A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend a conference on housing strategies. To my surprise, many people showed up and were eager to engage in a healthy discussion about the problem of housing instability. I hope to be as keen to learn why housing instability is such an issue here in Washington, D.C., and why this city is failing to address problems such as homelessness, affordable housing, and poor housing conditions.
Before our session began, I met with some of the other participants and raised a question about homelessness. I didn’t want the question to sound like a plan or a call to action; I wanted to understand this issue more.
So, I asked why housing homeless people is difficult. One answer caught me off guard. “Homeless people don’t want to be housed,” one person said.
I thought this couldn’t be true, and I wondered why someone would choose homelessness over getting a house. I wanted to continue this conversation, but the session had begun.
As the session began, I took a small sip of my flavored coffee. I felt excited because I was participating in a conversation that mattered for the first time.
I began to take notes. I wanted the moderator to inspire and give me hope.
The moderator suggested changing how we talk about homelessness, including the language used to describe people’s experiences. Words like “hobo” and even ” homeless” should be retired. That is an excellent point.
After 30 minutes, we took a break. My coffee was getting low, so I headed back to refill it. For some reason, the taste of French Vanilla allowed me to think clearly. The next session began talking about affordable housing and how to ensure adequate supply. It is calculated that home prices are higher now, by about 47%, than they were in 2023, according to a CNBC report. What does this mean for D.C.? Will more people experience homelessness as a result of the high cost of housing? These issues made me think about the housing supply here in D.C. and why it’s inadequate for low-income people. Should the District government do a better job of housing low-income people? It’s something to think about.
Next, we moved to the issue of poor housing conditions. Some have suggested that the D.C. Housing Voucher Program needs to be audited and replaced. Far too often, we hear stories about families living in deplorable housing conditions, such as mold, rodents, and insects. Some of these housing conditions have led to poor health problems like mental health, high blood pressure, asthma, and other health issues associated with these housing conditions. Some landlords are collecting rent from the D.C. Housing Authority and are not doing much to help change these worsening housing conditions.
The moderator clarified the point, and we all broke into small groups to discuss the next steps. It would be disastrous if I tried to sum up my concerns regarding this last topic in one word.
After the break, I returned with another cup of my favorite coffee. The small groups comprised five or so individuals, so we focused on the prevention of poor housing conditions. It was hard for me to understand why it took so long for most people to resolve the issue of worsening housing conditions. It was said that if you complain, it just makes the problems worse, but now I am raising the question of how. No one would just accept living like this. It doesn’t make sense. Another person questioned the legal action. Can someone sue a landlord, and if so, on what grounds?
The group was genuinely asking real questions, which made me feel hopeful. The small session ended, and we all gathered to conclude day one. Looking back, I came away with much more than I had hoped. I’m waiting for the next session about case management and the difficulties of housing the unhoused.
