Safe and affordable housing creates strong and stable communities and is a necessity in breaking the cycle of poverty. In DC, however, half of the city’s supply of low-income rental units disappeared between 2002 and 2012, and homeownership among DC’s low-income residents decreased by 40% from 2001 to 2014 . The DC Bar Foundation recognizes these alarming trends and is committed to saving affordable housing in order to reduce poverty and create a stronger and more stable DC. From 2014 to 2016, the Foundation nearly tripled our support of projects and organizations that are saving affordable housing, preventing wrongful evictions and foreclosures, and improving housing conditions in the District. In the last year, our funding has provided free legal assistance to approximately 9,000 DC residents in housing matters. We are committed to the vision that every DC resident, regardless of income, has access to safe and affordable housing.
