“There’s really no such thing as the ‘voiceless.’
There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.” 

Arundhati Roy, Author, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

THE REGION’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING CHALLENGE

DC: Despite minimum wage being $16.10 it would take over 81 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom rental at fair market rent.

Maryland: An individual making minimum wage ($12.50) would have to work 90 hours per week to afford the same size home.

Virginia: An individual earning minimum wage ($7.25) would have to work 130 hours per week to afford the same size home.

This data coupled with the impacts of COVID-19 exposes the severity of the Washington Region’s housing affordability crisis. The added economic pressures stemming from the pandemic led to massive layoffs, furloughs and decreased work hours, putting millions of families at risk of eviction and ultimately homelessness. Further, we know that these co-occurring crises disproportionately impact communities of color, who were already more likely to receive substandard healthcare and lack access to basic services, living wage jobs and affordable housing.

As an activator of changemakers that collaborate in the preservation and development of communities where all can live and thrive, HAND envisions a region where everyone shares equitably in the knowledge, wealth and resources uniquely represented in and between Baltimore, Washington and Richmond. It is our responsibility – all of us across sectors and jurisdictions lines – to ensure that individuals and families at every income level can take advantage of all that the Capital Region has to offer.

WHAT IS MY RIGHT, MY FIGHT?

My Right, My Fight (MRMF) brings voices to the growing housing affordability challenge – from community development professionals working to create housing opportunities; and from community members who are on the verge of displacement. The goal is to take a step back from housing as we know it – from units and square feet to the humans behind each home. Narratives and imagery from MRMF will be featured on our storytelling platform and in a PSA campaign across the region. Can we count on you to tell your story?