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Tenants tell council DCHA communications failures left families in unsafe units
Summary
Multiple public-housing residents and voucher holders testified about unreturned calls, delayed recertifications, unsafe conditions (mold, rats), and opaque relocation plans at Greenleaf, Lincoln Heights and Berry Farm; witnesses urged clearer inspection testing and resident-facing timelines.
Tenants across the District told the Committee on Housing they repeatedly could not get timely help from the DC Housing Authority and that problems ranging from mold to broken ceilings persisted for months. JaChelle Powell, a Ward 7 resident, described three moves where property inspections “approved” units that later proved hazardous, saying it took months to get meaningful action.
Linda Brown, a Greenleaf senior and member of Empower DC, said she had been promised redevelopment for years with no concrete plan: "For me and many of my neighbors, this has created a significant feeling of instability because we don't know what is going to happen next." Several witnesses asked the committee to require DCHA to explain inspection protocols for hidden hazards such as subfloor mold and to publish clear, frequent resident updates when redevelopment or relocation is proposed.
