Bread for the City

The 2010 census confirmed what many DC residents already know all too well – that soaring housing prices are pricing low-income and working families out of the District. This change disproportionately affects DC’s low-income African American population. In fact, Ward 8 – a community which Bread for the City’s Southeast Center serves – was the only Ward in the District to see a population decline between 2000 and 2010.

A person with a disability receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in DC receives $674 per month. A person working 40 hours per week at a minimum wage job makes $1320 per month. But the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Washington, DC is $1289– a figure completely out of reach for many DC residents. Meanwhile, the waiting lists for subsidized housing are tens of thousands of households long, with over 300 new applications submitted monthly.

Many low-income residents who are lucky enough to actually have affordable housing are just barely able to keep it — we often hear from clients that any unforeseen expense could potentially result in the loss of their home.

Given this crisis in our community, our Social Services team has ratcheted up their housing case management support so that we can help clients address the issues that might cause them to fall behind on rent and face eviction and homelessness.

There are resources available to people in need. The DC Emergency Assistance Fund (DCEAF), the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and the Housing Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP) are all government-funded programs that help pay back rent, late fees, and court fees to prevent eviction, and the latter two programs will sometimes cover the first month’s rent for new apartments. However, these funds are difficult to access, have restrictive eligibility requirements, and often times they’re simply not even available to a person in need until it’s too late.
And the funds all have their own limitations. Some cover utility assistance, while others do not. Some cover security deposits, some don’t. Beyond this web of restrictions, families often face a Catch-22 with emergency housing assistance funding: households aren’t eligible for assistance until the disconnect notice has already been sent and the eviction proceedings have begun. By that point, the window of opportunity for a family to get back on track is often closed.

Households also have to prove that they only need the assistance because of a temporary emergency, like a death in the family or an unforeseen medical expense. A household that falls behind on rent simply because of the high cost of living in D.C. is not considered eligible.

In the past year, Bread for the City has been able to assist dozens of families get back on their feet by obtaining funds through these programs while simultaneously providing them with comprehensive case management support to help them advance towards stability. For instance, Mr. J was putting himself through college and raising a son while also holding down a job. When he lost his job, he fell behind on rent while waiting for unemployment to kick in.We were able to help him secure DCEAF funding to make ends meet for the short period of time that he was without income. Weeks later, not only was he caught up on rent, but he got a new job.

However, Mr. J.’s case is rare. Stories like his are the exception – not the rule.

Thousands more households are struggling to pay their rent, and by the time they are eligible for emergency assistance, they may be in over their heads. With the District facing even more cuts to affordable housing and rental assistance programs in this budget season, more and more DC residents will be forced out of their homes – and perhaps even out of the city.

Contributed by Emily Cadik, Bread for the City Policy Fellow.

This past weekend, Bread for the City’s rooftops completed their transformation into gardens.

We’ve already been hard at work over the last several weeks; building garden boxes, weeding, transplanting sedum (hardy plants that will grow into lush groundcover in between the beds and walkways). Our Southwest Center has been collecting growing containers like tires and even old barbecue grills. See this video of Community Resources Coordinator Sherita Evans giving us a tour:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VscD8hXgalw]

And we also want to give special thanks to one new partner in particular:

Old City Green, a gardening supply store on 9th and N st NW, has come on board as Grow for the City’s newest sponsor. OCG founder Frank Asher stopped by in the morning to provide a planting workshop for our volunteers. A10-year veteran in the container gardening biz, Frank is one of our most resourceful new partners. So we are thrilled to announce our ongoing partnership with Old City Green.

“Our missions are really aligned in this project,” says Frank. “Bringing people and plants together. And it truly is a community building project, so I’m excited to be a part of this.”

Old City Green has already donated seeds and planters and their expertise — and now they’re opening up to you by creating a garden gift registry for our Grow for the City garden initiatives!

Now you can support our rooftop garden while shopping for your own gardening supplies. When you swing by Old City Green, ask for our registry list — and you’ll be able to directly purchase donations from a list of seeds, flowers, and planters. All donations will go on our NW and SE roof gardens; and we’ll use surplus donations to supply our clients with home garden-starter kits.

Here’s what we have on our registry:

Our first wave of planting is done but we are still working on the garden! We’ll gather again this Saturday and next Saturday to build trellises, label beds, hang pots, construct stools and benches, and other fun projects. We’re in need of handy people who want to get to work! Email Erin at eholmes@breadforthecity.org to sign up.

Let’s make this garden grow!

