Displacement Prevention Amendment Act of 2025

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW Suite 400
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004

Trayon White, Sr.
Ward 8 Councilmember

Statement of Introduction
Displacement Prevention Amendment Act of 2025
October 6, 2025

I am reintroducing the Displacement Prevention Amendment Act of 2025 because too many
D.C. residents, especially east of the Anacostia River, are one unexpected bill away from losing
their homes.

This bill would amend the Schedule H tax credit to provide additional relief for residents at the
highest risk of displacement. Specifically, it would increase (up to twice) the maximum Schedule
H credit for households whose principal residence is located in Census Tracts 73.04, 74.04,
98.04, and 104. By targeting these tracts, areas with higher poverty rates and greater housing
cost burdens, the bill strengthens protections against displacement and helps residents remain in
their homes and communities.

Last year, 1,869 renter households were evicted in D.C. That’s a 75 percent increase from the
year before and the highest number in at least a decade. Behind each of those evictions is a
family, a child, or a senior who lost the stability of their community and home.

The burden is not shared equally. While 44 percent of households across D.C. are rent-burdened,
meaning they spend more than a third of their income on housing, in Ward 8 that number is close
to 58 percent. These are communities that have long carried the heaviest share of displacement
and instability.

And for our lowest-income residents, the picture is even starker. The District is home to over
51,000 extremely low-income renter households, and nearly seven in ten pay more than half of
their income toward rent. These families are already stretched beyond their limits. For them,
even a small increase in costs, whether a tax bill, utility bill, or rent hike, can be the tipping point
toward eviction.

The Council has already strengthened Schedule H, which is often considered the city’s housing
“circuit-breaker,” raising the maximum benefit to $1,425. However, given the scale of
displacement we are witnessing, more targeted action is required. By focusing relief where the
need is most acute, this bill provides real stability to our seniors and families who are at the
highest risk of being priced out of their communities. Preventing displacement not only protects
senior citizens and vulnerable families; it strengthens neighborhoods, preserves affordability, and
reduces the social and financial costs of evictions for the city as a whole.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill so that more of our residents, especially those in the
neighborhoods most at risk, can remain in the homes and communities they love.

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_______________________________ _________________ ______________
Councilmember Janeese Lewis George Councilmember Trayon White, Sr.

A BILL
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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To amend Section 47-1806.06(a) of the District of Columbia Official Code to increase the 1
maximum amount of the District’s Homeowner and Renter Property Schedule H Tax 2
Credit that may be claimed by residents living in a designated displacement risk zone. 3
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 5
act may be cited as the “Displacement Prevention Amendment Act of 2025”. 6
Sec. 2. Section 47-1806.06(a) of the D.C. Official Code is amended by adding a new 7
paragraph (3A) to read as follows: 8
“(3A) For all claimants whose principal place of residence is located within 9
census tracts 73.04, 74.04, 98.04, or 104, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025, 10
the total allowable credit may exceed the credit allowed in paragraph (1) of this subsection but 11
shall not exceed twice the credit allowed in paragraph (1) of this subsection.”. 12
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 13

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The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 14
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 15
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 16
Sec. 5. Effective date. 17
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 18
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review 19
as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 20
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)). 21