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Residents tell DCHA oversight hearing of inspection delays, management issues and intimidation at properties
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Summary
Individual residents described long waits for vouchers, failed inspections, poor property management and slow Office of Tenant Advocate responses. Witnesses urged more transparent communication, resident-facing oversight and enforcement of management practices.
Multiple residents used the Committee on Housing’s May 30 oversight hearing to describe ongoing and sometimes severe problems with inspections, property management and tenant advocacy services tied to public housing and voucher placement.
Candace Smith, a mother of three in Ward 3, testified that she was notified in April 2024 she would receive a permanent supportive housing voucher but had received no meaningful update and remained at “step 4” of the process a year later. “I have no answers, but only to continue to wait on a call that I don't know when is coming,” she said. Smith told the committee she faces market-rate rent increases on July 1 and is uncertain whether she will be able to sustain housing without the voucher.
Other residents described failed inspections, pest and mold problems, missed repair appointments and slow or nonresponsive follow-up from management and the Office of the Tenant Advocate. A long-serving tenant and advocate known in testimony as “Miss B” said building managers often intimidate tenants and that urgent maintenance and notice practices are inconsistent. She said the OTA had not responded in a timely fashion to her complaints.
Karen Lundrigan described mouse infestations, mold and multiple building code failures; a Department of Buildings inspector had condemned her unit, she said, but she reported difficulties obtaining consistent assistance from DCHA. Contessa Allen Starks and others described missing recertification files, delayed casework and long periods in which files appeared to be lost or unprocessed.
DCHA and committee staff acknowledged the complaints, with the committee inviting residents to work with staff and the authority for case-level follow up. Council Member White told Candace Smith the committee would follow up with the agency to try to surface and resolve the specific case, and asked DCHA to improve communication protocols for inspections, pending voucher briefings and recertification workflows.
Resident speakers and advocates also recommended DCHA tie building-level staff evaluations and contractor performance to resident feedback to incentivize better treatment and faster responses. The committee asked DCHA to consider and report back on whether resident feedback can be used in building-level personnel evaluations or contractor bonus structures.
The committee left the written record open through June 6 for additional testimony and case submissions.
