10/19/2017
Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Jubilee. Our name comes from the biblical Jubilee and heralds that special time when structural disadvantages are taken apart and a fresh start is extended to anyone who needs it. We’re excited to launch this newsletter in that spirit, to provide you with regular updates on our work, our community, and the opportunities for you to engage with both.
The Jubilee kickoff comes during a particularly inspiring time for Jubilee Housing, which you’ll see as you read further in this issue.
The Jubilee Support Alliance (JSA), which has for so many years been a separate organization working somewhat independently to bolster Jubilee’s efforts, recently voted to transition to a new phase in service of Jubilee’s mission. That new phase will include JSA representation on a re-tooled Jubilee Housing board and on new committees the board will establish in 2018.
Next month, Jubilee will host its inaugural Justice Housing Celebration, with all those present recognizing the service of so many JSA champions as well the need for more justice housing.
Meanwhile, we’re making steady progress on the Maycroft renovation and are able now to offer hard-hat tours for those interested in seeing our progress in person.
Many of you know the Maycroft has been a catalyst in focusing Jubilee’s vision on justice housing. As Jubilee Board Chair Myra Peabody Gossens often reminds us—quoting Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Ala., — “The opposite of poverty is not wealth. In too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice.”
That’s why Jubilee set its sights on justice housing, which is affordable to those who need it most, located in resource-rich neighborhoods and near opportunities that enable us all to thrive. Jubilee believes homes that offer these fundamentals promote justice and create equity among D.C. residents.
So, Jubilee already is pursuing the next few buildings it can preserve to help stave off the negative impacts of gentrification and benefit residents who otherwise would be cut off from the city’s growing prosperity. The need for action is immediate. With most properties now converted to luxury housing, many thriving neighborhoods have become unaffordable for long-term D.C. residents. Justice housing can combat this development of two distinct D.C.s, with different levels of prosperity.
Your involvement with Jubilee helps ensure greater prosperity for all D.C.’s citizens. We hope you will consider ways you can help us preserve the next justice housing opportunities. Let us hear from you!
Jim Knight
Executive Director