Securing housing that is deeply affordable, safe and healthy.  

Our Goals

• Prevent the displacement of DC residents, particularly low/moderate income Black and brown native Washingtonians.

• Strengthen and enforce housing codes and eliminate hazards that make housing unsafe and unhealthy.

• Assist tenants with organizing to exercise their rights, hold their landlords accountable, and build their power through Tenant Associations, Resident Councils and site-specific campaigns.

• Prevent eviction by linking residents with available resources.

• Improve, preserve and expand deeply affordable housing, including public housing, through new housing policies, funding for housing programs, and advocating for low-income units within new development.

Our Work & Impact 

Empower DC’s housing justice work includes:

Anti-Displacement Network

Through the Access to Justice program and in partnership with Rising for Justice, Empower DC conducts targeted outreach to residents with pending evictions to connect them with legal resources. We also host tenant rights trainings and are building a network of people who are up-to-date on tenant rights and able to effectively support tenants as needed. 

• Since 2022, Empower DC has done outreach to over 2,000 tenants on the list for eviction, providing them with resources and support. 

Download our Know Your Rights pocket guide!

Sign up to be notified about upcoming Know Your Rights training and join the Anti-Displacement Network 

Contact Andria Chatmon to learn more.

Public Housing Power

Empower DC is committed to building the power of DC’s public housing tenants to improve conditions, prevent displacement and demand accountability. We conduct regular outreach throughout DC’s public housing communities, sharing information about issues affecting residents’ rights. Monthly, we support public housing residents with making their concerns heard at meetings of the DC Housing Authority Board. We also organize with residents to shape the outcome of redevelopments and to advocate for local funding to improve housing conditions. Public Housing Power leaders are envisioning a new future for public housing. 

• $50 million invested in public housing maintenance and repair in the last three annual city budgets (previous to Empower DC’s efforts, the DC budget included NO funding for public housing repairs).
• Empower DC organized to oppose Mayor Bowser’s takeover of the DC Housing Authority Board, which removes vocal critics who are allies to residents. 
• Empower DC and partners issued comments on the DC Housing Authority’s ACOP plan, challenging new policies that may result in increased eviction of public housing residents. 

Watch Empower DC’s public housing leaders share what is needed to improve public housing.

Watch our 2022 public housing panel report on some of the issues that affected residents in 2022 and what we need to do to improve the living conditions and quality of life for public housing residents

Contact Daniel del Pielago to learn more. 

Social Housing

Empower DC is working with partners through the Green New Deal for DC Network to secure new, deeply affordable housing for DC residents through creation of a social housing program. In addition to supporting social housing policy, we are working with residents who live near the publicly-owned site at 1617 U St, NW to advocate that site be used for social housing, not luxury housing. 

• Read the Green New Deal for Housing Act which will create social housing in DC if passed.

Contact Andria Chatmon to learn more.