In addition to providing affordable housing to the lowest income earners in the Washington, DC area, Resident Programs & Services are also a hallmark of the Jubilee Housing mission. Jubilee Housing also offers:

Pro-active rent counseling, drop-in case management, and preferential referral access to a broad network of social services. By being part of the Jubilee Ministries (a consortium of separately incorporated, and closely connected non-profit organizations all growing out of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC) Jubilee Housing is able to offer programs and services to empower people marginalized by poverty to reclaim their lives and have opportunities to live out their own dreams and hopes. Many people have their most basic needs addressed through this committed network of ministries, all of which work to create empowerment, not dependency.

Resident Organizing Initiatives:

Resident Organizing Initiatives form in response to concerns that residents raise about various issues facing community life at Jubilee Housing. In response to public safety issues that have risen at and around the Ritz building, residents requested a meeting with staff to address their concerns. The meeting evolved into regular monthly sessions with the residents of the building to discuss ways to promote a healthier living environment. The process has led to the emergence of a Safety Coalition among neighborhood agencies including the police department, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services and others. With the help of the Enterprise Foundation, meetings are facilitated so that resident leaders are identified and encouraged to take ownership in the process of improving conditions of the housing community. With the Ritz Resident Council being formed, resident council members attended Non-Profit Housing Developers Meeting(s) and also attended (and spoke) to Funding Sources on Jubilee’s behalf.

Jubilee Housing also has a “Go-Team.” The Go-Team primarily consists of residents from all Jubilee Buildings who attend meetings such as the Reed-Cooke Neighborhood Association, local ANC meetings and other meetings to let their voices be heard. Recently, some residents even went to the City Council budget session to demonstrate for affordable housing!

Jubilee Initiative:

In addition to supportive long-term housing, the Jubilee Initiative is a new transitional living program that now offers residents a highly structured path to financial self-sufficiency in three years. Growing out of increased resident interest in home ownership, it employs a financial literacy curriculum to help residents establish a working budget, eliminate debt, and accumulate savings to prepare the way for market level housing options – including home ownership. Currently twenty-one families are participating in this innovative program.

To find out more about Jubilee Housing, please feel free to contact:

Jubilee Housing, Inc.
2482 Ontario Road, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Office (202) 299-1240
Fax (202) 299-1246

www.jubileehousing.org

Jim Knight
Executive Director
jknight@jubileehousing.org

Kathy Guillaume
Director of Development
kguillaume@jubileehousing.org

© Jubilee Support Alliance