By Callahan Seltzer, CDSC
 Maurice Mason, director of the N.E. 2nd Street Cooperative |
On September 17, Washington Grantmakers’ Community Development Support Collaborative (CDSC) joined current funders, members of Washington Grantmakers, and neighborhood partners to learn about the challenges and opportunities facing resident-owned affordable housing cooperatives in the District. Our host for this edition of the CDSC Know Your Neighborhoods Tour was one of our newest neighborhood partners, University Legal Services (ULS).
We met with Cooperative residents, leadership, and service providers who are helping the tenants manage their multifamily properties. At the N.E. 2nd Street Cooperative, Inc., ULS is helping Cooperative leaders with asset management services including governance training, monthly management reviews, and tax relief assistance. At the 1820 California Street Cooperative, resident leadership told us that without guidance and support from ULS, they would have been duped into selling their homes and displaced from their neighborhood by a former property manager. Instead, these 17 households are now some of the most affordable housing units available in their Adams Morgan neighborhood.
 Mike Dinkin, program manager with University Legal Services, speaks with funders. |
Over the past 25 years, with assistance from nonprofit housing organizations, approximately 100 resident-led cooperatives have been established, providing housing to over 4000 families in wards throughout the City. During this time, ULS has acted as the prime contractor for DHCD’s Tenant Purchase Technical Assistance Program. Since the inception of the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) in the early 1980s, ULS has been a key player in helping City residents in multifamily buildings stabilize their living situations–either through the purchase of their buildings or through negotiating and enforcing improved living conditions. With ongoing support, training, and access to professional services, ULS is helping these resident-led cooperatives improve and capitalize on their physical, financial, and human assets.
“A commitment to significant city-wide multifamily ownership requires resources and ongoing support beyond the financing and purchase of the building,” said Martin Mellett, director of the CDSC. “The training of the leadership of resident-led cooperatives is preserving affordable housing in the District and enhancing the quality of life in their neighborhoods.”
