Our 28-unit rent-controlled building in Columbia Heights is being sold to a developer. We fear that if the sale goes through rents will be raised and the current tenants, some who have called the building home for over 30 years, will be forced to move. Many of the units are occupied by families who rely on the building being rent-controlled in order to live here.

The building has formed a Tenants Association and retained a lawyer to help us exercise our Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Assistance (TOPA) rights in order to hopefully find a different buyer for the building who will agree to not raise rent prices. Our deadline to successfully use these rights is October 20th, unless we are able to raise money to extend the timeline.

Extending the deadline requires us to secure a 'TOPA Earnest Money Deposit Loan' from the National Housing Trust. This loan will extend our deadline by 120 days to February 17, 2024, and will give us enough time to find a buyer for the building that we want to work with. The money from this GoFundMe will pay NHT the fee they require for providing the loan.

If we do not raise this money the building will be sold and Columbia Heights will lose this affordable housing option.

Along with the GoFundMe, we will be holding a coffee and bake sale on Saturday, October 7th in front of the building - please come by to join us and talk! The building is at 1346 Park Road NW.