The $75,000 grant will aid Jubilee Housing in our pre-development process for the King Emmanuel Baptist Church (KEB) Project. The KEB Project will redevelop the historically Black church built in 1907 and complete the first and only full continuum of housing and services for returning citizens in DC, based on the successful Fortune Society program in New York.
Reentry Outreach Coordinator Ingrid Mahogany and Program Graduate Jennifer meet at the Women’s House
KEB will provide 18 units for women and men returning from incarceration in Jubilee’s Reentry Program, which includes weekly meetings, individual case management, support maintaining sobriety and health, employment assistance, and financial empowerment training. Residents also have access to our broader Resident Services offerings and wraparound supports.
Jubilee’s existing program, founded in 2011 following a successful pilot program, has supported more than 450 returning citizens during its tenure. Transitional Men’s and Women’s Houses in Adams Morgan each serve up to ten individuals at a time, and onsite staff provide case management, financial education, employment assistance, and recovery programs. Jubilee also has long-term affordable apartments for residents who have transitioned out of the program and are seeking a structured environment and services that support their continued well-being.
COO David Jefferson and Reentry Graduate & Advocate David Schultz shake hands at the adjacent Ontario Place project site
Jubilee staff have been fortunate to witness the success and growth of many residents over the years. 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 recovery and well-being of residents, but for the city as a whole.
We are honored to receive a HAPP grant, which provides critical funding to advance this project and Jubilee’s mission to create diverse, compassionate communities with opportunities for everyone to thrive through Justice Housing® — deeply affordable homes, with onsite and nearby services, in resource-rich neighborhoods.
https://i0.wp.com/beta.jubileehousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/1721-Kalorama-KEB.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1600800Shelley Picothttps://beta.jubileehousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Jubilee-Anniversary-Logo-Color.pngShelley Picot2023-10-18 12:17:002024-02-06 00:21:03Jubilee Housing Awarded Competitive HAPP Grant for King Emmanuel Baptist Church Project
Jubilee Housing today announced it has received a donation of the property at 1800 Columbia Road NW, providing the nonprofit with additional capacity to expand on its Justice Housing® model and mission to build diverse, compassionate communities that create opportunities for everyone to thrive. The location is the site of a former Truist bank branch donated to Jubilee by the company.
“We are so pleased to receive this extraordinary donation and look forward to doing a full assessment of the property and existing structure, as well as engaging in a thoughtful community dialogue as we determine the best use for the property and advance Jubilee’s mission,” said Jim Knight, President and CEO of Jubilee Housing. “In the longer-term, we’ll look toward developing the site to continue meeting the community’s needs. We are grateful to Truist for donating this special property in the heart of Adams Morgan, a recognition of the important work we do to help local families facing the greatest structural barriers to access affordable homes, find opportunities, and thrive in resource-rich neighborhoods.”
Truist’s donation of the property is effective as of today, October 6, 2023. Jubilee plans to conduct a thorough assessment of the space and engage with the local community to inform its planning for the best use for the property in the short-term and long-term.
“We are honored to donate this property to Jubilee Housing, an important community- and mission-driven organization that provides essential services to D.C. families,” said Evelyn Lee, Regional President of Greater Washington & Maryland at Truist. “It is rare that the community members facing the greatest obstacles are provided the resources they need not just to survive but to thrive. Jubilee’s work is vital to Adams Morgan and the broader D.C. community, and Truist looks forward to seeing the positive change Jubilee will continue to create. At the same time, we will continue to serve the Adams Morgan community from our branch across the street at 1801 Adams Mill Road NW.”
Jubilee Housing is a nonprofit organization that develops and manages affordable housing communities in mixed-income neighborhoods and offers an array of supportive services for over 900 residents. Jubilee’s work follows a proven approach. Research shows that low-income families who live in mixed-income, resource-rich neighborhoods — like Adams Morgan — have better life outcomes. The organization works to support those with the fewest resources — two-thirds of Jubilee’s apartment homes are available for households earning 30% or below of Area Median Income, and one-third of its homes are available for households earning 60% of Area Median Income or below. The services Jubilee offers 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. About to celebrate its 50th year in the neighborhood, Jubilee currently manages thirteen properties and 464 units with another 120 units in development.
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Thank you so much to our esteemed speakers, board members, partners, distinguished guests, and our steadfast supporters for joining us last Wednesday for the official groundbreaking of Ontario Place.
