Congratulations to DC's New Tenant Purchases

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701 K ST NE tenants with partners from Mi Casa, LEDC, and the DC Tenants Rights Center at acquisition signing

701 K Street NE

On January 4th, after much hard work and dedication, the members of 701 K Street NE tenant association officially acquired their building becoming one of the newest tenant purchases in DC. This milestone comes amidst rapid gentrification in the surrounding area and represents a major win in the struggle to prevent displacement and preserve affordable housing in the area.

The cooperative had the support and guidance of various organizations including the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) and the DC Tenants Rights Center. Mi Casa, Inc. began working with the tenants in December 2021, and has worked with them every step of the way from voting to pursue the Limited Equity Cooperative ownership model, to fundraising for earnest money deposit, to now acquiring their building.

11 Nicholson St NW

The tenant association at 11 Nicholson ST NW, an association composed solely of people of color, recently purchased their building, making significant progress towards their goal of securing affordable housing for themselves and improving the conditions of their building.

This achievement follows work with Housing Counseling Services (HCS) and LEDC to become a tenant association, and training with Mi Casa to understand their ownership options and the feasibility of purchasing their building. The tenant association is now looking forward to securing the funding for renovations and restoring the building's corner unit so it can be rented out to a business that can contribute to the building and neighborhood.

11 Nicholson ST tenants at acquisition signing with partners from Mi Casa and HCS

Mi Casa Makes Progress on Preserving

Affordable Small Rental Buildings

The end of 2022 marked a milestone in Mi Casa's rental preservation project as we met a critical deadline ensuring the tax credit equity that will support the renovation of 30 deeply affordable rental housing units for long-term residents in Brightwood Park and Anacostia. Once renovated, these buildings will have all new systems and finishes, increased energy savings, as well as discounted electric bills for its very low income residents through DC's Solar for All program.

Featured Right: Fernando Lemos, Founder of Mi Casa and Danielle Burs, Mi Casa's Board Secretary, pose in front of one of the newly renovated buildings.

Cooperative Leadership Academy

Join Our Next Training:

Creating a Communications Plan

We are inviting everyone to join the second Communications for Co-ops Training February 23rd from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM. This training will include:

Tested communication strategies shared by fellow cooperative members in a panel discussion
What boards and members can do to ensure effective and inclusive communication in a step-by-step communication plan workshop
How to navigate and use our newly launched Communications for Co-ops toolkit

Additional Trainings

Orienting New Members | March 28, 2023

This is part one of a co-op Recruitment and Retention training series focused on finding new members and engaging all members in working towards the co-op’s mission.

Fair Housing for Co-ops | April 25, 2023

This is the second training in the Recruitment and Retention series designed to help your cooperative stay in compliance with Fair Housing regulations.

Working with Your Management Company | May 23, 2023

This training is designed to help your cooperative build a better relationship with your property management company.

Visit the Cooperative Leadership Academy page on our website to learn more about upcoming trainings and additional resources available to members of co-ops and tenant associations.

Own a Home in DC's Fairlawn Neighborhood

Mi Casa, Inc. has partnered with the Douglass Community Land Trust (Douglass CLT) and current residents to purchase a building in the Fairlawn Neighborhood and convert the units into a form of resident ownership. There are currently three units occupied by artists; and a fourth one bedroom unit with den is now available. We’re looking to add to this diverse and creative community so visit our website to learn more about this unique opportunity to become a homeowner.

We encourage you to apply if you are:

In a 1-3 person households making between 30% – 60% of the Median Family Income
Seeking long-term affordable housing solutions
Interested in ownership and building equity
Dedicated to the cultural arts and resources East of the River

Learn More

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