Testimony of
John H. More
on behalf of
Sierra Club & Washington Interfaith Network
before the
DC Council Committee on Housing and Executive Administration
for the
District of Columbia Housing Authority Performance Oversight Hearing
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Thank you Chairperson Bonds and members of the Committee for the opportunity to submit testimony on behalf of the Sierra Club DC Chapter and the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) with respect to the 2022 Performance Oversight Hearing for the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA). My name is John More. I am a 50+ year resident of Ward 4. I am a volunteer member of the Sierra Club DC Chapter’s Clean Energy Committee and a lifelong environmental activist. I have been an active member of Washington Interfaith Network, since its founding, and I’m involved with affordable housing in the District, through political activism and involvement in actual projects.
The Sierra Club DC Chapter has about 3,000 members in DC and WIN’s 25 members represent over 25,000 residents of the District. I am pleased to report that WIN and the Sierra Club are working closely across the District on the environmental justice issues of healthy affordable housing and meeting the District’s 2050 zero-carbon emission goals. Both organizations support switching from unhealthy methane gas for heating and cooking to all-electric clean energy, not only in affordable housing, but in all DC buildings.
DCHA is a key player for environmental justice in the District, since its public housing mandate is to provide healthy housing for those in the District who have the greatest need. This Committee and the Council need to send a strong message to DCHA that it needs to significantly improve its operations and performance now and in the coming years to meet the District’s needs.
Unfortunately, DCHA has a long history of not keeping its existing public housing safe and healthy and not building and renovating enough units to keep disadvantaged residents in public housing. There have been some estimates that it will require at least $3 billion dollars and many years to:
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bring DC’s public damaged and inadequate housing units up to code,
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completely renovate aging and obsolete units that cannot be upgraded, and
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build new units to replace the thousands that currently stand empty and abandoned.
We welcome the additional funding that has been included in the 2022 budget for affordable housing. We urge DCHA to employ these funds and its other tools with respect to public housing with four principles in mind:
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One-for-One Replacement – At a minimum, the same number of comparable units should be renovated or created as are available to the existing population of public housing residents, including equal numbers of family-sized three- and four-bedroom units.
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Build First – New public housing units and renovation of existing units should be scheduled and completed in such a way that existing residents can stay in public housing (preferably in their neighborhood) rather than be forced to use housing vouchers.
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No Concentration – New public housing should not be built only in DC neighborhoods and wards where it has been concentrated in the past.
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All Electric – All new and all renovated public housing should be all-electric to meet the District’s 2050 zero-carbon commitments and existing public housing buildings should also be transitioned to clean electricity from methane gas by switching to highly efficient heat pumps.
With respect to the “One-for-One” and “Build First” principles that we are requesting that DCHA follow, we note that in the past we have seen public housing demolition and renovation contribute to the permanent displacement of large numbers of the city’s limited income Black residents. The use of vouchers does not address the problem of displacement because of the lack of rentals for DC residents with vouchers. The waiting list for obtaining vouchers is already extremely long. The wait to obtain housing for those with vouchers can be years and in many cases the vouchers can only be used in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs. As a result, for years, large numbers of the DC’s limited-income Black and other minority residents – especially those with children – have had to leave the District.
With respect to “all-electric,” we ask that DCHA ensure that its new and renovated buildings are powered by clean electricity, with zero fossil fuels. Use of methane gas for residential heating and cooking releases carbon and leaking methane gas into the atmosphere. Methane is 80 times more toxic to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Research also shows that considerable pollution inside buildings is caused by gas appliances. 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.
Non-fossil fuel heating, especially in new buildings, is economically viable, especially with advances in solar and heat pump technology. To the extent that all-electric buildings could in some cases require initial subsidies, we recommend that funds be made available for such subsidies. Over the longer term the economic savings can more than pay back the initial costs.
Last November, WIN sponsored a meeting at Benning Terrace Public Housing with DCHA Executive Director Brenda Donald, members of the Residents Council, and residents. Leaders of the Sierra Club DC Chapter also attended in support.Residents Council members and residents described in detail the poor housing conditions they have had to endure and still endure and their numerous often-unanswered requests for remediation. They focused on non-functioning heating and cooling systems, leaking water, broken windows, mold, and other environmental issues. They also posed questions about DCHA’s plans for building a new replacement for Benning Terrace, which dates from 1958.
In response, Executive Director Brenda Donald indicated that she heard the concerns about conditions and would ensure that DCHA address them with the renovation of vacant units and with a new “emergency maintenance” program. Executor Director Donald also expressed support for Build First for Benning Terrace, using available land there. But she qualified her Build First commitment with other public housing, saying it would be done “where possible.”
We welcome Executive Director Donald’s public commitments and look forward to working with her and DCHA. We, however, do ask that this Committee ensure that DCHA has the funds and guidance to ensure that Build First is possible not only for Benning Terrace, but for all public housing projects. New public housing buildings must be built nearby so that residents are not displaced when their units are renovated or torn down.
One final point raised in the Benning Terrace meeting was about mold and related health issues. We wish to bring to the Committee’s attention the disparate health issues raised by mold and lead, and by methane gas appliances, in public housing units. Mold and lead exposures have caused illness for generations. Low-income and Black children are disproportionately affected by poor indoor air quality. Children in Ward 8 are 10 times more likely to go to the hospital because of an asthma attack than children in wealthier parts of DC, according to a 2019 City Paper article. Federal funding now being made available must be used to replace aging and health-damaging lead pipes in our public housing units. DCHA needs to focus more urgently on correcting these health issues going forward.
Thank you, Chairperson Bonds, for the opportunity to testify today. The Sierra Club and the Washington Interfaith Network welcome the Committee’s oversight of DCHA and we look forward to continuing to work with DCHA to provide more and healthier public housing to meet the District’s housing needs and to support the transition to all-electric buildings to address climate change and public health.