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| As the District gets more expensive, SOME works to make it affordable for families | As the District gets more expensive, SOME works to make it affordable for families |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The world’s religions have a lot to say about how the poor should be treated. Most of the time, we ignore it. It just seems easier that way. | The world’s religions have a lot to say about how the poor should be treated. Most of the time, we ignore it. It just seems easier that way. |
| But sometimes those messages get through. How we treat the least among us says a lot about … us. Are the poor blessed? Shall the meek inherit the earth? | But sometimes those messages get through. How we treat the least among us says a lot about … us. Are the poor blessed? Shall the meek inherit the earth? |
| Someday, Welton and Kacie Bonner may inherit the earth. Today, they’re just happy to have a two-bedroom apartment in Columbia Heights. They moved in a year ago thanks to So Others Might Eat, a partner in The Washington Post Helping Hand. | Someday, Welton and Kacie Bonner may inherit the earth. Today, they’re just happy to have a two-bedroom apartment in Columbia Heights. They moved in a year ago thanks to So Others Might Eat, a partner in The Washington Post Helping Hand. |
| The Bonners were among the first residents in Liz Donohue House, a recently refurbished 37-unit apartment building on Spring Place NW, near 16th Street. | |
| For veterans in need, So Others Might Eat offers a home and ample support | For veterans in need, So Others Might Eat offers a home and ample support |
| The Bonners have never had a lot money. Kacie, 27, grew up in Papua New Guinea as the daughter of missionaries. Welton, 28, grew up in Prince George’s County then went to Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania. Kacie was a student there, too. They married in 2015 and moved to Washington so Welton could preach. | |
| “I knew I wanted to pastor a church in some kind of inner-city environment,” he said. “That had been a desire in my heart for some time.” | “I knew I wanted to pastor a church in some kind of inner-city environment,” he said. “That had been a desire in my heart for some time.” |
| Their church — Greater Love Church — is in the Ward 7 neighborhood of Deanwood. The congregation is small — just 23 members — but tightly knit. | |
| At first, the Bonners lived near the church in a one-bedroom apartment with their then-2-year-old son, Elijah, who slept in a closet under the stairs. | At first, the Bonners lived near the church in a one-bedroom apartment with their then-2-year-old son, Elijah, who slept in a closet under the stairs. |
| “We called him Harry Potter,” said Kacie. | “We called him Harry Potter,” said Kacie. |
| Then they found out about So Others Might Eat. In 2005, SOME set itself a goal of providing 1,000 units of affordable housing in the District. The nonprofit is more than 80 percent of the way toward that mark. | Then they found out about So Others Might Eat. In 2005, SOME set itself a goal of providing 1,000 units of affordable housing in the District. The nonprofit is more than 80 percent of the way toward that mark. |
| Donohue House — named in honor of the late Liz Donohue, who with her husband, Tom, was a longtime SOME supporter — comprises two adjacent buildings that had been owned by another nonprofit. SOME bought them, gutted them and rehabbed them, adding usable space between them along with an elevator and such amenities as a community room and a playground. (They were a gift of the Washington Nationals.) | Donohue House — named in honor of the late Liz Donohue, who with her husband, Tom, was a longtime SOME supporter — comprises two adjacent buildings that had been owned by another nonprofit. SOME bought them, gutted them and rehabbed them, adding usable space between them along with an elevator and such amenities as a community room and a playground. (They were a gift of the Washington Nationals.) |
| There are 74 children who live in Donohue House. For them, SOME provides after-school programming, including tutoring and homework help. For the adults, there are classes on money management. Without SOME, none of the families would be able to afford the neighborhood. | There are 74 children who live in Donohue House. For them, SOME provides after-school programming, including tutoring and homework help. For the adults, there are classes on money management. Without SOME, none of the families would be able to afford the neighborhood. |
| As is the practice with most affordable housing, Donohue House residents pay 30 percent of their incomes in rent, whatever that may be. The Bonners estimate they pay about a quarter of what a typical two-bedroom apartment in Columbia Heights would go for. | As is the practice with most affordable housing, Donohue House residents pay 30 percent of their incomes in rent, whatever that may be. The Bonners estimate they pay about a quarter of what a typical two-bedroom apartment in Columbia Heights would go for. |
| Said Welton: “They still charge us rent, but the rent is based on income, so you can actually save some money. You can actually start to build your life without being burdened.” | Said Welton: “They still charge us rent, but the rent is based on income, so you can actually save some money. You can actually start to build your life without being burdened.” |
| Capitalism can be an unforgiving machine. Why not just let the market sort things out? | Capitalism can be an unforgiving machine. Why not just let the market sort things out? |
| “Any inclusive neighborhood is going to need to have a mix of incomes,” said Troy Swanda, SOME’s chief operating officer. “For our families and for their kids, being able to benefit from the neighborhood amenities that have sprung up in Columbia Heights is important.” | “Any inclusive neighborhood is going to need to have a mix of incomes,” said Troy Swanda, SOME’s chief operating officer. “For our families and for their kids, being able to benefit from the neighborhood amenities that have sprung up in Columbia Heights is important.” |
| People gripped in a mental health crisis find solace at SOME’s Jordan House | People gripped in a mental health crisis find solace at SOME’s Jordan House |
| Kacie said someone once said to her, since Washington is so expensive, why don’t you just move out? | Kacie said someone once said to her, since Washington is so expensive, why don’t you just move out? |
| “But we love D.C.,” Kacie said. “And it is hard when it feels like the only option is to move out, when our son is in a really great school that we love and we want to be close to the people we love. We’re really grateful that SOME has done as much as they can so that lower-income people can stay.” | |
| Elijah, now 3½ , was off at school when I visited the Bonners. But I met his little sister, Torah. She’s 6 months old, born in Washington. Hopefully she’ll grow up in Washington, too. She’ll come to know her neighborhood. | |
| At SOME: Not just a home for the homeless, but a voice for the voiceless, too | At SOME: Not just a home for the homeless, but a voice for the voiceless, too |
| “There’s something special and humanizing about walking into a building and knowing your neighbor, knowing who’s on your left and right,” said Welton. “You know your neighbor in the street. They know you. There’s safety.” | “There’s something special and humanizing about walking into a building and knowing your neighbor, knowing who’s on your left and right,” said Welton. “You know your neighbor in the street. They know you. There’s safety.” |
| Welton is pursuing a PhD in biblical studies. He’s had a lot of time to think about the poor, the widowed, the orphaned. | Welton is pursuing a PhD in biblical studies. He’s had a lot of time to think about the poor, the widowed, the orphaned. |
| “Once you become a Christian, you’re called to be hospitable,” he said. “The beauty of hospitality is that it’s radical. There’s great healing that happens in hospitality.” | “Once you become a Christian, you’re called to be hospitable,” he said. “The beauty of hospitality is that it’s radical. There’s great healing that happens in hospitality.” |
| You can help ensure Washington is home to more than just the wealthy. You can support So Others Might Eat. To make an online contribution, visit posthelpinghand.com and click “Donate.” | You can help ensure Washington is home to more than just the wealthy. You can support So Others Might Eat. To make an online contribution, visit posthelpinghand.com and click “Donate.” |
| To give the old-fashioned way, make a check payable to So Others Might Eat and send it to SOME, Attn: Helping Hand, 71 O St. NW, Washington DC 20001. | |
| Twitter: @johnkelly | Twitter: @johnkelly |
| For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. | For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. |