Today, the DC Housing Authority announced it had received a total of $34.4 million in competitive grants spooned from the honey pot that is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA) of 2009. All of this money must be spent within three years, which leaves little room for dilly-dallying!

The money will be disseminated to projects across the city:

  • Capper Carrollsburg HOPE VI near Nationals Park in Southeast.
  • Mathews Memorial and Sheridan Terrace HOPE VI near Barry Farm in Southeast.
  • Highland Dwellings in Washington Highlands.
  • Scattered sites in Ward 1.
  • Kentucky Courts Park and Garden by Lincoln Park on Capitol Hill.
  • The 2905 11th Street Assisted Living Facility in Columbia Heights.

In the spring, DCHA also received a $27 million, non-competitive grant with funds from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grants are administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). More details below about much money each development received:

Capper Carrollsburg HOPE VI: Townhomes component, Phase 2

HUD Funding: $9,584,843 Amount to be leveraged: $30,836,063 Total Project: $40,420,906

* Funds the public infrastructure which, in turn, permits the vertical construction to move forward for Phase 2.
* Units: 163 total units – 47 public housing units, 34 workforce homeownership units, five Section 8 Mortgage Subsidy home ownership units, and 77 market-rate homeownership units.
* Development Team: DCHA, Forest City, Urban Atlantic, EYA

Mathews Memorial

HUD Funding: $6,847,689 Amount to be leveraged: $16,277,093 Total Project: $23,124,782

* Replacement housing for the redevelopment of Barry Farms into a New Communities project.
* Units: 99 rental units – 35 public housing units, all units for households under 60% of AMI
* Development Team: DCHA, Community Builders and Mathews Memorial Baptist Church

Sheridan Terrace HOPE VI

HUD Funding: $5,827,882 Amount to be leveraged: $15,649,971 Total Project: $21,477,853

* New construction of a former public housing site into a green, transit-oriented, mixed use, mixed finance development.
* Units: 344 total units – 110 public housing units, 69 affordable rental units, 80 workforce homeownership units, and 85 market-rate homeownership
* Development Team: DCHA, WC Smith Company

Highland Dwellings

HUD Funding: $7,308,570 Amount to be leveraged: $4,202,032 Total Project: $11,510,602

* Provides funds for the rehabilitation of the 208-unit Highland Dwellings development.
* Rehabilitation will focus on improving energy efficiency, ecological sustainability, and healthfulness of the property. This will include new heating and cooling systems and insulation to provide better tenant comfort with less fuel use; replacement of flooring, paint, and other interior furnishings with nontoxic materials.
* Site improvements to include more shade trees and better site drainage will also be included.

Scattered Sites (5 grants with very similar provisions for different groups of scattered sites)

HUD Funding: $1,927,406 Amount to be leveraged: $ 192,741 Total Project: $2,120,147

* Five grants provide funds for the gut rehabilitation of a total of 26 scattered site units throughout Washington DC.
* These units will be renewed from varying states of repair and disrepair, from structural repairs to the complete replacement of building systems. These units will go from being energy and water wasters to being models of resource and cost efficiency.
* All materials used in the rehabilitation and repairs will be as healthful, nontoxic, and sustainable-sourced as possible

Kentucky Courts Park and Garden

HUD Funding: $651,481 Amount to be leveraged: $125,000, plus $37,665 worth of contributed goods and services Total Project: $814,146

* Funds the completion of a park and garden on an unused corner of the Kentucky Courts Senior property.
* Includes outdoor meeting space, handicap-accessible gardening facilities, and a water feature.

2905 11th Street Assisted Living Facility

HUD Funding: $ 2,258,750 Amount to be leveraged: $ 500,000 Total Project: $2,758,750

* Converts a vacant 14-units building into a 15-unit assisted living/independent living facility.
* DCHA is collaborating with a local assisted living facility operator to create a program of services both house and through local service providers.