The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers Launches “A Day in the Life of a Child” PSA Series to Address
Housing Affordability in the Washington, D.C. Region

New PSA Displayed on WMATA Buses and Subway Platforms in the Month of June

WASHINGTON, DC, June 8, 2015 – To coincide with its 24^th Annual Meeting and Housing Expo (June 23,2015), the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) has released the first in a series of an unprecedented public service advertisement (PSA) campaign directed towards highlighting the need for housing affordability. The “Day in the Life of a Child” series focuses on the disparity between wages and affordability in the Washington, D.C. area by highlighting the professionals in a child’s life whose average salary often does not sufficiently cover market-rate housing in addition to the other basic necessities of life.

According to the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, housing costs should not exceed more than a third of an individual’s salary. However, in the metropolitan area where rental housing is one of the most expensive in the country, many workers are spending disproportionate amounts of their salaries on rent and putting their families, our communities and the regional economy at risk.

“As an association dedicated to supporting organizations committed to affordable housing and community development, we are all well aware of what happens when families don’t have access to affordable housing,” said Heather Raspberry, executive director, HAND. “It is our hope that this PSA series will elevate the need for greater access to housing that is affordable and open the dialogue on how we can address this issue regionally.”

Sponsored by the Washington, D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development and using data from the National Housing Conference’s Paycheck-to-Paycheck 2014 database, this first PSA uses a nurse as its focal point and highlights how this professional cannot equitably afford a two-bedroom apartment in the region.

“There’s often a misconception about who needs affordable housing,” continues Raspberry. “Some would be surprised to know it’s your neighbor, your child’s teacher or the school bus driver. If people and families continue to pay for rents that far exceed what they can reasonably afford, then our economy will continue to suffer and our children will be embedded in generational poverty.”

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For over 20 years, HAND has served as the only regional membership association dedicated to supporting the community development industry in its efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Through education, engagement and training, HAND builds the capacity of its diverse membership comprised of nonprofit and for-profit housing developers, resident service providers, lenders, government agencies, policy analysts and others, to support the development of sustainable communities for people and families at all income levels. Visit www.HANDHousing.org to learn more about HAND’s efforts to build vibrant communities across the metropolitan region.

Contact:
TeAnne Coleman Chennault
TeAnne@ChennaultCreative.com
213.399.6467

* To celebrate this inaugural PSA, we’re also sponsoring a PSA photo contest. To enter, simply take a picture and send it to us for an opportunity to win the grand prize. It’s simple, just snap a photo of yourself next to the PSA or of the PSA by itself and either email it to hraspberry@handhousing.org or post it to one of our social media feeds with the #HAND_PSA.

Please include the bus route or the name of the Metro station!