With rising rents and long-standing residents pushed out of Washington, D.C., grassroots organizers lead the charge, calling for equity and affordable housing. Occasionally, there is one organizer who stands noticeably above the signs, Andria Chatmon. She has spent her career fighting against displacement and unfairness for low-income residents in Washington, D.C.

Andria Chatmon has made a reputation for herself as a grassroots activist of integrity, devoted to lending a voice to the arguments of community members who are too frequently left out of city policy-making. She is an activist in the housing justice movement through direct experience of displacements and gentrification in established Black communities. Chatmon has been an ally in assisting her residents through the legal system, attending council meetings, and ensuring the voices of those who will be impacted most by housing inequalities are being heard.

Chatmon described what first drew her into organizing, “I have always wanted to find ways to work in my community and work with people and, you know, fight for improvements in our lives… I just I love my people. I love working with people, and I just want to be a part of things to make our lives better”.

Her activism developed while working at Empower D.C., a citywide, community-based nonprofit organization founded in 2003 that organizes to advance racial, economic, and environmental justice in Washington, D.C. The organization trains and organizes low- and moderate-income residents to build power and influence decisions on issues such as affordable housing, displacement, land use, and public resources.

There, Chatmon devoted the majority of her efforts to issues surrounding housing, organizing unions, and informing residents of their rights. By linking neighborhood issues to citywide campaigns, she fights development schemes that shut out low-income families and informs communities of their legal rights in D.C. housing law.

She explained: “Part of my work is doing eviction prevention outreach, making sure that folks that have an active landlord-tenant case for non-payment of rent know about their case, know about their rights, and are connected to legal support. And I’m also trying to bring them in to our tenant power space… this space is really a space where tenants across the city can come together and not only share information and learn about their rights, but also engage in organizing.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser has invested a tremendous amount of funds in the Housing Production Trust Fund, a multi-million-dollar initiative that is working to increase affordable housing stock. According to the Bowser administration’s FY 2025 budget documents, the mayor has proposed $100 million. Meanwhile, the D.C. Housing Committee of Council, chaired by Councilmember Robert White, has convened oversight hearings on the Housing Authority and introduced bills to raise rent stabilization, preserve tenant purchase rights, and strengthen landlord accountability. The proposals are progressing, but organizers contend that funds are too frequently finding their way into different projects beyond the means of the city’s poorest families, compelling activists such as Chatmon to continue applying pressure from below.

Residents facing displacement often feel isolated, but tenant leaders like Jan Baker, president of the 2M Street Tenants Association, said Empower DC has filled that gap. “I’m so proud to be a part of Empower DC. They’ve helped me so much, specifically a lot of support helping us (tenant association) campaign and build the community we need….They (tenants) think they are going to get evicted or retaliated against…That’s where Empower DC comes in. They teach know your rights-people need to know tenants have a lot of rights in DC”.

Community members echo the need for accountability. Joshua Moore, a D.C. resident, said: “I like the work that Empower DC does because they give people a voice when landlords and building managers try to take advantage of tenants. I wish I had them in my corner back when I was living in Columbia Heights, dealing with a manager who was stealing money from us. It’s good to see Mayor Bowser putting so much money into the Housing Production Trust Fund and the council pushing bills for stronger protections, but from where I stand, tenants need real accountability and support on the ground. That’s why organizations like Empower DC are so important.”

In the last few months, D.C. has seen growing pressure on tenants: back rent is piling up, eviction court dockets are crowding, and approvals for multifamily housing developments are declining.

To counteract it, the D.C. Council passed the RENTAL Act (Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords Act), which is meant to stabilize the housing market while also protecting tenants. But it does have controversial changes to the eviction process and tenant protection, especially with shortened tenant response times. Empower DC has been a leader in pushing for more protections under this new law, demanding that the policy shift not send low-income renters already displaced and in poverty back to their lives on the streets. Chatmon has been an outspoken voice for the vulnerable being pushed at risk of displacement, advocating for increased protections for tenants navigating the court process.

“We have this harmful Rental Act that was just passed that really will speed up evictions by shortening notice timelines for folks that are sued for non-payment of rent… All of this is really going to lead to more displacement, because folks are not going to have time to get connected with legal support if they’ve got a 10-day notice,” she said.

Chatmon leaves a message for her listeners.

Chatmon continues to stay grounded in her community. “What gives me hope is the people. The fact that people still want to show up and take action… people are still standing up and they’re not letting go. I’m grateful that I can lean on other people and know that we’re not in this alone, we’re all working together.”