One would think being a resident of a city as a renter or homeowner is an easy thing to do. You pay your rent or your mortgage monthly and keep it moving. The other parts of life take up time and efforts like work, school, friends, family and caring for oneself. However, life isn’t always that simple–especially as a Washington, D.C. resident.
There are laws, policies, rules and stipulations people should know in the event an issue arises that may put your residency in jeopardy like rent increases, tax enforcement, city budget decreases and differences in opinion around zoning and new builds.
The Coalition, formerly known as the Coalition of Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development, a District nonprofit which just celebrated 25 years of advancing equitable community development solutions has figured out a way to equip residents with data, tools and advocacy tips so they are empowered to understand government budgets and policies, and become informed community leaders who are equipped to advocate for better living standards.
Three years ago, The Coalition created the Community Voices Academy, a space for low-to-moderate-income (LMI) Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) groups. The academy is a 10-month program residents apply to in order to learn the inner workings of the District’s budget and up-to-date policy choices surrounding affordable housing and community economic development.
“I signed up to be part of the Academy because I’m already an advocate, but I knew little about the District budget and how the budget was done,” said Rachelle Ellison, a Ward 4 resident and Community Voices Academy graduate. “After graduating, it made me a better advocate. Community Voices Academy definitely delivered.”
Ellison is now an advocate and speaker for homelessness and represents one of 45 academy alumni. She also returned to the academy as a guest speaker.
According to The Coalition, it started its resident engagement housing campaign in 2010 with members of the community who had lived experiences with the District’s Home Purchasers Assistance Program and housing vouchers. Based on members’ journey through the campaign and desire to further work alongside residents, leaders then created the Community Voices Academy, funded by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and the Williard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. Since 2020, the intensive program has been offering monthly workshops, walk-throughs on the District budget process, testimony training and in-person and virtual experience addressing D.C.’s City Council.
“We were surprised at how easy it is for residents to be and feel intimidated by what is a daunting process in D.C.,” said Lamar Richards The Coalition’s senior director of advocacy and community engagement. “We want to emphasize that residents have their own power and we’re here to help them in accomplishing their own goals. We see this as a partnership. We’ve seen not only measurable success in the way of our residents being more prepared when going through the testimony process and budget hearings, but also when council members have more recently been more inquisitive and asking follow-up questions and ask residents about potential solutions, our residents are prepared to answer those questions.”
Richards, who manages and leads the training for the academy, touted the strengths and benefits of the programming.
“Our model is unique in that we bring forth concerns and resident-centered solutions,” Richards continued. “We touch on what it looks like as a non-homeowner to advocate for homeownership. They already come with a burning passion to make a difference. We’ve really hit our sweet spot and are able to break down into digestible tidbits.”
In total, the last three cohorts have represented each ward in Washington, D.C., with the majority of residents living in Ward 8 each year. Ages of participants have ranged from 22 to 72 years old and academy graduates have included Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, a caregiver, health care professionals, a chef, undergraduate, trade school students and graduates, a cosmetologist, veterans, business owners, a fitness coach and a full-time parent.
Of the three academy cohorts, 47 percent of participants were employed full-time, which surprises Richards.
“The residents in D.C. are truly a resilient, diverse mixture of communities and we’re seeing that heavily in our program,” he said. “A big thing is that even though almost half of our cohorts are full-time, they are facing housing insecurity.”
This year, more than 200 applications were received; only 20 seats were available. The June 2025 cohort will grow to 45 members.
Those that are not chosen, however, are invited to engage with The Coalition’s resident engagement network, which is less structured and offers access to training on housing policy, including testimony and resume workshops.
While there is no requirement around housing status for applicants, the majority are renters, thus far. Members are expected to devote about two hours each month to the program including in-person meetings and complete a capstone project related to personal residential goals.
When it comes to educating members of the academy that are not yet homeowners, Richards says it can be challenging to excite renters to make the jump.
“Some say ‘I am having enough challenges paying rent,’ so it takes some dismantling to get residents in a place where they can see how advocating for home ownership for people of color or low-income communities is still worth the pursuit,” he said. “We’ve seen an interest in some of our residents in wanting to build generational wealth.
It has come up about being a homeowner and a lot of these residents are not afraid to become a landlord. There’s a push for residents in a better position to own more to help their community. Residents want their peers to own because they trust them to be a good local landlord.”
Ellison said the program has been extremely helpful overall.
“Not only do we learn about the budget, we learn about Housing Production Trust Fund vouchers, we go to conferences where there’s a lot of info, during budget season, we’re given time to review it with the D.C. Housing Authority director and D.C. Department of Human Services and are allowed to ask questions,” said Ellison. “I’ve been able to reach goals, and not only for myself.”
Applications for the fourth cohort will be posted on The Coalition’s website June 2025 at www.The Coalition.org
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