StreetSense Media: What’s the future for Rapid Rehousing in D.C.?
StreetSense reporter Alex Lalli examines the future of DC’s Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) program as families continue to face housing instability and policy partners push for reform. Many families exit the program without the income needed to maintain stable housing and the article highlights the need for long-term solutions.
Despite RRH’s aim to get families to a stable income level, the program was not initially designed for families with little to no income. A product of the 2008 stock market crash, RRH “was really designed for people who had a stable job, well-paying job, and were able to afford rent until there was the market crash,” explained Makenna Osborn, a senior policy attorney at the Children’s Law Center, a legal service provider in the District working with children and families experiencing housing and economic instability.
According to Osborn, the way RRH operates has made it difficult for families — who often have high levels of economic instability — to build up income levels enough to pay rent after the RRH subsidy ends. As a result, landlords have lost trust in the system and no longer see an incentive to maintain their apartments, leaving families in unsafe or unlivable conditions.