Should D.C.'s Poor Get to Keep Their Housing Windfall?

Washington, D.C., like many cities, has affordable housing programs aimed at promoting home-ownership among its lower-income citizens. And like many cities, Washington is experiencing rising home prices. This has left it with a bit of a conundrum, writes Aaron Wiener at Washington CityPaper: Should participants in the affordable housing programs be allowed to reap a windfall from their city-funded adventure in home-ownership?

The bill under proposal is modest: It claws back the initial subsidy out of the sale proceeds. But others say that this doesn't go far enough, and that the program should restrict resale at market rate for much longer -- perhaps for good. The debate exposes a tension at the heart of these programs: Are they for the citizens of Washington, or are they for the city?