Under Mayor  Muriel Bowser, the Department of Housing and Community Development has made  record investments in affordable housing. Already this year, DHCD has  allocated half of the money in the District's Housing Production Trust Fund—or roughly $50 million—toward affordable projects.

But during a marathon oversight hearing held by the D.C. Council's housing committee Friday, the agency would not address its refusal to date to transfer four vacant, blighted homes in Anacostia to the nonprofit L'Enfant Trust, as it is required to do by an  emergency law the Council passed in 2016. Per the legislation, the L'Enfant Trust would renovate the historic homes into "workforce housing" at no cost to taxpayers. The  permanent version of the bill is to become law this month after congressional review. At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds, who ran the hearing, cointroduced both versions of the bill.