Heartless Bastard

At the risk of being called a heartless bastard, I feel the need to bash an old lady. The July 8-14 issue of the Washington City Paper has an interesting article on an 86-year-old lady being forced out of government subsidized housing in Thomas Circle because it is being turned into a condominium. The good news is that the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) has given her a choice of two housing units in other neighborhoods that she can rent at the same subsidized price. The bad news is she’s loudly complaining about having to move out of the neighborhood she’s been living in for 40 years. While I can certainly sympathize with her plight (I don’t like to leave a five block radius of my apartment), I was also taught not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She should be happy that she’s getting cheap housing at the expense of people like me who have a smaller pay check because of subsidized housing. I mean talk about ungrateful.

It remains to be seen, however, whether or not she will actually be forced to leave her neighborhood. On the one hand, powerful elected officials are trying to get DCHA to jump her to the top of the waiting list for subsidized housing in her current neighborhood. On the other hand, DCHA is reluctant to go back to the Mayor-For-Life Marion Barry days when government benefits were dished out based on political clout instead of need. One thing is certain, however. The seller and buyer of her unit should be commended for pushing off its sale until mid-September. That should be enough time for DCHA to find the old lady a new place to live.