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NAACP Postpones relocation to Southeast

DC Housing Agency takes its Place

Abandoned buildings and family stores located on the corner of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Boulevard, are not enough to bring forth the higher development needed for this Southeast community to expand.

Residents were expecting to add the NAACP national headquarters from Baltimore to their side of town, but plans have been postponed.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is an organization widely known for its leadership in the civil rights movement. Standing by many activists, their determination to help gain equality for all citizens is undeniable.

“The primary reason for moving to D.C. would be to move closer to people who we work with everyday. We work very closely with Capitol Hill and non profit organizations in D.C.” says National Spokesperson Richard McIntire.

The NAACP looked forward to moving to the D.C. area however plans were somewhat held back with the unexpected resignation of former president and CEO Bruce Gordon.

“We feel that we need to focus on filling the position for a new president before we move so that they will have input on what will happen next.”

McIntire also said that the move will cost anywhere between $10 million to $15 million in which a capital campaign is underway to support this fund. Since the change in location has been delayed, the DC Housing Agency has decided to move into the building instead.

D.C.’s Department of Housing and Community Development is expected to move into the Anacostia Gateway Building after its lease on North Capitol Street expires. Local Southeast resident Pamela House is still unsure of what it will bring.

“I’m sure that it will not be a bad thing but I don’t know if it will make any major changes either,” House said.

Hopefully by August, the department will have moved all of its employees to the new location. An agency under the district, it provides services such as affordable housing, home ownership opportunities and employment opportunities among others.

Public information officer Najuma Thorpe says that “Us moving into this area is another example of the government investing in an area that is up and coming.”

She also says that by the DHCD moving into the building it will produce a “domino effect.” Describing it as the government moving in and will therefore bring in other businesses that will also uplift the community.

The NAACP does still plan to move to D.C. when the new president takes office. As of now however, the Department of Housing and Community Development plans to “revitalize” Southeast into a bursting town with more hope for the future.