MURIEL BOWSER

MAYOR

November 29, 2022

The Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, Secretary

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410

Dear Secretary Fudge:

Today, the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) delivered its response to the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) District of Columbia Housing Authority
(DC001) Assessment [Assessment], dated September 30, 2022. The Assessment outlines serious
findings and I will work with DCHA to guarantee the necessary resources and operational
capabilities are identified, and that support from District Government is ongoing and consistent to
correct the findings in a timely manner to put DCHA on a permanent, sustainable path to providing
its residents with safe, dignified, and affordable housing.

The creation and preservation of affordable housing has been one of the top priorities of my
Administration. Together, with our partners on the Council, we have invested nearly $1.4 Billion
for the production and preservation of affordable housing during my tenure as mayor. The District
of Columbia is known as the first jurisdiction in the nation to establish affordable housing goals
by neighborhood—and we update the public monthly on our progress. We do not shy away from
this big challenge; we lean into it and are transparent about the tools we need and the progress we
make. We will do the same with our partners at DCHA.

Prior to the release of HUD’s assessment, my Administration recognized the need for significant
additional resources to help stabilize DCHA properties and to sustain the long-term progress our
DCHA residents need, outlined as follows:

When it comes to our public housing, we have moved forward critical redevelopment projects at
our DCHA New Communities Initiative sites: delivering the first onsite housing at Northwest One,
breaking ground on onsite housing at Barry Farm, and most recently, executing a financial closing
for Park Morton’s first phase. In addition, I directed the Chief Financial Officer to begin an
assessment of the agency’s finances and financial needs. Similar to how we developed a regional
long-term stabilization strategy for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s
(WMATA) capital assets, I wanted the same type of deliberate, strategic planning for DCHA.
While the CFO undertook this important work, I led the District Government’s effort to invest $50
million a year to help repair those properties.

As a result of those efforts, we now have detailed building condition assessments on almost all of
DCHA’s properties entered into our Capital Asset Replacement Scheduling System (CARSS).
This extensive database contains building systems’ replacement schedules that will allow us to do
thoughtful planning on DCHA’s long-term financial needs as we formulate our next six-year
capital improvements plan.

To make that kind of significant investment, you need the right leader at the helm of DCHA.
Executive Director Brenda Donald has a proven track record as a turnaround agent who deploys
appropriate resources, develops strategies, and executes policies and procedures with a goal toward
improving agency performance. She has an accomplished record of turning around troubled
agencies, starting with the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency that had been under court
oversight for 30 years. Under my Administration, as Deputy Mayor for Health and Human
Services, she was a key leader, bringing stakeholders together to tackle important issues such as:
the creation and launch of Family Success Centers, community driven supportive services and
resources for families in 10 DC neighborhoods; the closure of the DC General family shelter and
its replacement with smaller, more dignified family shelters in all eight wards; and the creation of
the District’s Safer Stronger DC program, a comprehensive public safety strategy focused on non-
law enforcement programs and activities.

Director Donald and her team have already made progress in addressing some of the more serious
issues identified in the HUD Assessment. She has made it her top priority to center the needs of
DCHA residents and to bring back online more units that can be made available to District
residents in need of affordable housing. I strongly support both critical initiatives.

Now supported by a team of experts, Director Donald has submitted a detailed plan that addresses
each finding in the HUD Assessment. DCHA has submitted to HUD its strategy to increase
occupancy and has already doubled the number of units being offered to residents. The agency is
meeting the need to provide proper housing conditions by developing a comprehensive plan to
inspect every public housing unit, identify necessary repairs, and hire teams of contractors and
maintenance workers to bring those units into compliance with housing codes. I have tasked
several District Government agencies to partner with DCHA in implementing these critical
changes. Considering the significant investments my Administration has made and will continue
to make in DCHA, I believe that the agency will have the resources necessary to meet its needs.

The HUD Assessment provides DCHA with critical guidance that will put the agency on a path
toward success. The corrective plan developed by Director Donald and her team—combined with
the significant investments made by my Administration to address housing conditions—will make
DCHA a national leader in providing affordable, safe, and dignified housing to District residents.

Secretary Fudge, this is a matter my Administration and I take very seriously. We are committed
to taking care of those who need our attention most, and central to our DC values is the belief that
a safe and stable life begins with safe and stable housing. Just as I said when we met in October
with HUD senior leadership, I continue to commit the full and unequivocal support of the District
Government to requiring the critical issues raised by HUD with respect to DCHA are addressed. I
look forward to our continued partnership as we work collaboratively on the essential
transformation of the DC Housing Authority.

Sincerely,

Muriel Bowser
Mayor

CC: Marilyn O’Sullivan, Regional Public Housing Director, Northeast Network, U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Christine Jenkins, Director, Washington DC Field Office, U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development
Pat Knight, Program Advisor, Northeast Network, U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development