Mission First Housing Development Corporation

This beautifully restored historic property is now leasing studio, 1, and 2 bedroom apartments in Washington DC just a short distance from retail shops, CVS Pharmacy, Giant Supermarket, Home Depot, TJ Maxx, Foot Locker, Bank of America and the Rhode Island Metro Station. Dahlgreen Court Apartments are close to the major corridors of Rhode Island Ave (US Route 1), North Capital Ave, South Dakota Ave, Michigan Ave & New York Ave (US Route 50).

Today, Hamel Builders, General Contractor for the House of Lebanon, held a job fair to hire people from the surrounding community to work on the rehabilitation of this historically significant building.

Thirteen subcontractors were on-site, and 22 people who live in the local neighborhood came out for interviews. The job seekers were registered with the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services and qualified as local hires for our job efforts.

Each subcontractor was asked to hire one person, in an effort to create 13 new jobs. Several job offers were made out of this process. The hiring is still in process as the subcontractors will not hire until we reach their part of construction. To date, two hires have been made.

Imagine coming home through a torrential downpour after a long day at work, only to find your living room buried under a pile of soggy plaster... falling from your ceiling! Or think what it would be like to hear rats running through the walls in your apartment at night. Every night... for years. You pay your rent every month on time, and you’ve requested repairs from the management company, but nothing changes. You’d move if you could, but in a city of rising rents, you don’t have a lot of options.

Dahlgreen Courts Apartments were originally
built in the 1920's to provide affordable
housing for federal government workers.

In partnership with the Dahlgreen Courts Tenants Association and with funding from the District of Columbia Office of Housing Finance Agency and Raymond James Tax Credit Funds, MFHDC has been able to preserve long term affordability and avoid displacement of residents in two historic buildings (96 units total) located at 2504 & 2520 10th Street NE in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington DC.

Currently, construction is complete on building 1, with building 2 expected to be complete later this fall. Here are some quick photos of the completed interiors:

Mission First Housing Development Corporation (MFHDC) is working to close on the funding for the rehabilitation of ninety-six units of affordable housing near the red line Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station. In July, MFHDC orchestrated the purchase of Dahlgreen Courts (two buildings, located at 2504 & 2520 10th Street NE) in partnership with the Dahlgreen Courts Tenants Association (DCTA) and the District of Columbia Office of Housing and Community Development. Through these efforts MFHDC is now able to preserve long term affordability and to avoid displacement of residents.

Dahlgreen Courts is an ideal location for affordable housing: it is two blocks from the red line Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station, and one block from the major thoroughfare of Rhode Island Avenue. The two buildings were built in the 1920’s to provide affordable housing for federal government workers. Although they have remained affordable, the buildings are in desperate need of rehabilitation.

MFHDC plans to use low income housing and historic tax credits to help finance the redevelopment of the two buildings. Renovation plans for the building include major upgrades of all systems, including individual HVAC units, new kitchen and bathrooms, energy efficient windows, expanding and adding an elevator, new roofs, and new utilities. This all will occur while preserving and stabilizing the historic elements of the building, including the lobbies, common area travertine floors, unit hardwood floors and molding, and the building façade.