The Opportunity DC Newsletter: Bowser's RENTAL Act will Create More Affordable Housing

In this edition:

• Mayor Bowser’s Housing Proposals

• DC Students Lead Nation in Post-Pandemic Growth

• Special Election for Ward 8 Councilmember

Mayor Seeks to Protect & Grow Affordable Housing

Mayor Bowser has proposed the RENTAL Act – Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords – to preserve affordable housing in the District, make tenants safer, and help build new housing to reduce rents over time. Opportunity DC shares these goals, which connect so directly to cost of living and quality of life in DC. We fully support the RENTAL Act and specifically these provisions:

• Normalize permanently the Emergency Rental Assistance Program by bringing it in line with pre-pandemic conditions. Responsible, paying tenants have suffered the most from ERAP abuse by their non-paying neighbors, because it has forced property managers to increase rents, defer maintenance, or even foreclose the property. Covenants that keep units affordable go away in a foreclosure sale. The RENTAL Act will streamline the eviction court process so it is fair, predictable, and doesn’t drag on unnecessarily.

• Make it easier to remove violent tenants who pose safety risks to others.

• Modernize the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act to spur housing production. In talking with housing providers of all sizes, TOPA is consistently the biggest barrier to new housing. It’s one reason that DC housing costs are 140% higher than the national average. TOPA should focus on preventing displacement in naturally occurring affordable housing. Making it easier to sell DC homes and buildings that have market-rate rental units will generate transfer and recordation tax revenue to fund new affordable housing, thereby ensuring people of all income levels can continue to live here.

• Reposition vacant properties into affordable housing. With rents as high as they are, no building that could provide housing should be sitting empty.

• Subsidize housing production using the Housing Production Trust Fund. Currently, the city is forced to use HPTF money to sure up existing affordable housing because so many buildings are at an effective economic vacancy of 15%-20%. Those public dollars would be better spent on new units.

Opportunity DC calls on the Council to hold a hearing in March and swiftly pass the RENTAL Act

DC Students Show Encouraging Growth on “Nation’s Report Card”

DC’s public school students still have ground to make up following the COVID-19 pandemic; however, test results released last month indicate there’s reason for optimism – and to continue investing in effective recovery strategies.To the credit of our students and their teachers, DC stood out as a bright spot in the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Overall, DC’s gains from 2022 to 2024 were higher than any state’s. Often called “The Nation’s Report Card,” NAEP is a unique tool for evaluating student performance across the country’s school systems.

• DC ranked first in post-pandemic recovery in both math and reading between 2022-2024.

• DC’s average scores for 4th and 8th grade math and reading are closer to the national average than ever before.

• More students performed at or above the proficient level than in 2022.

• If our schools stay on this improvement path, DC will surpass the average for large cities in 2026 and the national average in 2028.

These results are encouraging, but they also spotlight persistent gaps. Compared to pre-pandemic (2019) levels, on average, DC students are still behind by half a grade level in math and a quarter of a grade level in reading.

DC’s NAEP performance affirms two things for us: 1) evidence-based recovery strategies, such as high-impact tutoring and summer programs, are making a difference locally, and 2) this progress must fuel a sustained commitment to preparing all DC students to prosper in their lives and work.

Ward 8 Special Election Presents Opportunity for New Leadership

Special election set to fill former D.C. Council member Trayon White’s seat

The election is set for July 15, with early voting from July 11 to July 14, according to a spokesperson for D.C.’s Board of Elections.

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The unanimous expulsion of Trayon White from the DC Council has triggered a special election on July 15 to fill Ward 8’s Council seat. While a looming trial on bribery charges does not make White ineligible to reclaim the office, we see this election as an opportunity for change. We look forward to seeing who submits petitions to appear on the ballot (deadline: April 17).

Thank you for reading our newsletter. We appreciate your time

Sincerely,

The Opportunity DC Team