Doni Crawford, Senior Policy Analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, said the social equity provisions written into Mendelson’s bill make it “arguably the best in the nation.”
The DC Fiscal Policy Institute’s (DCFPI) recently released toolkit, “The District Moves Towards a More Inclusive Economy” analyze how these investments will benefit Black workers and business owners in particular.
TOPA legislation was passed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and has led to the preservation of 1,400 affordable housing units between 2003-2013, a much more cost-effective option than building new units, according to a report from the DC Fiscal Policy Institute.
In August 2021, the DC Council adopted a tax plan that accomplishes two goals: increasing tax equity in DC and raising much-needed revenue for long-term transformative investments that advance racial equity.
“It’s not enough to force someone to take an apartment just because it’s free. You have to place people where they’re going to succeed instead of just pushing them into housing,” said Kate Coventry, an analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute.
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DCFPI, a progressive think tank that has advocated for stricter oversight of the trust fund, says DC’s recent investments into affordable housing could help the housing department finally overcome historical challenges it has faced.
Eliana Golding, DC Fiscal Policy Institute’s affordable housing and workforce development policy analyst, sees subsidies as one way to promote affordable housing, but she disagrees with how the District has put subsidies into place.
They say the tax increase can make a dent; it’s expected to fund 2,400 additional housing vouchers over the next year alone, a four-fold increase over recent years, according to an analysis by the liberal-leaning D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute.
The bill will address a distinct form of discrimination, Kate Coventry, senior policy analyst at DCFPI, testified Wednesday. “For example, if a woman is denied service at a restaurant because she appears homeless, not because of her gender,” she said.