Less than two months into the new year, 2018 is shaping up to be an exciting and expansive one for Jubilee.
We created a new development committee to strengthen Jubilee’s connections with current supporters and to build relationships with potential new Jubilee champions because achieving this year’s objectives requires that we increase both our visibility and our resources.
We kicked off a series of tours through the reconstruction of the Maycroft to familiarize newcomers to Jubilee with our work and our investment in justice housing at the Maycroft.
Jubilee will launch a new Justice Housing Partners Fund, which will enable us to more readily secure buildings prime for conversion to market-rate housing and, instead, add them to the city’s supply of justice housing—homes that are affordable to those who need them most, coupled with opportunities that we all need to succeed, and located in resource-rich neighborhoods. Slowing the massive gentrification of District neighborhoods is critical to building a vibrant, welcoming city where all D.C. residents can prosper.
Already we’re looking for the next properties where we can create justice housing for striving D.C. residents in our core neighborhoods of Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Mount Pleasant.
We’re establishing a vital, new alliance—among long-time partners: Capital Area Asset Builders, For the Love of Children, Jubilee JumpStart, and the Sitar Arts Center—that will bring additional support and hope to families in Jubilee properties.
We’re updating our strategic plan, which will include four overarching goals to guide our work during the next few years.
And resident board member Gilma Merino hosted the first of a series of luncheons for a small group of Jubilee residents, supporters, and staff to give individuals across the Jubilee community a chance to know each other better. The event was such a hit that another resident volunteered on the spot to host a similar luncheon.
All those efforts and more are aimed at expanding justice housing and creating a more equitable city. But we can’t do it without you. Your help is key to making the vision real.
There’s a place for you in our 2018 work. You can participate, give, volunteer. To learn more, email us at fundraising@jubileehousing.org.
Jim Knight
Executive Director