Highlights

The District of Columbia Housing Authority waiting list for Housing Choice Vouchers contains more than 40,000 families, even though the list closed in 2013. Like cities across America, DC has an immense need for stable, safe, and affordable housing, with thousands of households struggling to pay their rent each month.

Concerns over gentrification and high housing costs have plagued the Washington, DC, area for years. DC is one of the most expensive places in the US to live, and, much like everywhere else in the country, the supply of affordable housing isn’t keeping up with demand.

On June 19, 56 percent of Washington, DC, voters supported Initiative 77, a referendum that raises DC’s tipped minimum wage to the city’s standard minimum wage by 2026.

The Washington, DC, region is one of the nation’s most economically vibrant areas, but it contains striking levels of inequality. Community development financing in support of affordable housing, small businesses, and community facilities is designed to lift up places that have insufficient access to capital. But how equitably are community development resources distributed across the DC region?

Because of a coding error in the “Characteristics of Opportunity Zone Designations” table, the shares of DC/MD/VA/WV residents age 25+ with a bachelor’s degree or higher were incorrect in an earlier version of this blog post (corrected 7/12/18).

The Greater DC area is thriving, but not all residents are sharing in the region’s economic prosperity. Deep contrasts exist between populations, neighborhoods, and jurisdictions. And many residents feel left on the sidelines by segregation and inequity.

What I don’t like is when people come and say, “We understand what you’re going through.” No, you have no clue of what I’m going through around here. Until you live around one of these neighborhoods like this where it’s just constant shooting and killing and stabbing, you have no clue what we’re going through. 

—Stan Hamilton, high school football coach and youth mentor, Benning Terrace, Washington, DC

Despite high rents in the District of Columbia, annual reports from the DC courts show a downward trend in eviction filings. The number of evictions filed by landlords fell from 48,000 in 2003 to just over 31,000 in 2017.

For more than 40 years, the mythical and racially charged “welfare queen” narrative—the idea of a benefit recipient defrauding the government and living large on the public’s dime—has shaped discussions about US safety net programs and perceptions of who is worthy of support.