Street Sense Media

Tomorrow is the start of D.C.'s Homeless Crisis Reporting Project week! Follow Street Sense and other local outlets to stay updated and read everything throughout the week, or go to bit.ly/DCHCRP to see articles as they are posted.

D.C. auditor finds data is missing from singles homeless program - Street Sense Media Rapid Rehousing for Individuals is missing key income data needed to gauge effectiveness, according to the Office of the D.C. Auditor.

D.C. is failing to collect critical income data for participants in one of its key homelessness intervention programs, raising concerns about whether the program is meeting its goals, according to a new alert from the Office of the D.C. Auditor.

https://bit.ly/3KB4gpC

D.C. homeless seniors face financial barriers to assisted living Seniors on Medicaid are being forced to avoid assisted living facilities due to expenses according to a D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute report.

Formerly homeless D.C. seniors are turning down necessary assisted living care because they would not have enough to cover their expenses, according to a new report.

https://streetsensemedia.org/article/d-c-homeless-seniors-face-financial-barriers-to-assisted-living-according-to-new-report/

D.C. Council passes RFK deal, rejecting housing amendments The $3.7 billion RFK stadium deal passed, but not without controversy, as councilmembers fought for amendments on affordable housing.

On Sept. 17, the D.C. Council approved a historic $3.7 billion deal to redevelop the RFK Stadium campus and invest in affordable housing and other projects in the surrounding area.

Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/5n8t6ea5

The Trump administration is threatening to audit the over 3,000 public housing authorities across the country, aiming to find people who are using public housing programs without citizenship or proper documentation.

Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/5fpbfdkr

RENTAL Act passes D.C. Council amid dissent from tenant advocates The RENTAL Act passes, changing TOPA and tenant laws in D.C. with the hope of spurring the development of affordable housing.

On September 17, the D.C. Council voted 10-3 to approve an amended version of the RENTAL Act — which exempts some buildings from legislation protecting tenants and speeds timelines for evictions.

Read more here:
https://streetsensemedia.org/article/rental-act-passes-dc-council/

Thanks so much for helping us SELL OUT our last issue! Find a vendor today to get this one before it's gone.

Thompson-Bey shares his days selling papers Eric Thompson-Bey tells his story as a longtime vendor. He has sold in all seasons, and shows up for his customers no matter what.

One morning in late summer, Eric Thompson-Bey sipped his daily Grande Pike Place coffee from a Starbucks in downtown D.C., just across from his regular spot, where he has sold Street Sense papers for the past three years. Read the full story online now at https://bit.ly/46CfAu6

Homeless services community warns Trump’s order to make D.C. “safe and beautiful” will just hide homelessness On March 28, President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening D.C. home rule and targeting residents experiencing homelessness.

Following months of speculation and a flurry of recent executive orders, housed and unhoused Washingtonians alike are left wondering what the future of their city looks like under the Trump administration.

‘Significant slowdown’ in moving people into housing, officials say The District housed fewer people experiencing homelessness in fiscal year 2025 than the year before — even as the city wades through its voucher backlog.

The District’s homeless services system moves more families into housing than single adults each year, even though more individuals experience homelessness.

As budget crisis looms, the Rapid Rehousing program scales back for the fiscal year D.C.’s Rapid Rehousing (RRH) program for individuals hasn’t taken new referrals since April 2024 due to budget constraints.

RRH is a short-term subsidy that pays a portion of a family’s rent through the Family Rehousing Stabilization Program (FRSP) or an individual’s rent through Rapid Rehousing for Individuals (RRH-I).

‘Woefully out of compliance:’ Letter says DCHA failed disabled tenants

Tenants with disabilities who rely on D.C.’s public housing struggle to find units that meet their needs, a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says.

Read more here:

Bowser has a plan to revitalize affordable housing. Opponents say it’ll stifle tenant rights Bowser is proposing legislation to permanently reverse pandemic-era housing and eviction protections and add exceptions to the law that gives tenants the right of first refusal to purchase their homes, a move she says would sustain affordable housing amid mounting financial challenges.

Some D.C. affordable housing providers say millions in unpaid rent is threatening their operations.

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Trump executive order targets U.S. homelessness agency USICH works with other agencies to coordinate the federal response to homelessness at the state and local levels and is the only federal agency tasked to address homelessness.

President Donald Trump issued a March 14 executive order calling for the elimination of all “non-statutory components and functions” of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).

Read more here:

This retirement complex is using housing vouchers to help senior residents afford to live there With affordable senior living becoming a rarity in D.C, Friendship Terrace in Tenleytown is finding ways to help low-income seniors live in retirement communities.

Friendship Terrace, a medium-sized apartment complex in Ward 3, announced it would be opening up 125 “deeply affordable” housing units for independent seniors, making the retirement community open to low-income D.C. residents.

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D.C. closes Foggy Bottom encampment following Trump social post Following a social media post by President Trump, D.C. closed a large encampment next to the E Street Expressway with only a day’s notice.

Street Sense is on here now! We'll be sharing our articles, breaking news, and tips about where to find our vendors to purchase your copy of the paper.

To start off, here's our piece on the city closing the E Street encampment following the president's social media posts.