Testimony
of
Jean Stewart
Sierra Club DC Chapter
before the
DC Council Committee on Housing and Executive Administration
Performance Oversight Hearing District of Columbia Housing Authority
Friday, March 5, 2021
Chairperson Bonds and members of the Committee, my name is Jean Stewart, and I’m a member of the Sierra Club DC Chapter’s Energy Committee. The Sierra Club is the nation’s oldest and largest environmental advocacy group. We have 3,000 dues-paying members in DC.
Thank you, Chairperson Bonds, for the opportunity to testify today on behalf of the Sierra Club at this oversight hearing on the District of Columbia Housing Authority.
The Sierra Club Supports Public Housing
The Sierra Club’s top priority is combating climate change, with a strong emphasis on environmental justice because of the disparate effects climate change is already having on the disadvantaged. The Sierra Club has made affordable housing a core environmental and racial justice element of its campaign to stop climate change. Lack of affordable housing hurts the resilience of the District’s lower income communities (especially in Wards 7 and 8) when long time residents are displaced. Community resilience (and strong support from the District) is necessary to address the effects of climate disaster already upon us, including in taking steps to stop it.
The Sierra Club has also taken a strong position in the District and nationally demanding the rapid phasIng out of methane gas to meet zero carbon goals. Transitioning from methane gas for heating is also sorely needed because of its health effects, especially in poorer communities with older equipment and a lack of venting.
WIth this in mind, we urge the members of this Committee to make certain that the building and creation of new and the renovation of existing public housing be made a top priority and include the requirement that existing tenants not be displaced.
We also urge members of this Committee to substantially increase the stock of affordable housing units in all wards, with an emphasis on deep affordability (up to 30% Area Median Income, or AMI) and work-force affordability (30% to 60% of AMI). In addition, the District must ensure deeply affordable and workforce units are built before existing homes are vacated so that those residents are not waiting for years for their housing.
We also strongly recommend that DCHA ensure that any units that are demolished be replaced with family-oriented units of the same sizes during redevelopment. Failure to do so will contribute to the permanent displacement of large numbers of the District’s limited income Black and other minority residents - especially those with children.
To meaningfully address poverty and racial inequality in the District, we must invest in the issue areas that are prioritized in the Fair Budget Coalition’s priorities and recommendations. The Sierra Club is a member of the Fair Budget Coalition.
Affordable housing is an important factor in mitigating climate change. Gentrification drives out low income residents, to locations where they may need to drive instead of walking or using public transportation, while bringing in higher income people who frequently have larger carbon footprints. Additionally the resilience of communities is hurt when long time residents are displaced, and community resilience has been very necessary in moments of climate disaster.
The Sierra Club supports the Fair Budget Coalition’s recommendations for Public Housing Repairs and Maintenance of $45 million in Fiscal Year 2022 (in addition to the $15 million already allocated) and $60 million annually to the DC Housing Authority for repairs and maintenance.
We also ask that you increase the production of housing for people making 30 percent or less of the AMI Housing by providing:
- $52 million for Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF)
- $5 million for project/sponsor-based Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP)
- Further substantial funding for purchasing and converting hotels into non-congregate shelters and deeply affordable housing.
The Sierra Club Supports a Quick Transition Away from Methane Gas in Public And Affordable Housing
As I have testified previously, the Sierra Club strongly recommends that new and renovated buildings be highly energy efficient and all-electric. Piping fossil fuels, usually gas, into these buildings adds to the climate crisis and indoor air pollution. Fracked gas is largely methane, a potent greenhouse gas much more toxic than carbon dioxide. All-electric buildings are a necessary step to meet the District’s zero carbon goals.
Research shows that gas appliances also cause considerable unhealthy indoor pollution. Like any fossil fuel, gas gives off pollutants when burned. The resulting mix of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and other pollutants can have serious health ramifications. A large body of evidence shows that NO2 exposure results in increased respiratory symptoms, asthma attacks, and hospital admissions in people with asthma. Research also suggests that long-term average NO2 exposure can increase the risk of diabetes, cancer, and premature mortality. Since many low-income residents already have serious health problems like asthma and heart disease, it is especially important that all new public housing units be all-electric.
In addition, we ask the Committee to include in legislation (and in DC’s budget) a program to assist lower-income residents to switch from methane gas to all electric, at least for heating.
The Sierra Club Supports Studies on the Prevalence of Lead and Mold in Public Housing along with Mitigation Efforts
We are also seeking information on lead and mold in DCHA housing, and DCHA policies regarding units with these hazards, and we have included a detailed list of questions in our written testimony. We request the Committee’s assistance in obtaining responses to these questions.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to testify in front of this Committee, and I look forward to answering your questions.
Questions regarding lead and mold in DCHA housing:
1. What is the percent of DCHA housing that has been tested for lead (water pipes, paint) and mold?
2. What percent of the DCHA budget is allocated to testing for lead and mold?
3. Of the DCHA housing that has been tested for lead (water pipes, paint) and mold, what is the percent of this housing that is located in Wards 5, 7 and 8?
4. Of DCHA housing that has tested positive for lead and mold, what percent of these units are presently occupied?
5. Of the aforementioned DCHA units, what percent are located in Wards 5, 7 and 8?
6. Has DCHA taken any steps with regard to lead abatement and/or mold remediation for the units that have tested positive?
7. For those units that have tested positive and are currently occupied, what steps does DCHA take to relocate these occupants to alternative (e.g. lead/moldfree) accommodations while lead abatement and mold remediation measures are being implemented?
8. In relocating residents from DCHA housing stock affected by lead/mold, does DCHA prioritize households at high risk (residents with small children, residents with respiratory conditions, etc.)?