The following are our community's concerns and objections to the ACC re-entry plan submitted in writing for consideration and action by the HOPE VI Steering Committee.

Lack of resident representation and participation in developing the re-entry plan:
Check the attendance sheets for all of the re-entry sub-committee meetings. Only about 10 residents have attended out of about 707 resident households. Indeed at the last meeting for final approval of the plan there were 6 staff and only 3 residents. This is not representative.

One to One Replacement:
We understand from the new re-entry plan that "the income for the ACC units would be the same as for public housing." We understand that this means that the only people eligible to rent the 400 units would be low income residents; those whose rents will not exceed 30% of their income as per current DCHA/HUD policy. So the current residents whose medium income is $8,000 a year will all be the first ones eligible for the 400 units. Therefore the income tiers as proposed in the original HOPE VI plan for Arthur Capper Carrollsburg are eliminated null and void. We understand this to mean that the first to return to the new ACC will be current ACC residents. Then other low-income residents in Washington, D.C. Then the next eligible people on the public housing waiting list. Applicants having higher income (above the poverty line) would not qualify for these 400 units. This needs to be made explicit through a public statement of the DCHA and put into the plan's language.

Credit Checks:
We disagree with the concept of credit checks. Friends and Residents circulated a petition six months ago which stated, "We, the Undersigned, in the Hope 6 spirit/requirement of resident participation and input, say "NO" to credit checks!" This petition was signed by almost every household in the family units. We feel the only requirements to return should be the ones currently in use by DCHA client services division which is: We feel the only requirements to return should be the ones currently in use by DCHA client services division which is: Are there judgments against you from places you previously lived within DCHA housing? Although at the April Steering Committee, the developers (Mr. Nordheimer) indicated that credit checks would not be a barrier if a resident was working on improving credit (i.e. credit classes, repayment plans, etc.). But it takes financial resources to pay off debts, not just knowing the ins and outs of credit reports. How will residents already financially strapped be able to meet this additional hurdle to returning?


A question yet unanswered:
Will Edgewood Management be in charge of the 400 ACC public housing units or will it be the DCHA?