Fewer D.C. affordable housing options left as city rents rise

Louise Thomas, 65, has $212 left over from her $660 Social Security check after she pays her rent on her Northwest Washington apartment. And that's before she pays utilities.

"My daughter helps me out every now and then, but they have children," Thomas said. "I just make it by the grace of God."

Zenaida, 27, who asked that only her first name be used because she was embarrassed, lives in Northwest with her husband and 2-year-old son. They are among the 100,000 households that spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. She said that her rent has jumped more than $100 since 2006 but that her cashier's salary, about $1,200 a month, has not increased as much.

"Sometimes it's hard," she said in Spanish, speaking through an interpreter. "Sometimes I pay other bills late. But I make sure I pay the most important bill, which is the rent."

Zenaida said she has tried to find another apartment, one that doesn't have roaches, mice, and problems with heating and plumbing.

"I've looked, but you can't find anything more affordable than what I pay right now," she said.

Reginald Walker, president of the Copeland Manor Cooperative, a 61-unit apartment building in Southeast, said that at least four units are empty because they need renovation. Walker said that the cooperative was supposed to get money from the city to help with the rehabilitation of the property but that some of the money for the program was lost to budget constraints.

"Those units that are offline right now would be affordable and would be there for those folks who need them," Walker said. But he added that he has had trouble keeping some units filled because tenants can't afford the rents, which range from $450 to $950.

The median monthly rent for an apartment in the District rose from $630 to $930 from 2000 to 2007. The median household income rose from $49,300 to $54,300. The institute made adjustments for inflation in all of its findings in the report.

During the same period, rental housing prices rose faster in the District than in most other large cities in the country, including New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta, according to the analysis, titled "Nowhere to Go: As D.C. Housing Costs Rise, Residents Are Left With Fewer Affordable Housing Options."

The District's inflation-adjusted 23 percent rent increase was the fifth-largest among the nation's 50 biggest cities.

Lazere said the findings were surprising.

"When you see the numbers, it does sort of shock you. But in some ways it's not surprising, given the city's economic boom was so great," Lazere said. "The huge increase in employment and population was bound to have an impact on our housing market."