Jewish tradition teaches that housing is a human right and providing housing is an obligatory form of tzedakah (charity). Our Housing Security Working Group, with partners in the Fair Budget Coalition, Green New Deal for DC, and the Way Home Campaign work toward a DC where housing is equitable, accessible, and dignified.

The District’s history of intentionally discriminatory housing policies, redlining, racial covenants, and gentrification have segregated communities and made living in DC unaffordable for too many families, especially in Black and brown communities. The pandemic has magnified these inequities, and now thousands of DC residents are on the brink of homelessness.

In 2021, JUFJ and our partners won a historic tax increase on high-income earners that will help provide housing to thousands of unhoused residents. In 2022, we are working to hold elected officials accountable by advocating for protections for renters, increased funding for housing people experiencing homelessness, and expanding affordable housing.