By Grassroots DC, on April 27th, 2014 
Cross-posted on behalf of Empower DC
CALL TO ACTION!!! Forward this message far and wide and join us for an important rally and then to pack the room for the DC Housing Authority budget hearing:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30 12 NOON WILSON BUILDING 1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVE, NW (Accessible by Federal Triangle or Metro Center Stations) Rally outside followed by packing room 412 Bring ID to enter
Bus transportation is being arranged from public housing communities. To request transportation, testimony support or for more information about how you or your organization can support the Public Housing Campaign contact Schyla at (202) 234-9119 x101 or housing@empowerdc.org.
WE MUST PRESERVE & IMPROVE DC’S TRADITIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING
We stand united in support of preserving and improving our traditional public housing communities which serve a critical role in the affordable housing landscape of DC. We support a moratorium on the emptying and demolition of currently occupied units. We support improving and reopening units that have been left vacant due to disrepair.
Traditional public housing is a public resource which must be managed to serve the needs of current and future residents who can not access other private and subsidized housing because of multiple barriers. Public housing is the only permanently affordable housing owned by the city which ensures housing is available to people based on their income, with no bottom threshold and without utility costs, where families can remain intact and residents are supported by tight knit social networks.
WE HAVE LOST TOO MUCH
Due to completed and planned demolitions of public housing through the federal HOPE VI and Choice Communities programs and DC’s “New Communities” program, DC’s public housing stock has been decimated in recent years from over 11,000 units to only about 7,000 remaining units – at least 500 of which are currently vacant due to disrepair or pending demolition. During the same time the need for truly affordable housing has increased and DC has quickly become an unaffordable city to live in for low income working people and the most disenfranchised families and individuals.
THE NEED IS GREAT
The desperate need for traditional public housing is evidenced by:
– 7,000+ residents experience homelessness on any given day in DC[i]. In March of 2014, the city had 827 families in shelters including 1,591 children.[ii]
– Over 70,000 people were on the city’s waiting list for affordable housing in DC when it was closed last April[iii]
– The loss of over half of DC’s low cost rental housing units in only 10 years time, from 70,600 units to only 34,500[iv]
– The market rate cost of housing has skyrocketed to $1,500 or more for a two bedroom apartment, for which one would need to earn $60,000 per year or $29 per hour to afford.[v]
Housing vouchers and the private market can not adequately replace the need for public housing. Neither can job training or education programs. The people currently served by DC’s public housing communities include:
– over 15,000 residents – over 50% of whom are above age 50 – 23% have disabilities – With an average household income of $13,000 per year, or the equivalent of 35 hours per week at minimum wage[vi] PUBLIC LAND FOR PUBLIC NEEDS
Traditional public housing is the only form of permanently affordable housing in DC that is on public land and held in the public trust to serve the needs of current and future generations. The extremely high cost of real estate in DC is a barrier to creating more truly affordable housing. Public land is a precious resource with which we are able to provide for the long-term needs of our city. These lands must no longer be privatized and converted into middle and upper income tracts with time-limited (usually only 15 years) affordability covenants. STOP DISPLACEMENT
The loss of traditional public housing is worsening DC’s homelessness crisis, and has contributed to the push-out of over 40,000 African American residents from our city within the time period of 2000-2010.[vii]
Public housing demolition and redevelopment is promoted by the “deconcentration myth” which assumes it is detrimental for low income residents to live in a clustered area, and that individual lives improve when residents are dispersed. These assumptions are not supported by concrete results, in fact several scholars have documented the detrimental impact of the loss of social networks, stable housing, sense of place and identity.[viii] The underlying stereotypes against public housing and its residents are discriminatory and blame people for . . . → Read More: Save Public Housing and Fund Needed Repairs Call To Action
By Grassroots DC, on April 24th, 2014 
Cross-posted on behalf of the Fair Budget Coalition
The story behind a successful advocacy campaign is not all gold and glory. Come hear about the innovative strategies, the trials and the errors that taught panelists what works to make an advocacy campaign successful. Panelists will tell the stories of what they did to move stubborn Councilmembers, to raise the profile of their issue, to change public perceptions, and to ultimately win.
