Posts by Carolyn Gallaher — Contributor
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DC’s housing voucher program undermines rent control, but it doesn’t have to
Housing choice vouchers and rent control policies should reinforce each other. When one tool in the housing toolbox is used in such a way that undermines another, @C_OGallachoir writes, tenants lose. Keep reading…
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How to disrupt the domestic violence-to-homelessness pipeline
A DC nonprofit offers one model to help women fleeing abuse get independence and housing. Keep reading…
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Leadership, waitlists, vouchers: Unpacking key findings in HUD’s DCHA audit
In early October, HUD issued a devastating assessment of DCHA, which identified 82 violations of HUD policies. Carolyn Gallaher zooms in on three problem areas: DCHA leadership, its public housing waitlist, and its housing choice voucher program. Keep reading…
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Comparing DC and San Francisco’s tenant purchase laws
For nearly forty years DC was the only US city to have a tenant-friendly right of first refusal law. That changed in 2019 when San Francisco passed its own right of first refusal act. Despite some similarities, San Francisco’s law has a different process for refusing sales and a narrower range of possible outcomes. Keep reading…
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One DC building, three TOPA processes
A building in DC was sold three times in the last 20 years. How did the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act work during each of those sales? Keep reading…
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Why upzoning in gentrifying neighborhoods like Langley Park isn’t always a good idea
Op-ed: If increasing density limits in neighborhoods like Langley Park, in Prince George’s County, are likely to increase rents, cause displacement, or disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, municipal governments should avoid it, until protections are in place to not put vulnerable residents at further risk. Keep reading…
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Are America’s condos having a midlife crisis?
As many of America’s condominiums hit middle age, most are in need of some major repairs. So what’s hindering condo associations from making the necessary updates and fixes to their properties? Keep reading…
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After years of alleged neglect, tenants at a Langley Park apartment building file a class action lawsuit against their landlord
On Monday tenants at Bedford and Victoria Stations apartments in Langley Park, Maryland, escalated the fight to hold their landlord accountable for years of alleged neglect and deferred maintenance on the property. Keep reading…
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As the pandemic winds down, some tenants in Langley Park still struggle to stay in their homes
This past February I wrote about landlord disinvestment at Bedford and Victoria Station Apartments in Langley Park, Maryland. The complex’s tenants were then nearly a year into the pandemic and desperate for help—to pay back rent and hold their landlord accountable. Tenants are finally getting some rental relief, but their landlord still hasn’t fixed major housing code violations. So, tenants will fight to stay put and hold their landlord to account. Keep reading…
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Federal rental assistance is finally flowing in Maryland, but it may not be in enough time for some
Federal rental assistance is finally flowing in Maryland, but it won’t help as many tenants as it should, the author argues. For one, rental assistance is coming just as other federal and state protections are being rescinded. Also, programs that distribute the money don’t do enough to protect holdover tenants — renters whose leases lapsed during the pandemic. Keep reading…