Posts tagged Poverty
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You can’t talk about homelessness in DC without discussing Maryland and Virginia, too
“I make $100 too much [to qualify for housing subsidies]. I work full time, I work part time, I work Saturdays. I want to pay rent, it’s the right thing to do. I’m responsible…and I keep getting pushed to the wall. It’s just me and my automobile. Where is the help for a single, working, decent, tax-paying, law abiding citizen?” Keep reading…
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Commutes take longer for District residents east of the Anacostia River
People who live on the eastern side of the District, especially those east of the Anacostia River, have longer commutes than those on the west. Job locations and the river itself are probably big reasons why. Keep reading…
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DC’s New Communities Initiative, explained
A look into the origins, goals, and limitations of an ambitious program to revitalize several DC communities. Keep reading…
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Housing cost burdens, explained
When housing advocates talk about the affordability crisis, they often focus on one important statistic: the share of cost-burdened households in a city. A household is said to be cost-burdened when it pays more than 30 percent of its income toward housing expenses. As a more extreme measure, a household is said to be severely cost-burdened when it pay at least 50 percent of its income toward housing expenses. Keep reading…
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Ben Carson may change who gets housing assistance, but whether it disappears altogether is up to Trump and Congress
As Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Ben Carson may move to make it so anyone receiving rental assistance must prove they’ve been working a certain number of hours per week. In DC, that would change who actually gets housing vouchers, but it wouldn’t make housing vouchers go away. Actual spending cuts are what would do that. Keep reading…
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Proposed Metrobus cuts continue a long, intertwined history of transit and race
The struggle for equitable public transportation began as a fight for the civil rights of transit riders and workers. It remains so today, as WMATA considers cuts to bus service across the region. Keep reading…
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After Bill O’Reilly got his DC facts wrong, Muriel Bowser set him straight
DC mayor Muriel Bowser is creating a legal defense fund for immigrants who may be targeted for deportation during the Trump administration. Bill O'Reilly and a guest recently railed against the plan, saying a number of untrue things in the process. Bowser's office put out this video setting the record straight. Keep reading…
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The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, explained
The Hodge, a 90-unit housing development in Shaw, offers affordable apartments for seniors in the District. To create these apartments, developers of the Hodge used a the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program to partially finance the project. This post explains how the LIHTC works. Keep reading…
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Trump’s effect on affordable housing goes way beyond Ben Carson
Starting in January, Ben Carson will be the new secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the department that oversees and implements federal housing and urban policy. I asked GGWash contributors and local housing leaders to take stock of what that means for affordable housing options in the region, and it turns out Carson’s reach is unlikely to go that far. The Trump administration’s tax plan, however, is already doing damage without him even stepping foot in the White House. Keep reading…
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How exclusionary zoning limits poor families’ access to good schools
It’s a pattern so common we take it for granted: Good schools and expensive neighborhoods go together. If you want to send your child to a good public school, you’ll need to “buy into the school district.” But it’s not like this is a law of nature. It’s a byproduct of zoning laws we choose to put in place even though they systematically and needlessly harm low-income students. Keep reading…