Provide full property tax abatement for all LECs.

Provide an additional $5 million annually for CBOs that provide ongoing education and stewardship to LECs, in order to support no- and low-cost education and training for LEC boards and members. Areas of training to include the following: LEC structure and principles; legal documents for LECs; governance of LECs, including running elections and effective meetings; asset management, including finances and maintenance, as well as the use of an Asset Management Scorecard; and other aspects of property management.

Develop a uniform Asset Management Scorecard, with the consultation and advice of CBOs, togauge the success of LECs. As noted under Recommendation #2, LEC boards should receive training in how to use the Asset Management Scorecard, and can use it annually to self-assess and report.

Require training and expertise in cooperative management for property management companies.Areas of training should include the following: LEC structure and the LEC principles; legaldocuments for LECs; governance of LECs, including running elections and effective meetings;asset management, including finances and maintenance, reserves planning; and other aspects of property management.

Ensure that LECs and individual members have access to affordable or pro bono legal services. Legal assistance is necessary for LECs, in terms of both initial development and ongoing issues. Legal assistance is also necessary for individual LEC members, specifically regarding the transfer of individual member shares, in order to preserve intergenerational resources and ease unit transition upon death of a member.

Connect existing translation and interpretation services offered through the DC Language Access Program with LECs, and ensure funding levels for the program are sufficient for LEC members

Designate DHCD as the agency responsible for coordinating all matters related to LECs. As part of this, DHCD should designate a point person who can connect the public with the staff with necessary expertise.

Develop a tool-kit of financial and technical resources for LECs to sustain the physical conditions of their buildings affordably long-term, and widely promote these tools, providing an11 on-line resource site. Utilize tools such as small rental building and co-op repairs grants, affordable financing from DHCD and private lenders to provide good terms to co-ops for new renovations and/or refinancing. Include a resource list that provides contacts for co-op education, technical assistance, stewardship, and asset management services available to LECs, from a “Pool of Practitioners.”

Create a database through DHCD to collect LEC information annually. CBOs have gathered much of this data and could share it with DHCD.

Create a group purchasing program for LECs in the District.

Encourage broad support for LECs, with the goal of increasing the number of LEC units in theDistrict by 45%--adding 2,000 new LEC units--by 2025.

Establish minimum annual funding amounts needed to meet the goal of increasing the number ofLEC units by 45% by 2025. A higher prioritization of very affordable LECs, acquisition take-outs, and construction funding in the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) scoring is neededto increase the number of LECs in the District.

Develop other viable sources for financing new LECs outside of and in coordination with DHCD.

Improve availability and usability of pre-development financing for LECs.

Improve the availability and dependability of acquisition financing tools for LECs—including anopen and sufficiently-funded First Right to Purchase Program, and facilitate the better use bridgeacquisition loan funds provided by intermediary lenders (such as the Preservation Loan Fund) by providing a clear path forward for take-out of these loans.

Improve the dependability and timing of take-out and rehabilitation financing for LECs.