This incredible project will feature 52 units of deeply affordable housing and services for low income families, half of which will be dedicated to returning citizens and their families.
It will also feature the region’s first affordable-housing-based aquaponics farm, designed in partnership with FreshMinistries, which will generate social, economic, and health benefits for the community through fresh produce and workforce training programs.
But our closing speaker, Reentry advocate David Schultz of Negotiation Works and The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, perhaps said it best:
“For myself and others, Ontario Place represents more than just bricks and mortar. It symbolizes hope, transformation, and second chances. It signifies a community that believes in the potential for redemption and the power of rehabilitation.”
We’re counting down the days until we can gather again to celebrate the opening of these buildings and welcome residents into these new homes.
https://i0.wp.com/beta.jubileehousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/groundbreaking.jpg?fit=1000%2C502&ssl=15021000Shelley Picothttps://beta.jubileehousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Jubilee-Anniversary-Logo-Color.pngShelley Picot2023-09-18 11:53:002024-02-05 23:55:36Jubilee Housing Breaks Ground on Ontario Place
New Buildings Will Feature Fifty Units of Affordable Housing in Ward 1 and Expand Sitar’s Arts Education and Workforce Development Programming
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau, Jubilee Housing and Sitar Arts Center leadership, and other distinguished leaders broke ground Wednesday, November 2, 2022 on two new Jubilee Housing buildings—1724 Kalorama Road NW and 1460 Euclid Street NW. The buildings will feature fifty total units of affordable housing for families in Ward 1. Sitar Next Door, an expansion of Sitar Arts Center for youth arts education and workforce development, will occupy the ground floor of the 22,000-square-foot mixed-use space of 1724 Kalorama Road NW.
“Our community’s call for Sitar Arts Center to expand grows louder every day. Young adults are seeking alternative, local pathways for arts training and to build skills and careers in the creative industries. At the same time, families of young children need affordable, high-quality afterschool and summer arts learning. We now have the extraordinary opportunity to answer this call and grow in place,” said Maureen Dwyer, Executive Director of Sitar Arts Center.
The launch of Sitar Next Door will allow Sitar to enroll hundreds more school-aged students in affordable afterschool and summer arts education programs each year. The 6,346-square-foot space will include a recording and sound engineering studio, a S.T.E.A.M. lab, flexible performance space, and new arts learning studios.
“When we call on the community to work with us on innovative ways to add more affordable housing, these are the types of projects we are talking about,” said Mayor Bowser. “Not only will these two projects keep 50 families in our city, we are also expanding opportunities for our young people to learn and grow in a world-class arts center.”
The space at 1724 Kalorama Road NW was acquired by Jubilee Housing in 2018 and will also offer affordable multi-family housing. Two-thirds of the 25 units will be two- and three-bedroom units, addressing a citywide need for family-sized apartments. Two-thirds of the units will also be reserved for families earning at or below 30% of the area median income.
The Euclid Street property, also acquired in 2018 after the tenant association assigned its right to purchase to Jubilee Housing through the District’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), will preserve 25 units of deeply affordable housing, including five three-bedroom and two four-bedroom units.
“As we begin to rebound from the pandemic, it is critical to invest in initiatives that provide access to prosperity for residents with fewer financial resources. Locating deeply affordable housing in resource rich neighborhoods helps connect residents to greater opportunity, while promoting greater inclusion and equity for the city as a whole,” said Jubilee Housing CEO Jim Knight.
Construction on the buildings is expected to begin immediately and the buildings are due to be fully occupied in 2024.
1724 Kalorama Road NW and 1490 Euclid Street NW
About Jubilee Housing The mission of Jubilee Housing is to build diverse, compassionate communities that create opportunities for everyone to thrive. We do this by building justice through housing — justice housingTM. Homes are deeply affordable for families with low incomes and those facing the greatest barriers to housing, have onsite and nearby services to address additional systemic barriers to thriving beyond housing, and are located in resource rich neighborhoods with access to good schools, transit, grocery stores, and employment. For more information, visit www.jubileehousing.org.
About Sitar Arts Center Founded in 2000, Sitar Arts Center is a multidisciplinary arts center providing affordable, high quality education and workforce development in the visual, performing, and digital arts. Sitar Arts Center engages DC youth, from early childhood to young adulthood, in building a creative community of learning and belonging that removes financial and cultural barriers to arts education and career training. Sitar envisions a city in which all young people experience transformative moments through quality, accessible arts education and career training, and are supported on their path to discover their creativity and achieve their full potential. For more information, visit www.sitarartscenter.org. For more information on Sitar Next Door, visit www.nextstage.sitarartscenter.org.
