EspañolConstructing Community
Stories from affordable housing champions in the Mi Casa community
Two Families Realize Dream of
Homeownership in Historic Anacostia
Cindy’s family has lived in DC for generations. Most of her childhood memories were within the District. Prior to finding Mi Casa, Cindy was searching for a place for her family that was wheelchair accessible for her son. This was an impossible task in apartment buildings across DC that may have been ill-kept or built prior to ADA. Cindy thought she was going to have to live with this uncertainty and consistent transition. But then she found Mi Casa. Now Cindy lives in a deeply affordable house that is fully-accessible and solar-powered.
Press Release: Mi Casa Announces Leadership Transition – A Message from Mi Casa Board Chair Christina Sturdivant Sani
February 28, 2024 — Washington, D.C. After founding Mi Casa, Inc. and serving as Executive Director for more than 30 years, Fernando Lemos will retire from the organization on April 1, 2024. As we [...]
Black Leaders in Affordable Housing & How to Carry Forward Their Work
As an affordable housing provider, we recognize the profound impact of affordable housing policy on the lives of Black Americans throughout this country's history and the vital role that housing equity plays in [...]
Webinar: Advocating for Affordable Housing – How to Prepare to Testify in Before City Council
Understand DC's affordable housing policies and get tips on how to testify before City Council and ask the DC government to increase their support for affordable housing programs to support your tenant association or limited equity co-op.
Advocating for Affordable Housing: Tips to Help You Testify or Write a Letter to City Council
Tips for effective council testimony or letter writing campaigns when advocating for your community.
Press Release: New Comprehensive TOPA Study Published
January 24, 2024 — Washington, D.C. DC’s TOPA law enabled tenants to negotiate better housing conditions and create more than 19,000 units of affordable housing according to new study The Coalition for Nonprofit Housing [...]
Resident Leader Spotlight: Ted Bitew
Tedros Bitew, Resident Leader at Genesis Intergenerational Community, works with Mi Casa in our intergenerational community that brings together older adults and young moms from foster care.
Resident Leader Spotlight: Miss Twanna Spurgeon
Tenants at 5400 5th St reclaim their power by exercising their TOPA rights during the sale of their building. Their organizing work paid off as they were able to work with Mi Casa to improve the quality of their housing and keep it affordable.Te
Webinar: Supervising Your Management Company
Property Management is a key component of sustaining healthy limited equity co-ops. In this Co-op Academy session, we provide tools for co-op members to manage their property management company and ensure the long-term health of their property.
Panel on TOPA as a Tool for Racial Equity, Anti-Displacement, and Strong Communities
Our Executive Director, Fernando Lemos, and ChelseaDee Harrison, board secretary of the 11 Nicholson St Co-op, spoke on a panel alongside the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) and the National Housing Trust about TOPA [...]
Congratulations to DC’s New Tenant Purchases 701 K St and 11 Nicholson St
701 K St NE and 11 Nicholson St NW tenant associations are DC's newest associations to acquire their buildings, preserving affordable housing amid gentrification, with help from Mi Casa and LEDC.
Reflections of a VISTA Volunteer: A Year at Mi Casa
After deciding I wanted to do a year with AmeriCorps, I found Mi Casa when browsing through positions on their website. I was drawn to Mi Casa because it was one of the few [...]
The Genesis Fellowship
Genesis is based on a national model of intergenerational communities in which older adults provide meaningful care and social support to individuals and families facing particular vulnerabilities, who in turn, promote the well-being of [...]
Spotlight for Women’s History Month
Photo Credit: Darrow Montgomery Women are a core beneficiary of Mi Casa’s work: Many resident leaders and board members of the co-ops we work with are women. On a daily basis, we work hand in [...]
Affordable Housing History Timeline
Click the Full Screen button to view the timeline in high quality!
Co-op Spotlight: The Kara House Cooperative
With Support from Mi Casa Inc, Kara House Cooperative in Columbia Heights Neighborhood Still Strong 5 Years After Renovation The tenants of 1498 Spring Place NW received an offer of sale from the owner [...]
Cooperative Spotlight: The Cooperative at 1477
As the desire to live in DC neighborhoods increases, many apartments are rapidly converting to luxury condominiums and are not affordable for low- to mid-income families. Limited equity cooperatives (LECs) are an effective strategy to [...]
Genesis’ 5th Anniversary: Reflecting on Recent Adaptations and Growth
This October marks the 5th year since Mi Casa launched the Genesis Intergenerational Program. As we come to the end of our 5th year, we would like to reflect on all of the recent adaptations [...]
Connections through Art at Genesis
Art by Mr. Donald Tillery, Resident at Genesis One of the things that makes the Genesis Intergenerational program so meaningful is that it provides an opportunity for connection that can at times be difficult to [...]
Behind the Scenes with Project Manager: Daniela Revollo
This month’s staff spotlight, Daniela Revollo, brings a passion for community and diverse social development experience to her position as one of the dedicated project managers in Mi Casa’s housing development team. Originally from Caracas, [...]
4 Benefits of Limited Equity Cooperatives
In celebration of National Cooperative month this October, let’s review some of the benefits of becoming a part of a Limited Equity Cooperative (LEC). An LEC is a model for homeownership in which residents collectively [...]
Co-op Spotlight: 5610 Colorado
In a city where nearly 60% of residents rent and half of renters pay more than 50% of their income in rent and utilities, the 5610 Colorado Co-op is proving how effective limited equity [...]
Hispanic Heritage Month
This month at Mi Casa we are proud to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated September 15th through October 15th, is a time to cherish the myriad of cultures and contributions within Latin [...]
Behind-the-Scenes with Project Manager: Zelealem Tadesse
More than 135,000 people of color in the U.S. were displaced because of gentrification between 2000 and 2013 according to a study released by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (Prince, 2019). In DC alone, 40% [...]
Girard House Co-op Moves Forward to Phase 1 Construction
The Girard House Co-op located in Columbia Heights is a shining example of how much progress can be achieved in improving and preserving affordable housing in a high rent area when people work together for [...]
Reshaping History and Building the Future in Historic Anacostia
What comes to mind when you think of Anacostia? Many people hear the name Anacostia and think of a region east of the river, an under-resourced community that has been increasingly experiencing the speculation and [...]
Buddy Systems and Farm-to-Table Gardening: Our Approach to Meet the Changing Needs of Genesis Residents
Mi Casa Inc, along with our partners, launched Genesis, an intergenerational community that unites older adults and young families in 2015 with the goal of overcoming generations of economic hardship and isolation. At Genesis, young [...]
Press Release: Groundbreaking in Historic Anacostia
Mi Casa Kicks off Construction of Affordable Homeownership Project Two Single-Family Homes Will Contribute to Very Affordable Homeownership East of the River (Washington, DC) – A groundbreaking ceremony on November 14, 2019, launched the construction [...]
