Women’s History Month

This March, we celebrated Women’s History Month and National Reading Month. In honor of Women’s History Month, we celebrated the contributions of women to the fair housing community and addressed the unique challenges women face in accessing housing. We kicked off the month with our new Women in Housing series, recognizing women in history and modern times who have dedicated their lives to advocating for fair housing. On our blog, we published “Maternal Health & Homelessness”, which investigates the maternal healthcare barriers many pregnant women experiencing homelessness face.

National Reading Month 

In celebration of National Reading Month, Housing Up’s associate board (AB) members led reading nights for the children at our Fort View and Webster Garden communities. The children truly made the reading nights their own as they took turns reading, making bookmarks, and eating cookies with the AB members. Get a feel for Fort View’s reading night through the video above. If you’re a young professional who wants to get involved in your DC community, apply for our associate board at housingup.org/AB.

Staff Spotlight

We’re excited to continue highlighting Housing Up staff in our staff spotlight series on our website! This month, we’re highlighting PSH Case Manager Dearest Brown. She believes her role at Housing Up allows her to channel her passion for social justice into meaningful action. When asked what she wished more people knew about affordable housing and homelessness and she responded, “I believe that affordable housing is a fundamental right, not just a privilege. It provides stability, safety, and the opportunity for individuals and families to thrive. When people have access to affordable housing, they can focus on rebuilding their lives, pursuing education, and finding stable employment. It’s also about fostering a sense of community and belonging.” Read Dearest’s full spotlight here.

Current News in the Affordable Housing Community

As we step into spring, many changes are occurring in the affordable housing community. In a move widely contested by Democrats, the Senate passed a spending bill on March 14th to avoid a government shutdown. The spending bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), will cut about $13 billion in nondefense funding. While the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received increased funding under this CR key HUD programs, particularly those addressing homelessness, will experience significant budget cuts. In addition to funding cuts, HUD announced it may be closing nearly two-thirds of its state field offices. This news comes after HUD fired a record number of employees last month. To learn more about current housing news, read our recent blog post, “Current Housing News Highlights”.