We will also explore how these successful advocates tried to stay accountable to DC communities who were impacted by their legislative and budget policies. The panelists will share what worked (or didn’t) and what we can learn so that we do better as we continue our advocacy into the future. Join us for a panel discussion on:
How We Win: Lessons from Successful Campaigns Friday, April 25th 10:00am-12:00pm At the Shaw Library 1630 7th St NW Featured Panelists Mike Wilson, Respect DC, Minimum Wage Campaign Elizabeth Falcon, CNHED, Housing for All Campaign Nikki Lewis, DC Jobs with Justice, Paid Sick Days Campaign Naomi Iser, Employment Justice Center Samantha Davis, So Others Might Eat And more TBA… RSVP HERE or call Janelle at 202-986-9580
Sponsored by the Fair Budget Coalition and the Service to Justice Conference Planning Committee
By Liane Scott, on April 22nd, 2014 
When Grassroots DC began setting up shop within the Potomac Gardens Public Housing complex in May of 2013, it was with the intention of providing media production training for and media coverage of DC’s traditionally underserved communities. As we moved into Potomac Gardens we realized two things. First, Potomac Gardens’ residents wanted and needed access to the Internet and basic computer training. Second, many Potomac Gardens residents who wanted to participate in our media production training program wouldn’t be able to without access to the Internet and basic computer training. So, we decided to provide basic computer training and access to the Internet.
As Grassroots DC’s executive director, I faced a pretty steep learning curve. Having taught media production for much of the last two decades, I had curriculum for radio and video production but nothing for basic computer literacy, let alone the more advanced classes that might be required. Grassroots DC also had the media production equipment that I brought along via my freelance work, which included three aging Macintosh computers, but we had none of those IBM clones otherwise known as PCs that folks seem so fond of in office environments.
So we needed computers, software, curriculum and instructors. Sheesh! As it turned out, the computers were the easiest part. Lowell Dodge founder of the DC nonprofit First Time Computers put me in touch with one of FTC’s graduates Jay Hornbuckle who had recently started his own business, Capitol Computer Solutions. Jay happened to have a donation of five computers that he was in the process of refurbishing. Because Grassroots DC had raised precisely $0.00 for the computer training program, Hornbuckle agreed to donate those first five PC’s to Grassroots DC, with the understanding that when we did get some grant money, we’d pay him to help maintain our computer lab.
I applied for a couple of grants and while I crossed my fingers, recruited some volunteers, Ben Dorger, a student and new resident to Capitol Hill, Brenda Hayes, longtime Grassroots DC member from before Grassroots DC even existed and Central Godbolt, a computer professional who, despite a busy schedule was able to commit two nights a week to the project. Between the four of us, we provided one class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10:00 AM until noon, and another on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. Central and I began to put together a curriculum, mainly from online sources, and we started classes.
Tuesdays and Thursday morning classes were pretty fluid. Throughout the fall of 2013, class attendance ranged from two to seven students. There were days that we had to turn students away. We had the space, so we got a few more computers and a couple of printers in various states of disrepair through DC’s Freecycle Network. By this time we’d been awarded $1,000 from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation. Yay! So, we were able to call in Capitol Computer Solutions to fix up the donated equipment.
We focused on helping students meet their personal goals so classes were pretty fluid. 9 students set up email accounts, 5 created or updated their resumes. One student was able to use the skills she learned in class to help her study for her nursing certification. Two other students helped us create a basic grammar curriculum. One student signed up for more advanced classes with UDC’s Workforce Development program and will receive his certification as a Microsoft Office Specialist in May. In between scheduled classes, Potomac Gardens residents were able to come in and use the computers and access the Internet.
