Jubilee Housing: Built On The Foundation of A Calling

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Jubilee Housing has come a long way over the last 50 years with the help of many volunteers, residents, staff, partners, donors, and supporters.  

Jubilee Housing was founded in 1973 when members of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour saw a need to address substandard housing in the heart of Washington, D.C. The Church was founded in 1947 by Rev. Gordon Cosby, who served as a chaplain in the Glider Infantry Unit of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. The experience changed his view of how faith is lived out in the world.

In 1960, the Church of Saviour opened Potter’s House, the nation’s first church-run coffee house, in Adams Morgan to welcome everyone of all backgrounds to explore life’s big questions. It became nationally known and duplicated. Around The Potter’s House’s tables, people began to plan and implement new ministries and non-profits to respond to the many needs of the neighborhood and city.

Following Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, when hundreds of peaceful civil rights marchers were tear-gassed and beaten by police, Rev. Martin Luther King sent a telegram to hundreds of clergy that Monday, urging them to join him in Alabama to march for justice. Cosby answered that call, and when he returned, he asked he said to his small congregation in Adams Morgan, “Selma … is every community in our nation. Washington is Selma, too.”

Further awakened by the 1968 riots following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., members of the church became very concerned about changes in the neighborhood and began to connect more deeply with its neighbors, especially those in need.

Years of racially motivated disinvestment had begun to take their toll on the area, and hundreds of families were living in slum conditions while paying exorbitant rents. Many buildings in the neighborhood were rat-infested, not maintained, and often did not have heat or hot water. Many land speculators looked to move people out to gentrify the area. 

Terry Flood, Barbara Moore, and Carolyn Banker Cresswell were friends and members of the church and were concerned about the stories they learned about the living conditions of their neighbors. They approached Jim Rouse, a successful developer in the area, with a big idea – to purchase and transform the neglected Ritz and Mozart apartment buildings, which consisted of 90 units in total. They had a vision but didn’t have the development, financial, or construction experience to make it real. Rouse was apprehensive at first. Undaunted, Flood, Moore, and Banker Cresswell were committed to making good homes possible for their community and made a non-refundable deposit to buy the buildings on their own.

Inspired, Rouse helped them secure $625,000 to complete the purchase and $125,000 toward repairs. With this investment, the church, Terry, Barbara, and Carolyn formed Jubilee Housing. Church members, volunteers, and residents banded together to put in more than 50,000 volunteer hours to clean up the buildings and fix 940 code violations within a matter of months. As funds became available, professional building contractors made further, more extensive renovations.

As the city has grown, it has become increasingly more difficult for longtime residents to stay in their communities, or for low-income residents to move into newly thriving neighborhoods, cutting them off from the District’s rising prosperity. In response, Jubilee’s work has shifted to focus on connecting people to the city’s prosperity through our model of Justice Housing®, which provides high-quality, deeply affordable homes with easy access to programs and services in thriving neighborhoods.

Today, Jubilee Housing is operating 13 properties with 464 units that provide safe housing to over 800 residents in Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods. It also has five properties currently under construction or predevelopment, representing another 170 units and the region’s first rooftop aquaponics farm owned by an affordable housing-based organization. The farm is expected to produce around 13,000 plants of fresh fruits and vegetables per month and includes a workforce training program for people out of incarceration.

Jubilee’s comprehensive programs for residents range from early childhood education and afterschool and summer programs for school-aged youth to scholarships for college-bound students to support nutrition, wellness, and financial capability for residents of all ages.

For over 50 years, Jubilee staff and volunteers have been fortunate to witness the success and growth of many residents. We have seen the powerful impact that an affordable apartment in a safe and supportive environment with tailored wraparound services can have, not just for the well-being of residents but for the city as a whole.

The Ritz and Mozart Closing: Church members Bill Branner, Terry Flood, Carolyn Banker Cresswell, and Gordon Cosby meet with the building’s owner, H. Grady Gore – November 1973

What Is the Jubilee Year?

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During Jubilee’s yearlong 50th Anniversary celebration, you will see references to the Jubilee Year. As we celebrate five decades of impact, Jubilee Housing is looking to the future by reflecting on the core beliefs that guided our founders.

