African American unemployment at 6.8 percent may be at an all-time low, but Black homelessness nationally remains high at about 40 percent as of December 2017. Homelessness in Washington has been a pressing issue for years. In December 2016, a survey by the United States Conference of Mayors showed the capital had the highest rate of homelessness among 32 other big cities.

In an effort to aid the homeless, mayors and businessmen across the nation launched the Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment Coalition last week in Northeast D.C. The coalition is made up of 14 mayors from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania along with executives from Airbnb, GHC Housing Partners, and Sutter Health. The group is also affiliated with the National League of Cities.

Mayor Muriel Bowser is part of a coalition of U.S. mayors and business leaders who are combating homelessness. (Photo by Aya Elamroussi)

Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and other mayors announced the launch of the investment project at the John and Jill Ker Conway Residence on Jan. 25. “What we’re fighting for is the security of all of our residents to have what we have. And that’s the ability that each and every night and each and every morning to think about going home. That is what we’re experiencing here at the Conway Residences,” Bowser said.

The Residence offers new, permanent housing for 60 formerly-homeless veterans and 64 low- and-moderate-income DC residents at 1005 North Capital Street NE.

The 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress shows that between 2016 and 2017, veteran homelessness decreased in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The report also shows that 57 percent of homeless veterans are White.

“We have a commitment to end veteran’s homelessness in our city,” Bowser told the AFRO. “We want to take advantage of all the federal programs available to help end veterans’ homelessness. This is a project that is a model for the nation.”

The coalition launch follows Bowser’s Jan. 21 announcement to close D.C. General, a hospital-turned-shelter that houses about 250 families experiencing homelessness, according to a statement.

The bipartisan public-private partnership between the mayors and CEOs comes at a time when funding for affordable housing is experiencing cuts. The Trump administration’s 2018 budget proposed a 13.2 percent decrease in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). “We have a lot of work to do with the administration. For a number of years, the federal government has been walking away from public housing, and we have seen local governments step in that place,” Bowser said.

According to a report by HUD, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased overall by five percent among people who identified as African American and declined by two percent among people who identified as White.  Overall, homelessness in Washington, D.C. decreased over 10 percent between 2016 and 2017.