Compounding Interests, Compounding Inequities

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MANNA Inc.

Washington, DC

Since 1982, Manna has developed over 1,500 units of housing, served over 2,000 families in the District of Columbia, and has invested over $300 million in District neighborhoods. Manna currently owns approximately 600 affordable rental units in various stages of development.

Rental: The Hanover – Tivoli project includes 125 affordable rental units that are under construction and scheduled for completing in December 2021.

Between 2018 and 2019, Manna acquired an additional 328 affordable rental units (two portfolio projects) to be renovated and preserved as affordable housing through the District’s TOPA process. Additionally, Manna is currently in the predevelopment stage of a mixed-use 80-unit new construction rental project. All of Manna’s rental projects are financed with LIHTCs and serve households that span an income from 0% - 60% AMI.

Homeownership: Manna’s addresses racial equity through its comprehensive, one stop shop, Home Ownership Center (HOC), a HUD-approved Local Housing Counseling Agency providing Home-Buyer Education Workshops, pre-purchasing counseling, and foreclosure prevention programs to low and moderate-income first-time buyers and existing homeowners. On average, over 300 households apply to participate in HOC’s programs on an annual basis. The current HOC program also connects residents with essential services like healthcare, education, workforce development in addition to its homebuyer preparation. Manna is also an approved HPAP intake center in DC. HOC has expanded its services to serve residents of Prince Georges county.

Between 2018 and 2021 Manna developed Polman Townhomes, a 6-unit affordable for sale development serving households ranging between 50% AMI – 80% AMI.

In 2020, Manna completed construction on Ornamenta Gardens, a 12-unit new construction for-sale townhome development serving the following incomes: two units are sold to buyers at 50% AMI, eight units are sold to buyers at 80% AMI, and the remaining two units are sold to market rate buyers.


HELP Walter Reed Apartments

Washington, DC

In late 2019 HELP Development Corp, the development arm of HELP USA (“HELP”) completed the renovation and adaptive reuse of the southern portion of Abrams Hall on the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus on Georgia Avenue in Northwest Washington DC. HELP Walter Reed Apartments (“project”) is 77 studio apartments for formerly homeless veterans. Residents are eligible for social services, case management and have access to health care on the ground floor.

The project utilized more than a dozen financing sources to complete construction and worked with the DC Housing Authority for 75 project based LSRP vouchers. HELP made a conscious decision to not seek HUD-VASH vouchers for this project for several reasons. First, HUD-VASH requires that a veteran not have been dishonorably removed from the military. Our experience building veterans housing in numerous states has shown that chronic and long-term homeless veterans have issues that resulted in their removal from the military – substance abuse, mental health issues, homosexuality, etc. The other motive was to have flexibility in housing those that were in the reserves, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, etc.

It took numerous partners to create this project – the District of Columbia: DHCD, DC HFA, DCHA, DC Interagency Office on Homelessness, DC DHS, Mayor, Councilmember(s). National Equity Fund, JBJ Soul Foundation, Weinberg Foundation, The Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, Citi Community Foundation, Northrup Grumman, the Mens Wearhouse, a Wider Circle, HELP USA Board, Jaydot, Community Connections and the Walter Reed Master Developer team.

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