Althea DeGree couldn’t wait to speak at the ceremony announcing 93 new affordable housing units at the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home in the Friendship Heights neighborhood of Ward 3. The historic facility housed her ailing mother in the twilight of her life.
“My mom had to go to assisted living because she had triple-bypass surgery and she wanted to go to a place that was comfortable and where she felt safe,” DeGree, 55, said. “When we came here, she was just in awe. She decided this was the place she wanted to be, and I have been happy ever since.”
DeGree joined D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council member Matt Frumin (D-Ward 3), other community leaders and officials with the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home to break ground on the additions on Oct. 25. The new facility will consist of a four-story building with more than half of the units available to residents earning a yearly salary that is less than $31,950 for a one-person household, and up to $36,500 for a family of two.
Nineteen of the 93 units will be designated as permanent supportive housing, which combines housing, case management services, and amenities to help residents transition out of homelessness.
The project received over $26.6 million from the District government’s Housing Production Trust Fund, a first in Ward 3.
The facility is a product of green-oriented construction, encompassing an all-electric heat pump system that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and energy bills significantly.
Urban Atlantic will serve as the partnering developer with the facility’s management team.
The Amazon Housing Equity Fund and financiers such as Capital One Community Bank, Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust, and D.C. Green Bank were among those helping to finance the project.
Praise for Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home
Like DeGree, Bowser is no stranger to the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home.
“My mother had my grandmother placed here and my grandmother said she liked it very much,” said Bowser, 51.
Bowser said her administration’s funding of the new units of the facility is a part of its overall plan to increase housing in the city.
“We know that reaching our bold housing goals requires a citywide vision and a commitment to building affordable housing in all parts of Washington, D.C.,” the mayor said. “We’re proud that through this historic investment from the Housing Production Trust Fund, we will be creating 93 new units of senior affordable housing in Ward 3. We’re grateful to all the government and community partners who are making this project a reality and continuing the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home’s legacy of serving D.C. seniors.”
Frumin said the key to the success of the project was the support of the neighborhood.
“I have a long history with Lisner, and I could not be prouder of its leadership in moving forward the first-ever Housing Production Trust Fund project in Ward 3,” he said. “It is critical we add more housing—especially affordable housing—in Ward 3. This project shows that we can construct abundant, affordable housing in a way that meets important needs and is respectful of the neighbors. Achieving these goals takes hard work, but with today’s groundbreaking, Lisner, Urban Atlantic and Mayor Bowser and her team have shown again that it can be done in Ward 3.”
L. Ward Orem, CEO of the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home, said “the new affordable senior living apartments, along with the assisted living building renovation, will transform the lives of the seniors we serve for generations to come.”
DeGree said she thought so highly of the facility and its management that she decided to celebrate a transformative life event there.
“When I received my MBA from Howard University, I held my reception here at the Lisner,” she said. “My fellow students and professors were surprised at how well kept it was. This place will always be special to me.”