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Thanks to a partnership with tenants under D.C.’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act and financing from United Bank, Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund, LISC DC, and Justice Housing Partners 2.0, the Mount Pleasant Preservation Project will redevelop 165 units into affordable housing with supportive services.
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — On October 7, 2022, Jubilee Housing closed on the acquisition of three properties totaling 165 units of housing for the Mount Pleasant Preservation Project. The project will advance the properties for substantial rehabilitation that will establish perpetual affordability. Jubilee has been embedded in Ward 1 for nearly 50 years, and this move signifies a continued expansion of its nonprofit mission to create justice housing — deeply affordable homes, with onsite and nearby services, in resource rich neighborhoods.
The three buildings — Sarbin Towers, Park Marconi, and Richman Towers — were acquired when tenants exercised their rights under D.C.’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). Tenant associations for each building organized and asked Jubilee to partner, receive an assignment of the tenants’ right purchase, renovate the buildings, and maintain rent affordability in perpetuity. After assessing feasibility, Jubilee negotiated a development agreement with each tenant association and began the acquisition process.
“We are delighted that three tenant associations selected Jubilee to partner with them to deliver deep affordability for properties that have long stood as fixtures in the 16th Street corridor, helping to preserve the richness of cultural diversity for the neighborhood,” says Jim Knight, President and CEO of Jubilee Housing.
The purchases are made possible through financing provided by United Bank, a longtime partner who has assisted with acquisition of 285 units within the last few years; Amazon, who is providing $15 million through its Housing Equity Fund; LISC DC; and Justice Housing Partners 2.0, an impact investment fund.
“We’re proud to partner with Jubilee Housing and to help bring the Mount Pleasant Preservation Project — and these 165 affordable homes — to the community,” said Catherine Buell, director of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund. “This collaboration is part of our recently announced $147 million commitment to help create and preserve 1,260 affordable homes across D.C.”
Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund commitment will be rolled over into permanent financing, ensuring that rents can be affordable for families making less than 40% and 50% of the Family Median Income.
Additionally, the project marks the initial investment of the Justice Housing Partners Fund 2.0, which provides low-cost acquisition capital that enables Jubilee to better compete against market forces. Under the Justice Housing Partners model, a three to five year investment leverages more than eight dollars for every dollar invested, and yields a social return for multiple generations of Washingtonians with very low incomes.
Building renovations are expected to begin in 2024. Before renovations take place, Jubilee staff is meeting with residents to assess each household’s composition and income. Household composition data will inform architectural design and unit reconfiguration to match resident needs. Income data will guide post-rehab rent levels, financial projections, and subsidy sources available for tenants.
Residents will also have access to onsite and nearby supportive services, which Jubilee provides in-house and through a network of partners. These programs include affordable early childhood education, K–12 afterschool programming, a Teen Center, Jubilee to College scholarships, and tailored services for adults and families to assist with financial empowerment, food security, community connection, aging in place, and more.
The Mount Pleasant Preservation Project expands upon an additional four properties that Jubilee is developing in Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. Those four developments — grouped into two projects called EucKal and OntKEB — are expected to break ground in 2022 and 2023. In total, the seven properties will create 285 units of justice housing, nearly doubling Jubilee Housing’s impact in its core Ward 1 neighborhoods.
About Jubilee Housing
The mission of Jubilee Housing is to build diverse, compassionate communities that create opportunities for everyone to thrive. We do this by building justice through housing — justice housingTM. Homes are deeply affordable for families with low incomes and those facing the greatest barriers to housing, have onsite and nearby services to address additional systemic barriers to thriving beyond housing, and are located in resource rich neighborhoods with access to good schools, transit, grocery stores, and employment. For more information, visit www.jubileehousing.org.
https://i0.wp.com/beta.jubileehousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/MPPP-Banner-1-1016x438-1.jpg?fit=1016%2C438&ssl=14381016Shelley Picothttps://beta.jubileehousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Jubilee-Anniversary-Logo-Color.pngShelley Picot2022-10-11 17:16:002023-05-08 18:05:23Jubilee Housing Acquires Three New Properties for Affordable Housing in Mount Pleasant
Jubilee Housing is among 10 local organizations to receive Housing Affordability Planning Program grants from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The $75,000 grant will support predevelopment planning for Jubilee’s TOPA Columbia Heights project, creating 165 new units of deeply affordable housing in the thriving Ward 1 Columbia Heights neighborhood, through the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.
