Hindered by bureaucratic delays and a tight housing market, voucher recipients in the District have a hard time finding available units.

Ten months after District of Columbia voters approved a tax increase to fund housing and supportive services for the district’s most vulnerable residents, only a fraction of people who received housing vouchers have moved into housing, reports Julie Zauzmer Weil in the Washington Post. “While the city gave out an unprecedented 2,400 permanent vouchers, just 555 people have managed to use them to move into apartments, locked out by a tight housing market and D.C. Housing Authority delays.”
The city has taken steps to speed up the process, such as passing emergency legislation allowing tenants to use vouchers without having to provide identification documents, which many people lose while homeless. “And the city agreed to address another complaint from case managers: that while their clients could pay rent using their housing vouchers, many large apartment buildings charge ‘amenity fees’ that vouchers wouldn’t cover.” The District will now pay move-in or other fees that previously prevented people from securing a lease.
Other kinks that slow down the process remain. For example, the Housing Authority must inspect units before voucher holders can move in, prompting some prospective tenants to lose housing to other renters who can move in—and pay—right away. To speed up this step, “DCHA is looking at inspecting certain units even before a voucher holder identifies the apartment as a place they want to rent.”
FULL STORY: D.C. had a plan to end chronic homelessness. Why isn’t it working yet?

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie