Dear Neighbor,

I want to speak directly to you about an issue that gets to the heart of fairness, stability, and opportunity in our city.

The River East at Grandview Homeownership Relief & Restoration Act (B26-0545) is about restoring what was taken from families who did everything right—and were still failed.

The Situation (Click here to watch video)

Between 2017 and 2019, 46 families in Ward 8—many of them first-time homebuyers—purchased homes at River East at Grandview. Within a short time, those homes began to fail. Cracks spread. Water intruded. Foundations became unstable.

By 2021, these families were forced to evacuate.
They lost their homes.
They lost their equity.
They lost years of opportunity to build wealth.

Where We Are Today

The District stepped in with short-term rental support, and that mattered. It provided immediate stability. But the reality today is clear: many of those families have not been able to return to homeownership. Interest rates have doubled. Housing prices have climbed. More than half of the former homeowners are still locked out of the market. Others who managed to repurchase are carrying significantly higher costs.

That is not recovery. That is displacement with a delay.

What This Legislation Does

This bill takes a direct, practical approach using tools we already have:
It allows eligible residents to receive Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) support as a grant, not a loan. It converts existing HPAP loans into grants for families who already repurchased.
It aligns affordability timelines for Inclusionary Zoning units with the terms residents originally had
This is targeted relief designed to meet people where they are—right now.

Fiscal Responsibility

This legislation is fiscally neutral.
It uses existing resources within HPAP. It does not create a new program. It does not require new funding streams. It is a smart, responsible way to deliver relief without expanding the budget.

Why This Matters

Homeownership is one of the most powerful pathways to generational wealth.
These families followed the process. They invested in their future. They trusted systems that were meant to support them.
That pathway was disrupted through no fault of their own.
This legislation restores that pathway.

Community Leadership

The residents of River East at Grandview did not disappear after displacement. They organized. They testified. They pushed for accountability.
Their advocacy has been consistent, focused, and effective—and it has been supported by organizations like the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, Empower DC, and the Washington Interfaith Network.
This bill reflects that work.

Stay Engaged

This is what responsive government looks like listening, responding, and acting with intention.
I will continue to show up, push forward solutions, and advocate for policies that protect and expand opportunity in our city.
I encourage you to stay engaged. Follow this legislation. Share your voice. Be part of the process.
We move forward together.

In service,

Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr,