More and More Affordable Housing
Rashida knows that housing today is unaffordable - for buyers and renters - because there aren’t enough homes that meet people’s needs and budgets. The people whose families have lived here for decades, our teachers, child care workers and service workers, seniors, and others, simply can’t find homes they can afford.
She is committed to equitably distributing affordable housing throughout the District — and will not support policies that concentrate affordability in only a few neighborhoods while others avoid their responsibility. Equitable distribution of affordable housing strengthens our schools, stabilizes our workforce, reduces displacement, and ensures that opportunity is not confined to a handful of neighborhoods.
As Councilmember, Rashida won't just advocate for more housing—she’ll fight for the right mix of housing throughout Ward 1 and in the District of Columbia as a whole to preserve its rich diversity and ensure that residents thrive regardless of their income. Rashida will continue to promote zoning and other adjustments that make it easier to build more units, to bring down prices. She will advocate for a far stronger comprehensive plan than the draft Future Land Use Map recently released by the Office of Planning. Her work on the previous comp plan is bringing Bruce Monroe and Howard University developments to life!
She will support, protect, and invest in programs, from rental assistance and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, to assisting residents with down payments and first purchases. As a Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) recipient, Rashida knows firsthand how these critical programs matter and that they must continue to be funded by the D.C. Council.
She’ll also advance housing first policies with wraparound services to promote better pathways for our unhoused neighbors and remove systemic barriers that displace Black and brown residents from our community and make it harder for seniors to age in place.
WHAT RASHIDA’S DONE
Led the fight for Park Morton and Bruce Monroe. As someone who's lived in Park View for 15 years and led the fight for Park Morton and Bruce Monroe, with 456 units – 60 percent of them affordable. There were many efforts to undermine and block it, but Rashida kept fighting and now we have the first of hundreds of new units – many of them deeply affordable.
Supported the Kenyon Street family co-op. Rashida’s work demonstrated that when tenants have knowledge of their rights and access to resources, they can successfully exercise the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) and preserve affordable housing—but too many tenants never get that support because agencies aren't prioritizing it.
Collaborated with fellow ANC Commissioners on the comprehensive plan re-write to promote bonus density for more housing and revitalization along Lower Georgia Ave.
WHAT RASHIDA WILL DO
As an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 10 years, Rashida witnessed how Black and brown neighbors are being systematically displaced by rising costs and weakened protections, and seen how much harder it is for seniors to age in place. But the need for more affordable housing impacts everyone, at all income levels, ages, and ethnicities.
As Councilmember, Rashida will:
Reclaim and expand rent control. Rashida will close the voluntary agreement loophole that lets landlords circumvent protections, eliminate the substantial rehabilitation exemption that's abused to remove units from rent control, and expand coverage to buildings built before 1985. Currently, 75,000 families depend on rent control—it's our largest source of affordable housing and a critical anti-displacement tool for BIPOC residents.
Fund The Way Home. The 120-plus unhoused residents who died while matched to housing vouchers represent an unconscionable implementation failure. Rashida will work to fully fund Permanent Supportive Housing and Local Rent Supplement vouchers, demand 30-day maximum processing times, and create a unified intake system between the Department of Human Services and the D.C. Housing Authority.SheI'll also restore non-congregate shelter funding, because dignified housing means privacy and autonomy, not warehousing people.
Protect the Housing Production Trust Fund. HPTF has been repeatedly raided for budget gaps. Rashida will fight to protect these funds exclusively for affordable housing production and preservation, with mandatory set-asides for deeply affordable units (0-30% AMI). Rashida also supports legislation introduced by Councilmember Nadeau in 2026 to replace and reform the HPTF with a more robust and modern financing mechanism for investing in new housing, subsidizing deeply affordable housing, preserving existing affordable housing, and helping tenants who want to buy their buildings.
Direct rental assistance. Rashida will restore ERAP to $20+ million annually and implement direct payment systems that prevent evictions before they happen.
Advocate for a stronger comprehensive plan. Ward 1 can accommodate more homes for more people—and so can other wards. The draft Future Land Use Map doesn’t give any part of the city the chance to do that meaningfully. We need to “legalize apartments District-wide” and do much more than this draft plan does to encourage diversity and attract more housing that makes it more affordable for ALL of us to rent, buy, and stay here.
Stop displacement through TOPA. Rashida opposes any weakening of tenant purchase rights. TOPA isn't blocking housing production—it's preventing displacement. As Ward 1 Councilmember, Rashida will fight every attempt to weaken tenant rights and work to expand protections that keep long-term residents in their homes. We need more housing AND stronger tenant protections—Rashda knows these aren't contradictory goals.
Her work with the Kenyon Street Co-op showed how TOPA preserves affordability when tenants have resources and support. But some developers and the current Mayor have sought to blame TOPA for a slowdown in new housing, even though the evidence shows otherwise.
There has been a fundamental failure to balance affordable housing production with preservation and anti-displacement protections. Programs like TOPA are powerful tools, but they require robust implementation, tenant education, and technical assistance that agencies have consistently under-resourced.
On TOPA, Rashida will fight to:
Reinstate TOPA for 2-4 unit buildings. These smaller properties are often the last naturally affordable housing in gentrifying neighborhoods like Ward 1. Removing TOPA rights leaves tenants in these buildings completely vulnerable to displacement. Many are long-term Black and brown residents who've built community over decades.
Reverse single-family home exemptions. While less common, rental single-family homes shouldn't be exempt. Every tenant deserves the opportunity to purchase their home and build wealth rather than face displacement.
Eliminate downtown exemptions. The Council's decision to exempt downtown properties was a giveaway to developers. As our city center evolves, protecting existing tenants becomes more critical, not less.
Strengthen, don't weaken. Beyond restoration, Rashida will fight to enhance TOPA by increasing funding for tenant organizers, legal assistance, and acquisition financing.