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Residents and ANC testify that PSH placements have disrupted Upper Connecticut Avenue buildings
Summary
Tenant leaders and ANC 3F commissioners described a pattern of repeated police calls, domestic‑violence incidents, and building deterioration around several Upper Connecticut Avenue apartment buildings and urged mandated home visits and stronger landlord‑agency coordination.
Marilyn Lance, president of the Brandywine Apartments tenant association, and Commissioner Courtney Carlson (ANC 3F) described repeated safety and quality‑of‑life incidents on Connecticut Avenue that they tie to unmet behavioral‑health needs among some voucher holders. Lance described collecting FOIA data showing a sharp rise in MPD calls and said residents reported suicide attempts, public feces incidents, and violent fights in common areas.
"In 2024, there were a total of 362 incidents in our building, of which 45 percent were connected to behavioral health," Lance said. Commissioner Carlson and ANC 3F have repeatedly urged the city to require weekly home visits for PSH recipients with children and to ensure that weekly case management occurs for families in PSH; Carlson noted an ANC resolution urging weekly visits passed in March 2025. Both witnesses urged quicker responses from housing and behavioral‑health agencies, more robust landlord support, and mechanisms to prevent overconcentration of voucher holders in particular buildings.
DHS and DBH told the committee they have launched a Community Connections pilot (hotline and on‑site case managers in eight buildings) to triage reports and re‑engage residents with services; the agencies said they will continue to refine monitoring, provider oversight, and landlord outreach as part of a multiagency response.
