Roslyn Rise is an aging income-restricted housing community in Wilde Lake Village in Columbia. It has fallen into disrepair in recent years, and the former property owner struggled mightily to afford the upkeep as the deterioration worsened. Recently, Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit started by Jim and Patty Rouse, purchased the property and created plans to redevelop it, ensuring that existing Roslyn Rise residents can live in modern, safe, and healthy homes at below cost.
Residents such as Anne, a Roslyn Rise resident I spoke to this past Friday, as she was interested in sharing her story for my blog.
Anne is mentally disabled and cannot work. When her parents were alive, they helped pay her rent for a unit in Laurel, but the rent kept going up. Her father suggested that she look into the low-income housing program – which had a long waitlist. It took six years and a lot of repeated phone calls before she learned she was at the head of the line. She moved into Roslyn Rise seven years ago.
Anne is excited about the redevelopment plans and her future in a new and improved unit. Her current unit is small, but adequate for one person. The walls are thin and poorly insulated, and it gets very cold in the winter. But she loves the community, its location, and her neighbors. She says the residents of Roslyn Rise “live in harmony.”
Before we hung up, Anne had one thing left to say. She said that the shortage of affordable housing is severe in this area. If we could invest in more of it, it would be a blessing to people like her.
Other Roslyn Rise residents have provided testimony to the County Council asking for this project to be approved. Their voices matter.
Anne’s voice matters.
Councilmembers, please hear them.