When the dozens of families who live at 741 Longfellow St. NW received notices in late March that their rents would increase by 8.9% after May 1, they were shocked, then increasingly concerned.
At the rent stabilized building, which 27-year-old resident Cristian Santos says is home to many Spanish-speaking families who rely on service jobs to make ends meet, tenants have struggled to bounce back from the widespread layoffs and reductions in hours that plagued their industries during the pandemic. Many don’t work full 40-hour weeks, while others haven’t been able to find new work at all.
And now they’re staring down housing insecurity. At least five households believe they might have to move to avoid paying the increased rate, which adds up to about $150 per month at the building’s more expensive units.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Morgan Baskin over at DCIST