Like much of the nation, and perhaps more so than elsewhere, the District is facing a shortage of housing unlike any in decades.

Earlier this month I was honored to receive a Housing Justice Housing Award from Jubilee Housing, for which I am, of course, incredibly grateful. But I want to use that recognition to highlight and thank Jubilee Housing for its incredible work in the community, and to showcase how we can make a difference in the success of affordable housing production when we all work together.

Because I feel that really, I should be thanking Jubilee for inviting me in, showing me the beauty of its work, and what community and faith and commitment and caring look like. And letting me be a part of it.

How we treat our most vulnerable residents is a measure of how well the District is doing. Far too many of our neighbors struggle with excessive housing costs and displacement. Unless we preserve and build new affordable housing, the District’s growth comes at the expense of pushing out low-income families and people of color, particularly the communities that have made Ward 1 so vibrant and resilient.

As chair of the Council’s Human Services Committee for six years, I spearheaded legislation and pushed for funding to ensure a path to safe and affordable housing for every District resident, including through my amendment to the Homes and Hearts Act in 2021, helped house more than 2,400 households in the District.

There is so much we have done together – Jubilee and I – in the 11 years I have been on the Council.

I remember that first bill we did together to preserve 64 units of affordable housing at the Maycroft project. I was soooooo green. It must have been my first or second month on the job and Jim Knight and Marty Mellett came in and said “we need you to introduce emergency legislation to save the Maycroft because there’s a TOPA villain (my words) who is trying to kill this project!” And we did it.

There was the time we had to teach everyone about New Market Tax Credits in order to make them work for the early childhood center, so we could keep Martha’s Table in Ward 1.

We’ve dealt with angry neighbors, delayed permits, archaic regulations and code.

And thanks to Jubilee Housing, I am the first Councilmember to have an aquaponics farm in her Ward.

I am so proud of what Ward 1 has accomplished in terms of housing. In fact, no area of the city this side of the Anacostia has been seen more growth in housing than the planning area that includes most of Ward 1. And our work together is a huge part of that.

My time on the Council is coming to an end. Someone else is going to have to pick up my work, just as the people at Jubilee change over time, even as the mission remains the same.

There is a saying in the Jewish tradition: “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither may you desist from it.” It’s a teaching that I have pondered constantly since I was first elected Councilmember, and each time I considered whether it was time for me to pass the baton to the next leader. The truth is that in politics, you can very easily convince yourself that you are the only one capable of getting the work done, that if you step aside, the work will stop and all will be lost.

But that’s not the way I think about it. First and foremost, all good leaders are surrounded by people even smarter and more dedicated than they are. And I KNOW I have stood on the shoulders of so many who have come before me.

At the same time, the Girl Scout in me knows that I will be leaving this place better than I found it, because that has always been my promise and my focus.

I am not going to finish the work. Nor will the current leadership of Jubilee Housing, who will be around longer than I am Councilmember. But we have an obligation to do what we can when we can, while we can.

I know that Jubilee will help the next Councilmember – demand of them – that they also commit to the work, even if they will never fully finish it.

Largely because of Jubilee Housing, and my trial by fire from the start, I am 100 percent clear on what is possible for our great city if we all continue to come together. And while I will not be Jubilee’s go-to Councilmember anymore after this year, I’ll still be a partner and friend to Jubilee, and the greater work of ensuring dignified housing for everyone in our Ward.