The four to seven students in the Monday and Wednesday evening classes were more consistent than the morning class. By the end of the 2013, they had not only gone through the basic curriculum but Central Godbolt had them take a computer apart so they could identify its components. This was way more than just a basic computer literacy class.
Four students from the Monday and Wednesday night basic computer class continued into the new year and are now preparing for their Microsoft Office Specialist Certification. They have already completed one desktop publishing assignment and are now working on minizines covering topics such as physical activity and nutrition for children, youth tennis programs and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle after a heart attack. Once published, the minizines will not only be posted to GrassrootsDC.org but also printed out and distributed within the Potomac Gardens Public Housing Complex. Once they receive their . . . → Read More: Capitol Hill Community Foundation Supporting Computer Literacy at Grassroots DC
By Grassroots DC, on April 15th, 2014 
On February 18, a panel discussion on the critical implications of “urban renewal” in DC communities took place at American University. The first speaker was Johanna Bockman. An Associate Professor of Sociology and Global Affairs at George Mason University, Bockman also runs the blog Sociology in My Neighborhood: DC Ward Six. We posted that video here a few weeks ago.
The second speaker in the series was Claudia Barragan a Master’s student at American University’s School of International Service. She has worked as an urban planner and on the panel provides a critical look at gentrification through this occupational lens.
American University students Sophia YoshiMi and Luis Enrique Salazar organized the panel discussion. Part three is Parisa Norouzi. We’ll post that next week.
By Guest Contributor, on April 14th, 2014 
Cross-posted from DC Appleseed To reduce unemployment and narrow the gap between rich and poor, the District must help more residents build the basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills required by D.C.’s economy, according to a new report released today by DC Appleseed.The report, From Basic Skills to Good Jobs: A Strategy for Connecting D.C.’s Adult Learners to Career Pathways, was issued today following the release of Mayor Gray’s proposed Fiscal Year 2015 budget. Although Mayor Gray’s budget includes new funding for K-12 education, it is missing a critical opportunity to invest in education for the 60,000 D.C. adults who lack a high school degree.The DC Appleseed report finds that with an additional $2.5 million, the District could take a critical step forward on a strategy to help more residents build the basic skills required by D.C.’s job market. The report shows that this strategy could at the same time bolster the District’s public school reform effort since children’s success in school is significantly affected by their parents’ education and their family’s economic security.The report concludes that residents who lack basic skills have a hard time finding family-supporting work in D.C.’s economy. The District is home to one of the most highly skilled labor markets in the nation, and residents who lack a high school diploma have higher rates of unemployment and poverty than their peers with more education.“Unless the District develops a strategy to help more adults increase their basic skills and connect to career pathways, it risks leaving tens of thousands of D.C. residents out of the city’s economic growth,” said Brooke DeRenzis of DC Appleseed. “Skills disparities contribute to the District’s gap between rich and poor, which is already one of the largest in the nation.”
The report finds that the number of adults in need of basic skills upgrades far exceeds the number being served by publicly-funded programs. It also finds that the District does not make the best use of its limited resources because it spends funds on adult education across multiple agencies without coordinating around a shared strategy or set of outcomes.
The report calls on the District to adopt a citywide initiative to ensure that every adult learner in a basic skills program has access to a career pathway by 2020. Career pathways help adult learners increase their basic skills and successfully transition postsecondary training, education, and work.
The report also calls on the District government to jumpstart this multi-year initiative by investing $2.5 million in FY 2015 on the following activities:
A cross-agency task force to develop and implement a strategic plan for connecting basic skills programs to career pathways An “innovation fund” to pilot, evaluate, and scale evidence-based career pathway approaches Increased support for adult learners who may have learning disabilities
“Building a system that truly provides every adult learner with the opportunity to access to a career pathway is a multi-year effort,” said DeRenzis. “If the District adopts the investments DC Appleseed proposes for FY 2015, it can make real progress toward achieving that goal by 2020.”
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