Jubilee Housing was created by several volunteers from the Church of the Saviour, an ecumenical faith community founded in 1946 in Washington DC by former US Navy Chaplain Gordon Cosby. The Church of the Saviour offered an environment that made it common for ordinary people to hear a call to address places of need in the world.

Our founders’ call was to bring housing stability to residents in a pocket of the Adams Morgan neighborhood. They began by purchasing two dilapidated buildings, collaborating with residents on improvements to the properties, and recruited business leaders to help them take first steps towards creating Justice Housing®.

Our founders chose the name Jubilee Housing to anchor this work in the transformational vision of the Jubilee Year, a 50-year cycle of renewal first imagined in ancient scripture to unwind inequity: lost property was returned to prior owners, debts were forgiven, captives were released, and outsiders brought back inside.

The Three Jubilee Year Principles

Excerpt of Remarks by Jubilee Housing President & CEO Jim Knight

1. Filling Gaps. Every person carries inside themselves unique gifts and unlimited potential. When each of us has access to the right environment, we have what we need to thrive. The problem is that too many people live in settings where they face gaps in basic needs. Gaps limit the development of gifts. People aren’t able to access their full potential. Think of schools that don’t meet learning needs. Or an income that doesn’t provide for adequate nutrition. These kinds of gaps interrupt progress.

The Jubilee vision calls us to build responses that help overcome these gaps. We do this through housing and access to other resources.  

2. Breaking Down Boundaries. People cut off from opportunity tend to struggle at the edges of society, never quite fitting in. The social disgrace can be as debilitating as gaps in resources. Maybe you can recall a time when you didn’t quite fit in, and how that impacted your sense of self?

Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries says, “We imagine no one standing outside of the circle, moving ourselves closer to the margins so that the margins themselves will be erased. We stand there with those whose dignity has been denied.”

This “standing with” wipes out social stigma and says instead: you are valuable — we cannot be whole without you!

Jubilee works to bring the outsider back inside.

3. Resetting the System. Think of this on the societal level of economic systems. Unjust practices are preventing people from thriving. In housing, a legacy of redlining systematically limited the kinds of homes and neighborhoods that were available. Today, we face NIMBYism that says its ok as long as its “not in my back yard.”

Jubilee’s work is to interrupt unfair practices and replace them with just pathways forward that have impact beyond our neighborhood.

Our founders chose the Jubilee Year as their inspiration in an earlier era when, like now, the economy was not working for everyone. They knew this vision had the power to disrupt the status quo and bring generative change for the future.

At Jubilee Housing, we are grateful to reflect on our founders’ vision and principles as we enter our next half-century of mission. We believe every person has in them what is needed to live a fulfilling life and that access to opportunities helps surface these inherent gifts. We believe in the self-determination of each person and working in partnership with one another to discover our gifts. We believe obstacles are overcome and dreams are realized as people experience life together in community. We believe this approach to community breaks down barriers, promotes inclusion and equity, and builds a city where everyone can thrive.

Gordon Cosby and Church of the Saviour members, including Jubilee Housing co-founders Barbara Moore & Terry Flood (center)

Video — Finding Inspiration in The Jubilee Year: Remarks by Jim Knight

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At Jubilee Housing’s 50th Anniversary Gala last November, CEO Jim Knight reflected on finding inspiration in the transformational vision of our namesake, the Jubilee Year. Watch a highlight of Jim’s remarks in the video below.

As we celebrate 50 years of impact, we are looking to Jubilee Year principles to guide us: Filling gaps through access to deeply affordable housing, onsite and nearby services, and the essential resources of high opportunity neighborhoods — Justice Housing®, breaking down boundaries by bringing those cut off from opportunity back into the circle of belonging, and resetting the system by interrupting unfair practices at the systemic level and replacing them with just pathways forward that have impact far beyond our neighborhood.

We are also planning a year of 50th anniversary commemorative activities including:

1. Stories, articles, interviews, and more!
2. More ways to engage than ever, with the return of our popular events such as Justice Housing Tours, Justice Housing Breakfast, and Raise the Roof plus new hard hat tours and social gatherings.
3. A special 50th edition monthly Jubilee e-newsletter.

If you’re not already on it, join our email list and be the first to know about stories and events!