This afternoon, the Committee on Housing and Workforce Development has a stellar budget hearing line-up: Housing Finance Agency, Department of Housing and Community Development, and DC Housing Authority. As we’ve talked about before, the proposed DC budget for 2012 includes major cuts to crucial affordable housing programs. The Local Rent Supplement Program, Housing First, and Housing Production Trust Fund are being slashed, on top of devastating cuts to homeless services. These cuts will make it even harder for families already struggling to find or maintain affordable housing in DC.

But the City Council can still restore the funding. We need to tell our elected officials that affordable housing is a priority for DC residents, and we won’t accept these cuts! Make your voice heard with the Continuum of Housing Campaign and housing allies from around the city this evening at 6pm at the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW.

Last week, I talked to Blache McLeod about the housing cuts. She did finance work as a DC government employee before she got injured and couldn’t work. She’s now on SSI because of her disability. She gets a home health aide for five hours a day, to help with her daily activities and keep her out of a nursing home, and she lives in subsidized housing. Here’s a little bit of what she had to say about the budget cuts:

They are dismissing us because of our economic status. If my rent was not subsidized, I would have to pay $1800 a month. I get $674 from SSI! That’s all I’ve got to work with. It makes me angry that they don’t think about the consequences.

We’re going down individually to beg them, “Save my program?” Instead, we need to go together, and this time we’re not begging. They understand the cameras. They understand the media. We have to let them know, “I don’t like what you’re doing.”

I am here. There’s not a day I’m not in pain, but I am not riding away into the sunset. I’ll be down there every day, in my pajamas, with my overnight bag. As long as we have the Wilson Building, I won’t be homeless. I may be the only one down there, but I won’t stop.

It may not be a lot of us, but once people start to see and hear, they’ll come out. A lot of people don’t watch the news, so they don’t know. You’ve got to get on the internet and hear what’s going on, and then starting talking. You have to come out.

Each of us has a little piece of the puzzle. Our voices need to be heard. We have to fight.

Join Ms. McLeod and Bread for the City staff and clients at the Wilson Building this evening from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. If you can, bring your blankets and a pillow to remind the City Council that if some of our residents don’t have a safe place to sleep tonight. It’s at 1350 Pennsylavnia Ave NW, close to the Federal Triangle and Metro Center stations, and on the 30 bus lines.

As we discussed last week during a visit from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, food insecurity is a complex problem with no easy solutions.

We firmly believe, though, that Bread for the City can be part of those solutions in more ways than one. Not only do we provide food for the hungry on a daily basis, but our nutrition classes and rooftop garden projects are creating healthy, nourishing, and green community within and around our walls.

Yet, there are significant challenges in our food system that can’t be solved by staff and clients alone. That’s why we’re working with partner organizations, coalitions, concerned individuals, policy experts, the faith community, school advocates, businesses, urban and rural farmers, and relevant D.C. government agencies, to build what we’re calling a food systems network. A food systems network will facilitate collaboration across the food system in order to enact policies and projects that ensure that all D.C. residents have access to healthy and affordable food. We need your input to determine what that looks like.

Want to help promote a healthier and more just food system across the city? Want to get involved in organizing for food justice in D.C.? Here are two opportunities:

Community Brainstorm: Building a More Food Just DC
Saturday, May 7th, 1:00 – 2:30 pm
New Community Church Sanctuary (614 S st. NW)

ONE DC, Common Good City Farm, and Bread for the City are co-hosting another brainstorm session for the Shaw neighborhood working toward building a food systems network for the District. We’ll be asking – what would it look like if all residents had access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food? How can we work together to make a positive change? What options exist already for improving access to healthy, affordable food in the Shaw neighborhood?
Food and childcare will be provided. Call 202-232-2915 for childcare.

A Community of Gardeners: Film Screening & Discussion
Tuesday, May 24, 5:30 – 8 pm
Bread for the City NW (1525 Seventh Street)

Join Bread for the City and the DC Field to Fork Network for a screening of the new documentary A Community of Gardeners and a discussion about getting more gardens growing in the District. A Community of Gardeners explores the vital role of seven community gardens in Washington, D.C. and shows how these green spaces are changing people’s lives, their communities and their environment.

The discussion will include filmmaker Cintia Cabib, Dennis Chestnut of Groundwork Anacostia, and the Neighborhood Farm Initiative, which will present its brand new Guide to Starting Community Gardens in D.C. Refreshments and a tour of the rooftop garden will begin at 5:30.

For more information about either of these events, or to RSVP, please contact Allison at aburket@breadforthecity.org or (202) 386-7006.