About Us
We are LISC DC, the DC office of the nation’s largest community development organization. With 42 years in the nation’s capital, LISC DC works to make the District and the region a more inclusive, equitable, and prosperous place for all.
LISC Stories
'We Have Upended The Whole System': Mayor Bowser Calls For Rollback Of Eviction Policy
On Monday, September 30th, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Chairman Phil Mendelson provided a situational update on the affordable housing crisis the District is facing. Bowser stated that 20% of units on average have a rent delinquency among D.C.’s affordable housing properties and urged that this could lead to D.C. losing many of its covenanted affordable housing and mission-driven developers no longer investing in the city. An article from Bisnow discussed the briefing and quoted LISC DC Executive Director, Ramon Jacobson.
LISC DC's 2023 Annual Report is Here!
Our 2023 Annual Report is here! Last year, we invested over $32 million in neighborhoods and communities throughout the DC region and Prince George's County, Maryland. 2023 was full of highlights of inclusive housing, in particular the realization of long-planned projects come to fruition. Read the report to learn how LISC DC worked with organizations and community leaders to break ground on new affordable housing projects and commercial developments while supporting small businesses, celebrating tenants' attainment of homeownership, and amplifying the voices of the communities we serve.
Opinion: TOPA Needs Capital to Succeed
In D.C., TOPA helps level the playing field for tenants and community purchasers. The challenges they face are the consequences of policies that have enabled the rise of housing as an asset class for wealthy investors while simultaneously underinvesting in housing production and preservation over the past 50 years, particularly for low-income people and communities of color. Preservation programs and the networks of partners who implement them are an important part of the solution, especially at this moment of high interest rates, a generation of owners looking to exit, and a cohort of overleveraged multifamily buildings in need of refinancing. Seizing this moment requires investments in organizing, technical assistance, and yes, capital: fast, flexible, affordable, and tailored financing. Read the Shelterforce opinion article authored by Julia Duranti-Martinez and LISC DC Executive Director, Ramon Jacobson.