Holding Ground: DC Housing Advocates Push Forward Amid Growing Pressures
Waldon Adams Housing Justice Partner, People for Fairness Coalition (PFFC) at the Annual Memorial Vigil for Those who Died without Housing.
In March, The Partnership to End Homelessness (The Partnership) announced the seventh round of Waldon Adams Housing Justice Grants, awarding $350,000 to sustain the work of eight advocacy and grassroots organizations.
Waldon Adams Housing Justice grants support organizations working to expand affordable housing, strengthen tenant protections, and improve the policies and public investments that shape DC’s housing and homeless service systems. Named in honor of Waldon Adams, a longtime advocate for people experiencing chronic homelessness, the grants support community-based organizations and coalitions that partner with tenants and people with lived experience of homelessness to advance organizing, narrative change, policy advocacy, and leadership development.
Together, these efforts secure critical housing resources—such as permanent supportive housing, rental assistance, and deeply affordable housing— and fight for policies that move the District closer to a future where everyone has housing they can afford.
The following 2026 Waldon Adams Housing Justice grants were made possible thanks to generous partners and donors to the Partnership’s Grantmaking Fund.
· DC Jobs with Justice
· DC Fiscal Policy Institute
· Empower DC
· Fair Budget Coalition
· Miriam's Kitchen
· ONE DC: Organizing Neighborhood Equity
· People for Fairness Coalition
· The Washington Legal Clinic for The Homeless Inc.
Meeting the Moment: Waldon Adams Housing Justice Impact Highlights
Here are some highlights from the Waldon Adams Housing Justice grants awarded in 2025.
Building community power in the budget process. Through the Fair Budget Coalition, advocates organized nearly 200 residents from across all eight wards to participate in the People’s Budget Forum, where community members helped set priorities for the city’s FY27 budget. Advocacy efforts also helped secure $100 million in increased funding and accountability for the Housing Production Trust Fund and $20 million to preserve affordable housing, protecting critical resources for low-income residents.
Rapid response to protect unhoused residents. When federal enforcement actions increased against people experiencing homelessness—including encampment clearings and heightened law enforcement presence—our partners mobilized quickly to provide legal education, direct support, and advocacy. Organizations expanded outreach, distributed emergency supplies, and the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless launched a Legal Monitor Program to document law enforcement interactions with unhoused residents and protect civil rights. Advocacy efforts also helped persuade local officials to expand shelter and storage capacity and avoid policies that would further criminalize homelessness.
Protecting housing resources and strengthening policy solutions. Our partners worked together to defend key housing investments during the city’s budget process. While the final FY26 budget fell short of the scale of need, coordinated advocacy helped secure several important improvements, including protecting $20 million in the Housing Preservation Trust Fund, expanding funding for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and securing commitments for hundreds of housing vouchers. Advocates also helped advance policy changes to strengthen tenant protections and improve housing programs, while pushing housing agencies to streamline the voucher lease-up process. As a result, 1,322 households were housed in FY2025—the highest number on record—and the average time individuals spent experiencing homelessness declined.
Growing tenant leadership and organizing. Organizers focused on developing tenant leadership and supporting residents to advocate directly with city officials about the conditions in their buildings and communities. These efforts are helping residents build long-term organizing power and play a stronger role in shaping housing policy. Grassroots organizing efforts expanded through ONE DC’s Homes for All Campaign, which now supports nine tenant associations across the District. Empower DC’s Public Housing Power Campaign helped advance the voice of public housing residents; renters testified at the DC Council, secured investments to make critical building repairs, and pushed for reforms resulting in new legislation that will improve inspections and building code enforcement processes.
Lara Pukatch, Chief Advocacy Officer with The Way Home Campaign
Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities in 2026
Within the broader DC landscape, the work of our Waldon Adams Housing Justice Partners is more important than ever.
Speaking with the Partnership’s Leadership Council in March, Lara Pukatch, Chief Advocacy Officer of Partnership grantee Miriam’s Kitchen/The Way Home Campaign, outlined the highly uncertain fiscal and political environment facing the District.
Pukatch shared that our city is navigating a convergence of pressures—from federal interference and threats to local self-governance to budget constraints and rising living costs—that place new strain on housing programs and safety net services. She also raised alarms about the potential erosion of key homelessness programs. At the same time investment is decreasing, national narratives questioning evidence-based housing solutions and increasing law enforcement actions against unhoused residents pose additional challenges.
Despite the challenges ahead, the ongoing work of the Waldon Adams partners demonstrates that sustained investment in advocacy, organizing, and community leadership helps ensure that our community can respond rapidly and effectively to advance housing justice in the District.
A Call to Action: Join the Fight
In today’s uncertain political and economic environment, and with new threats to DC’s autonomy emerging, support for the critical work of our nonprofit advocacy partners is needed now more than ever.
Here are some ways you can get involved:
Let your voice be heard! Contact your local representative and join our nonprofit partners in advocating for critical funding for Emergency Rent Assistance (ERAP), Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), and other critical investments in affordable housing, and sign up to receive action alerts from our partners at The Way Home Campaign and Fair Budget Coalition.
Donate to the Partnership to End Homelessness Grantmaking Fund!The Waldon Adams Housing Justice Fund and other Partnership initiatives are made possible by generous support from The Community Foundation’s fundholders and donors. Together, we can work together to ensure everyone has housing they can afford.