In 2021, Jubilee was approached by tenant associations of the three properties and asked to partner by receiving the tenant’s right to purchase, renovating the buildings, and maintaining their affordability for 40+ years. After assessing feasibility, Jubilee negotiated a development agreement with each tenant association and submitted matching contracts and earnest money deposits, and are preparing to close in fall 2022.
These three properties located in Columbia Heights – Park Marconi (3150 16th St NW), Richman Towers (3055 16th St NW), and Sarbin Towers (3132 16th St NW) – will add another 165 units of deeply affordable housing to the Ward 1 Columbia Heights neighborhood once rehabilitated.
This funding is critical as Jubilee prepares for the acquisition of these properties. The design of the buildings and the financing required will be determined by resident need, and Jubilee staff plan to meet individually with ~165 households to assess household composition and income.
This household data will inform architectural design and unit re-configuration to match the needs of returning residents. At the same time, income data will guide Jubilee in establishing post-rehab rent levels; building pro forum financial projections; and assembling project financing and subsidy sources, such as rent subsidy through DC’s Local Rent Supplement Program, needed to fund the project.
Jubilee remains committed to a resident-centric model and focused on adapting programmatic support to ensure residents and program participants have the necessary resources to maintain stability throughout the pandemic and as new variants arise. In 2021, as the pandemic ebbed and flowed, staff held the absolute highest standards for resident care and programming to ensure residents’ health, safety and stability were prioritized. Jubilee has embedded in the Adams Morgan/Columbia Heights area for almost 50 years, and this move signifies a continued expansion and provision of our services in the area.
The District’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (“TOPA”) is a key mechanism for creating and preserving affordable housing in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods all over DC. We hope this project will demonstrate that TOPA buildings can be reconfigured to better meet existing household needs for rent affordability and size of units.
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DC Fair Shot February kickoff announces Mayor Muriel Bowser and Department of Housing and Community Development’s selection of Jubilee Housing’s Ontario Place development bringing 52 units of deeply affordable housing and an innovative aquaponics farm to Ward 1.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—On February 2nd, 2022, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced that Jubilee Housing’s Ontario Place has been selected to advance to the next stage of underwriting for the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) 2021 Consolidated RFP round.
As such, Mayor Bowser’s commitment to “new affordable housing” is exemplified in Jubilee’s RFP selection. The Mayor commented February 2, 2022—“I set bold goals for new housing, for new affordable housing, and for new affordable housing in every neighborhood of the District because we know where you live affects your pathway to the middle class. Today’s selections move us closer to all three of those goals and particularly moving us to a more equitable distribution of affordable housing in the city.”
Jubilee Housing is honored to be selected by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to help the District advance towards the goal of creating 12,000 affordable homes by 2025. This selection paves the way for construction on this shovel-ready project that will provide expansion to Jubilee’s deeply affordable housing portfolio.
Jubilee Housing creates justice through housing—Justice Housing™. It is deeply affordable housing, in resource rich neighborhoods, with onsite and nearby wrap-around services. Two-thirds of units are reserved for households earning 30% or below of the MFI, and one-third of units are reserved for households earning at 60% or below the MFI.
Jubilee Housing’s work in providing justice through housing is inspired by economist Harvard Professor Raj Chetty’s research on wealth disparity, which concluded that zip code is the biggest determinant of future wealth. Furthermore, Jubilee Housing provides much more than housing in pursuit of our founders’ desires to address racial and economic divides.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to continue our work in advancing equity through housing. As we begin to rebound from the pandemic, it is critical to invest in initiatives that provide access to prosperity for residents with fewer financial resources. Locating deeply affordable housing in resource-rich neighborhoods helps connect residents to greater opportunity, while promoting greater inclusion and equity for the city as a whole,” said Jubilee Housing President & CEO, Jim Knight.
