenant Town Hall Sets Stage for Renters, Public Officials to Chart Future of Affordable Housing in DC

UPDATED MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2010

Contact: Farah Fosse, Affordable Housing Program Director
Ash Kosiewicz, Communications Manager
(202) 590-4369; (202) 425-1303
ffosse@ledcmetro.org; akosiewicz@ledcmetro.org

WHAT: 3rd Annual Citywide Tenant Town Hall (150-200 people expected)
WHERE: First Trinity Church, 309 E St NW, Washington, DC 20001, Judiciary Square
WHEN: Saturday, July 31st, 2010; 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM
WHO (confirmed): Over 150 tenants from across the city, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham; DC Superior Court Associate Judge Melvin Wright; DHCD Director Leila Edmonds; DCRA Director Linda Argo; Office of the Tenant Advocate Director Johanna Shreve; Housing Authority Interim Director Adrianne Todman; Office of Human Rights Director Gustavo Velasquez; Housing Finance Agency Associate Executive Director Allison Ladd; staff from At-Large Councilmember Michael Brown’s office; Department of Health representative Gerard Brown; Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC); ONE DC; Empower DC; Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless; Legal Aid Society of DC; Bread for the City; Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center; AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly ****pending invitations to other councilmembers****

WASHINGTON – Celebrating their new right to sue irresponsible landlords in court and the creation of a city inspections program designed to improve rental housing conditions and prevent tenant displacement, renters at the 3rd Annual Citywide Tenant Town Hall will demand a clear action plan moving forward from key public officials and council members to ensure decent, affordable housing in the District of Columbia.

In the wake of a report released this month by the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development showing the city’s FY 2010 affordable housing budget is equal to only $1.33 out of every $100 of the District’s locally funded budget, renters will ask public officials to strengthen their commitment to preserve affordable housing in the District. In April, after a two-year tenant-led campaign, renters in the District secured the right to sue landlords in DC Superior Court for refusing to fix housing code violations that endanger their health and safety. Also, the DC’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) created a proactive housing code inspections program last November that uncovered 4,074 housing code violations at 264 buildings citywide during its pilot phase of operation – resulting in $30,500 in fines levied against landlords.

“The time is now for city officials and renters to talk about the kind of communities we want to live in, the kinds of neighborhoods that make residents proud to call the District home,” said LEDC Affordable Housing Preservation Director Farah Fosse. “Together – tenant associations, the nonprofit community, local government – we must make affordable housing a priority in the District of Columbia.”