DC City Councilmembers should vote NO on the DC Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Restructuring Bill B24-1144 (December 20, 2022)

Call or email your elected DC City Councilmember and also contact all the At Large Councilmembers and Chairman Phil Mendelson of the DC City Council

https://dcouncil.gov/councilmembers/

Ask them to Vote NO on December 20, 2022 on B24-1144

On Dec 1, 2022 the District of Columbia Mayor, Muriel Browser and DC Councilmember Phil Mendelson introduced legislation that would remove all the elected and independent Commissioners on the DC Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.  This legislation is being put forward as an "emergency" legislation but is merely a rush to avoid accountability for officials who have betrayed the public's trust for the city of DC's housing.  The bill removes all the elected and independent Commissioners and shrinks five independent Commissioners down to one Commissioner for residents who is appointed by the Mayor - not elected.  This bill seeks to remove the elected DC Housing Authority Resident and Independent Commissioners in the middle of their term of Office.  This cancels the democratic process by depriving residents of their right to vote for authority on housing.  This proposal will disenfranchise all of us who voted for public members of the DC Housing Authority Board of Commissioners without making any positive changes in the Authority itself or its management. 

The DC Code of the District of Columbia Section 6-232 Public Housing Resident Bill of Rights - C states that residents of DCHA housing have an existing right to "to stand for election as a resident commissioner and to vote for candidates for resident commissioner to serve on the Board, as provided in Section 6-211."  In addition, this bill as it was originally conceived also strove to limit the right of residents, voucher holders, waiting list applicants and the general public and other stakeholders, the right to observe all meetings of the Board and to provide public comments."  Section 6-232 B.

The proposed bill would not create a Board of Commissioners that functions more effectively.  Instead it is designed to eliminate dissent, meaningful discussion and full transparency of the decision making process of the Board of Commissioners.  This Board of Commissioners restructuring bill seeks to remove from the BOC the elected and independent Commissioners who provide checks and balances to the political influences and conflicts of interest.  The point of the legislation is to cancel the right of the public and residents to speak at the DCHA Board of Commissioners' meetings, and the public's right to have adequate notice of when the Board of Commissioners meetings occur.

Residents and the public deserve effective access to accurate and timely information about DC Housing Authority policies, strategic planning and decisions.  The authority of the Mayor's Office should not be used to intimidate and harass critical voices, denigrate opponents, justify censorship and obstruct the legitimate activities of civil right defenders and human rights defenders.  The Mayor's Office and the DC City Council should fully recognize that community engagement is necessary to create forward looking policy and strategy. 

There is no question that the DC Housing Authority is in trouble. A scathing report on September 30, 2022 issued by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, which largely funds and directs DCHA and owns all of its property, identified 82 findings, 26 recommendations and 5 observations revealing violations of federal statutes and regulations and violations of rights of residents.

DCHA owns and operates 8084 units of federal public housing, of which 1,628 are vacant, HUD reported.  DCHA's occupancy rate on June 13, 2022, 76.44%, is "the lowest Public Housing occupancy rate of any large PH in the country."  HUD said that DCHA did not have an accurate list of its vacant units.  What it did have, HUD reported, was mold and active leaks in many vacant units. 

Occupied units were also not being maintained in decent, safe and sanitary conditions. Maintenance procedures had not been updated since 1999 and were not in use on the properties.  DCHA maintenance staff members reported to HUD that they were not responding to Emergency Work Order Requests at night due to safety concerns.  Indeed, HUD found, as had the DC Attorney General a few years ago, that "crime is not being adequately prevented in DC's public housing"

The Mayor took no public action on the receipt of the HUD report.  Similarly, the Executive Director has not responded appropriately to the concerns voiced by HUD, the DC Inspector General, the internal auditor of the DCHA Office of Audit and Compliance or to the many residents and stakeholders who gave testimony at every public Board of Commissioners meeting.  Instead the Mayor and the Executive Director seek to remove the right of whistle-blowers and human rights advocates to be heard at all. 

It violates the most basic premises of democracy to replace election results with bureaucratic appointments by political leaders under well-deserved attack.  Legal experts also have advised the legislation likely is unconstitutional, and are researching its in compatibility with the due process and equal protection clauses. 

Housing is most importantly a human right.  The right to adequate housing is more than having a roof over one's head, it is the right to live in safety and dignity in a decent home.  Too often violations of the right to housing occur with impunity.  The most severe violations of the right to adequate housing lead to homelessness. 

Ask the DC City Councilmembers to Vote NO on the Restructuring of the DCHA Board of Commissioners bill.

B24-1144 - District of Columbia Housing Authority Stabilization and Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2022

https://lims.dcouncil.gov/Legislation/B24-1144

You can watch the DC City Council Hearing - Committee of the Whole 

December 20, 2022 at 9:00 AM   DC Encoder Room 500 

https://dccouncil.gov/council-videos/

Sincerely, 

DC Housing Authority Resident Commissioner Janet Parker 

Photo Description John A Wilson Building on Pennsylvania Ave NW which houses the Mayor's Office and the DC City Council 

Photo courtesy of Awiseman at en.wikipedia  Creative Commons license