Jubilee’s project selection is for the planned development of 2400 Ontario Road, NW which will be razed and a new building will be built in its place. This new property will provide 52 housing units, half of which will be reserved for returning citizens with the other half comprising a mix of family-sized apartments to address the ever-growing burden on families with limited incomes. The project sits adjacent to King Emmanuel Baptist Church (KEB) located at 1721-1725 Kalorama Road, NW, totaling almost 6,000 square feet and includes constructing 18 much needed single occupancy units for returning citizens, a resource center for residents, and a communal kitchen and dining space for the housing community. Together the two properties will complete Jubilee Housing’s continuum of housing for returning citizens.
In addition, Ontario Place will be home to an innovative aquaponics facility, planned with research and evaluation provided by Georgetown University’s Steers Center for Global Real Estate, and infrastructure and design by FreshMinistries—a non-profit located in Jacksonville, Florida—will produce around 13,000 plants per month and directly contribute to other workforce development programs hosted on site. Half of the produce will be used to help feed the housing community while the other half is sold at market to generate income and offset program costs. “It’s almost too good to be true, being able to provide quality food on a consistent basis in a place with limited resources is invaluable,” said Fresh Ministries Founder, Chairman and CEO Rev. Dr. Robert V. Lee III.
This selection follows DHCD’s selection of Jubilee’s EucKal project for the development of 1724 Kalorama NW and 1460 Euclid Street NW. Jubilee expects to close on construction/permanent financing later this year and begin a yearlong renovation of the currently vacant properties. When complete, the project will deliver 50 units of deeply affordable homes as well as an expanded Sitar Arts Center and office space for Jubilee Housing at the Kalorama site.
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As Jubilee Housing prepares for the transformational development of the King Emmanuel Baptist Church, 1721 Kalorama Rd NW (KEB) and 2400 Ontario Road (Ontario Place) properties, we are especially excited for the opportunity to create a commercial kitchen-training program powered by a commercial aquaponics farm, housed in the cellar and the rooftop of these residences. The two properties are estimated to break-ground in early 2023.
The history of aquaponics traces back to around 1000 AD to a time when ancient peoples found a way to grow food in non-traditions ways that honored natural relationship of fish and animals. “It’s not a new technology. The Aztecs fed their entire civilization on floating islands. This is sort of a new application of some of the older technologies,” Director of Aquaponics for FreshMinistries Bobby Lee explained. “We really feel that the application of this technology is going to become more relevant than ever in the coming years.”
Jubilee’s aquaponics farm—designed and implemented by programmatic partner FreshMinistries—is expected to yield 13,000+ plants per month, including, basil, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, root vegetables, and more. Looking to expand into the DC area, FreshMinistries worked with Jubilee to create plans for the aquaponics urban farm. “We are grateful to FreshMinistries for this innovative partnership that will create tremendous economic and environmental impacts for our community for years to come,” said Jim Knight, Jubilee Housing President and CEO.
Launched in 1994, FreshMinistries works to eliminate poverty by empowering local communities and individuals to realize their full potential. The FreshMinistries team first learned about aquaponics while they were visiting a university research farm in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They saw aquaponics farms there as a sustainable way to create jobs and food without taking up a large physical footprint. When they got back to the United States, Mr. Bobby Lee and the team began developing aquaponics systems in Jacksonville, Florida. Now FreshMinistries has two aquaponics facilities – Native Fresh in Jacksonville and Island Fresh in St. Croix—and are regarded as one of the experts for aquaponics development in the country.
The partnership aligns deeply with Jubilee Housing’s mission to build intentional community and equity through Justice Housing™. As such, Jubilee Housing’s intention for this project is to further enable the Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods in particular to thrive from a nearby and accessible healthy, food source; and onsite workforce development resource.
FreshMinistries launched the Desmond Tutu Program to End World Hunger, and connected with the Georgetown University Steers Center for Global Real Estate. Currently, Lee is close to Jubilee, being locally present, during this foundational time, while obtaining an MBA from Georgetown University as well.
Jubilee’s farm will be the first commercial aquaponics farm in the DC Metropolitan region with our peers at the University of the District of Columbia, spearheading this timeless innovation via their own research-based and community driven aquaponics farm located in Ward 7. According to George Yeonas, Georgetown University’s Managing Director of Steers Center for Global Real Estate—who have partnered with Jubilee in developing program research and systems evaluation—“Jubilee’s aquaponics project stands to become the first residential facility of its kind in America, and we are proud to be associated with Jubilee to help make this happen.”
