The Commission approved Resolution 4B-20-0205, Establishing Housing Justice Committee at its February 24, 2020, meeting and reauthorized the Committee at its January 24, 2022 meeting. The Resolution establishing the Housing Justice Committee defines the Committee’s mandate to include (1) considering proposed developments within the Commission’s boundaries for purposes of determining how best to maximize affordable housing, including deeply affordable housing; (2) analyzing and providing feedback on proposed legislation and policy affecting affordable housing and homelessness with a goal of increasing and expanding deeply affordable housing; and (3) hosting and supporting educational events on topics related to affordable housing and homelessness.
The Housing Justice Committee normally meets virtually on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. You can confirm meeting dates, find meeting log-in information, and view Agendas here. And you can read more about the Committee’s work in Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B’s Annual Reports.
Commissioner Erin Palmer (4B02) serves as Chair of the Committee. The Committee Members include the following individuals:
- Maxine Davis: Maxine is a 4th generation native Washingtonian who works works as the Organizing Director for ACLU-DC. Previously, Maxine was a Political Consultant working with DC Working Families Party, Campaign Manager for Rev. Wendy Hamilton for Congress, and a Summer Fellowship Coordinator for Harriet’s Wildest Dreams. She is the Vice President of DC Young Democrats, serves as the Young Dems liaison for the Ward 4 Democrats, and serves on the Community Advisory Board Committee for Upper Georgia Avenue Main Street. She has lived in the Brightwood/Takoma neighborhood since 2002.
- Zoila Hinson: Zoila is a civil rights attorney whose work focuses on preventing and fighting housing discrimination. For the past seven years she has been involved in local volunteer organizing, particularly around issues related to housing justice, displacement, and policing. She has lived in the neighborhood for six years.
- Alison Horn: Alison is a public defense investigator and former Commissioner for Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6B. As a Commissioner, Alison worked to bring community voices to the table on housing development proposals and advocated for these developments to better meet housing affordability needs by convening public meetings and drafting formal comments to relevant government agencies. Alison is a 13-year resident of the District who recently moved to Ward 4.
- Julia Moran Morton: Julia is Chief Housing Development Officer with SOME (So Others Might Eat). She has worked in Housing Development in DC for decades and been involved with the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development and Housing Association for Non-profit Developers. Two of her most recent projects are at Walter Reed. She is also President of the All Souls Housing Corp Board. She has resided in the neighborhood for over 20 years.
- Brenda Parks: Brenda was first elected as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner on Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B in 2012 and served through 2022, including as Chair of the Commission in 2019 and 2020. As a long-time member of the Commission, Brenda offers important historical perspective and institutional knowledge regarding Commission business. She is a strong proponent of equity in the community and continues to work toward addressing the needs of DC residents.
- LeighAnn Smith Rosenberg: LeighAnn is a civil rights attorney. She spent five years practicing housing law in Maryland, representing seniors and individuals living below the poverty line on a range of issues, including landlord-tenant disputes, tenant association advocacy, mortgage foreclosures, and property tax liens. In this role, she gained familiarity with federal, state, and local housing agencies, and engaging those agencies on their planning and rulemaking processes.
Past Committee Members include:
- Latifa Lyles (2020-2022).
- Christopher Sousa (2020-2022).