Will Merrifield

Working to build productive, sustainable and publicly controlled systems of housing, healthcare and education.

[The Center for Social Housing & Public Investment @1socialhousing]

"What would Washington, D.C., look like if elected officials invested in working-class children and their communities with the same determination that they use to chase speculative real estate capital?"
https://t.co/BftUNXcXWU

[The Center for Social Housing & Public Investment @1socialhousing]

"Are we a colony—where land and resources are organized to generate wealth for outside investors and a privileged few?

Or are we a community—where we recognize that our futures are connected and organize our collective resources for the collective good?" https://t.co/d6ep3IkJjE

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

The Question that people living in Washington DC must ask is this: Are we a Colony or Are we a Community?

https://t.co/bCrwiOCj3u

[The Center for Social Housing & Public Investment @1socialhousing]

@1socialhousing 's Director, @willm4dc, got a chance to sit down and discuss the future of social housing in Washington DC with the District Dig.
https://t.co/NI2fbj0wL8

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

Honored to be part of the District Dig's "21'st Century Project" which is a thoughtful and timely deep dive into local DC Politics.
https://t.co/rH3zABd6Fc

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

There is a profound irony in arguing that the financialized housing system is doing a great job of solving the housing crisis—if, of course, you ignore the global financial crisis caused by… wait for it— the financialized housing system.

[Demolish Southeast Boulevard @DemolishSEblvd]

Claims like this look compelling until you look at the dates they are providing (depths of the Great Recession until a housing peak), their lack of sources, etc.

Instead, here's a rent growth chart from @UrbanTurf_DC which is NOT inflation adjusted (meaning rents are even lower)

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

Being a YIMBY means ignoring the reality that a substantial portion of the global economy depends on deeply inflated housing costs continuing in perpetuity—and instead blaming their local civic association for the global housing crisis.

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

@thechorp But don't take my word for it, places like Bloomberg News also think it is a pretty good idea
https://t.co/r2UWpGlSil

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

@thechorp It is not traditional public housing. It is publicly-owned, mixed income housing that pays for itself and is able to scale. This is how the financing structure works.
https://t.co/65VKHCbUby

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

@DemolishSEblvd @UrbanTurf_DC Here is one example of how it could be done
https://t.co/65VKHCbUby

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

@DemolishSEblvd @UrbanTurf_DC Further, I am literally fighting for a development model that would create massive amounts of publicly owned, mixed-income housing that is self-sustaining and scaleable.

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

@DemolishSEblvd @UrbanTurf_DC if people agree with the above analysis, they should follow @1socialhousing for updates on how we are working to make social housing a reality in DC. There are going to be some exciting developments happening soon.

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

My argument is that for multiple decades Washington DC has subsidized the private real estate industry and sought to attract speculative investment to build housing. The result was the demolition of vast amounts of affordable housing that were replaced by more expensive housing. This has resulted in housing costs that are about 140% higher than the national average. I do not believe that reliance on that private industry, which produced these results- and which operates on a boom/bust model- will provide housing that working class Washingtonians can afford in the long term. In fact, the entire industry is premised on housing cost continuing to rise in the long term. DC has been overbuilt with class A luxury- this means that capital will now go elsewhere to build. And despite the Class A overbuild, rents will not trickle down to make DC suddenly affordable for working families.

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

@DemolishSEblvd @UrbanTurf_DC https://t.co/nCKivLiuYD

[Will Merrifield @willm4dc]

This is not success.
"An in depth investigation by WAMU found that between 2003 and 2013 the District gave away a staggering $1.7 billion in subsidies to private developers. In return for these massive giveaways, both politicians and developers promised affordable housing and jobs for District residents- promises which, in many instances, never came to fruition. The policy decision to transfer billions of dollars of public money and resources to private developers- in the midst of an affordable housing crisis- has essentially had the effect of pouring gasoline on the already burning hot housing market. According to a study conducted by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI), over the same timeframe that DC enriched developers with the $1.7 billion, the number of low-cost rental units in Washington DC fell from about 58,000 in 2002 to around 33,000 by 2013, a loss of about half of its deeply affordable housing stock. Conversely, during the same time period, the District saw its high-cost housing stock nearly triple in size, growing from 28,000 units to 73,000 units. As the DCFPI study points out, these numbers suggest the low-cost units were eliminated and then replaced with high-end units. The result? Surging housing costs and the ensuing housing instability for tens of thousands of District residents. The magnitude of this affordable housing loss cannot be overstated. According to the District, between 2015 and September of 2022, a total of 9,063 units of affordable housing were produced."