Jubilee’s aquaponics farm—which will be powered by a solar-panel array located on the Ontario Place’s roof—will be instituted as a sustainable closed loop system. The system will combine aquaculture and hydroponics, utilizing two fish tanks and multiple plant greenhouses—located below street level and on the roof on Ontario Place as permanent and temporary structures respectively in accordance with zoning code.
The aquaculture portion of the farmwill contain organically raised fish that will be fed by the plants and produce directly generated within this closed system. In turn, the fishes’ role in the system is to infuse the hydroponic plant system with high-nitrite water—generated as a waste product of their normal growth. “It’s almost too good to be true, being able to provide quality food on a consistent basis in a place with limited resources is invaluable,” said Fresh Ministries Founder, Chairman and CEO Rev. Dr. Robert V. Lee III.
The KEB and Ontario Place sites will need to hire four full time staff—two directors and two assistants—who will direct re-entry residents in their workforce development training throughout their stay in Jubilee’s Re-Entry Housing Program that was founded in 2011. In establishing these unique programs, Jubilee aims to not only provide fresh meals three (3) times per day for returning citizen residents through new, onsite commercial kitchen training program—but to also share meals with the neighborhood community close to the KEB site. “We want to foster a place of community, a place where people can come together. What better way to bring folks together and develop lasting relationships, than through the power of food and the breaking of bread,” said Martin Mellett, VP of External Affairs at Jubilee Housing.
Rev. Dr. Lee observed that Jubilee Housing and FreshMinistries share a common mission of building equity in communities that need it most, and were both organizations founded in faith. There were a number of intersections and similarities between the two organizations. As Jubilee expands its Re-Entry Transitional Housing Program—creating DC’s first re-entry housing continuum of care—Jim Knight, Jubilee Housing’s President and CEO alongside Rev. Dr. Robert Lee saw a partnership opportunity. They both realized that social enterprises for aquaponics are lacking nationally, and that this technology could be a benefit to people living in the Jubilee community and surrounding neighborhoods.
The two properties are a part of Jubilee’s work to build Justice Housing™—deeply affordable housing, in thriving, resource rich neighbors, with onsite and nearby supportive services. The Ontario Place property will contain 50 apartment units—half set aside for returning citizens ready for long-term housing in a supportive community. The other half of the units in Ontario Place are two and three bedroom apartments for families. In total, the Ontario Place property.
Likewise, the KEB property will house up to eighteen returning citizens at a time and includes accommodations for a 24-hour Resident Manager, adding this much needed housing for returning citizens exiting incarceration, directly into Jubilee’s trauma-informed care program.
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Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced the selection of Jubilee Housing’s EucKal project to develop 50 units of deeply affordable housing in Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights
Washington, D.C.—March 29, 2021— Jubilee Housing’s EucKal project has been selected to advance to the next stage of underwriting for the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) 2019 Consolidated RFP round.
Jubilee Housing is honored to be selected by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to help the District advance towards the goal of creating 12,000 affordable homes by 2025.
The EucKal project, which includes two properties – 1724 Kalorama Road NW and 1460 Euclid Street NW – will create 50 units of justice housing in Ward 1’s neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. The properties were both acquired in 2018, using acquisition financing from United Bank, LISC and the Justice Housing Partners Fund.
“As we begin to rebound from the pandemic, it is critical to invest in initiatives that provide access to prosperity for residents with fewer financial resources. Locating deeply affordable housing in resource rich neighborhoods helps connect residents to greater opportunity, while promoting greater inclusion and equity for the city as a whole,” said Jubilee Housing CEO Jim Knight.
1460 Euclid Street NW was acquired under DC’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase ACT (TOPA). This new addition to Jubilee’s portfolio will preserve 25 units of deeply affordable housing for hardworking families in Columbia Heights, including five 3-bedroom and two 4-bedroom units.
1724 Kalorama Road NW is a 22,000 square foot vacant commercial building that will be redeveloped into a five-story mixed-use building offering affordable multi-family housing and valuable community services. Once renovated, two-thirds of the 25 units will be two and three bedroom units addressing a citywide need for family-size apartments. In addition, the approximately 6,000 square foot ground floor will allow Sitar Arts Center to expand their summer youth arts program and digital media program for young adults.
“This will allow Sitar to expand all of our current programming, and especially Camp Sitar, that always has a long waitlist of families seeking high quality, affordable summer learning. Sitar’s goals for expanded programming are needed now more than ever,” said Maureen Dwyer, executive director, Sitar Center.
