WASHINGTON — Some of our neighbors are living in dangerous and filthy conditions inside D.C. public housing units. These are just some of the conditions WUSA9 uncovered back in May and a federal audit confirmed earlier this month. Tuesday, the DC Council passed emergency legislation calling on more training and oversight of the DC Housing Authority. DC Housing leadership calls the bill an over-reach.
It's been just over a week since a scathing federal audit by the Department of Housing and Urban Development cited systemwide failures at the DCHA putting residents at risk including uninformed leadership, the highest vacancy rate in the country, long waiting lists, and poor living conditions. In a unanimous vote, the DC Council approved emergency legislation to amend the District Housing Authority Act of 1999.
"We need to address this with urgency, and we need to start at the top," said Councilmember At-Large Elissa Silverman.
Silverman spearheaded the proposal and the entire council signed on to the measure that calls for:
- Consumer protection clarification
- Transparency reports on properties, finances, and operations
- Training requirements for the Board and Executive Director
These requirements are due by Dec. 1, 2022, or the agency faces penalties according to Councilmember Silverman.
“When the Council appropriates $50 million to the housing authority, we need to hear they used it for what we appropriated it for,” said Silverman, “to stop the rat infestations and mold.”
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine offered his support of the legislation as did every other councilmember present (Ward 7 Councilmember Vince Gray was absent). They all spoke of the long-known conditions at DC Housing and the struggle with funding. Many said HUD was not off the hook, responsible for “disinvesting” in public housing over the years. However, the councilmembers said while not new information, the audit presented an opportunity to try to make real change.
WUSA9 visited Potomac Gardens on Capitol Hill back in May. Residents showed us mold, water bugs, mice and rats inside their homes. Before Tuesday’s vote, Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White told his colleagues he spent the night at Potomac Gardens during his mayoral campaign.
“It was scary,” said White, “Not only hearing the number of gunshots from outside but the mice scratching inside the walls for hours."
WUSA9 obtained an email DC Housing Executive Director Brenda Donald sent to Councilmembers prior to the vote expressing her disappointment.
Donald went on to write, "Without even discussing the over-reach of this legislation given the normal oversight of an independent agency, this reactive and overly burdensome emergency legislation assumes that all findings from the HUD report are accurate and final."
Ward 4 Councilmember Mary Cheh referenced the email in council chambers.
“Really?” she asked, “what we need is good leadership.”
Donald, who was brought in to fix the agency, said she now has the team in place to fix the problems. HUD is giving the city 6 months to make repairs and 60 days to respond to the findings. Following the vote, a DCHA spokesperson sent WUSA9 this statement:
We are disappointed that they chose to not discuss it with the agency before presenting the proposal for a vote today. The D.C. Housing Authority is open to providing the Council’s requested reports when the timing for submission is aligned with the HUD timeline and oversight process.
The agency has 60 days to respond to the HUD assessment report where we will support or dispute findings, observations and recommendations, and will create a corrective action plan, where applicable. Going forward, we welcome a collaborative conversation and are available to meet with any and all councilmembers to share our action steps. We are all working toward the same goal-- to provide safe, affordable housing for those who need it most in the District.
It appears the executive director will have to make these changes without her deputy. WUSA9 has learned Victor Martinez resigned. His last day happened to be the day the HUD audit was released. We're told the agency will not fill the position.