Expiring Subsidies: Thousands of low-income apartments could be lost
By hola | Published | No Comments
Maps by Byron Marroquin
In Washington D.C., there is a lot of talk about how to “preserve and expand” affordable housing. But what often goes unsaid is why politicians and policymakers are so concerned: In the next few years, thousands of federally subsidized apartments and other housing units could exit programs geared toward low-income residents.
More than 8,000 units of government subsidized low-income housing in the District are at risk, according to Polly Donaldson, director of the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development. The owners of those units are currently constrained by affordability covenants they signed with the federal government years ago, often to take advantage of lower-cost financing when the buildings were constructed.
Hola Cultura’s Senior Intern Byron Marroquin used U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development data to map the locations of the buildings currently in the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LITHC) and the Section 8 housing voucher programs with contracts that are set to expire within the next few years. Click on the maps above to see them close up.
Further Reading:
The Urban Institute’s May 2015 report, Affordable Housing Needs Assessment for the District of Columbia
TheWashington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs report, Unfulfilled Promises: Affordable Housing in Metropolitan Washington
HUD: What Happens to low-income housing tax credit properties at year 15 and beyond?
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