Attorney General Schwalb Announces Initiative Prioritizing Housing Protection and Affordability

New Leadership Positions and Reorganization Reflect OAG’s Priorities in Housing Work


Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced the creation of a new Housing Protection and Affordability Initiative within the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) designed to streamline and prioritize OAG’s focus on preserving and expanding the District’s stock of affordable housing and improving the safety of District residents. These efforts will be led by a newly-established position of Senior Counsel for Housing Protection and Affordability, which will be assumed by Beth Mellen—expanding her current position as Assistant Deputy Attorney General of OAG’s Public Advocacy Division.

“Fighting to ensure every District resident has a safe and affordable place to call home has been one of my top priorities because far too many District residents are overburdened by ever-increasing housing costs,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “The Housing Protection and Affordability Initiative I’m announcing today is designed to foster innovation and drive impact in preserving the District’s existing housing stock, improving security and habitability, and promoting the development of additional affordable housing. I’m proud to appoint Beth Mellen to serve as OAG’s first-ever Senior Counsel for Housing Protection and Affordability. Given her decades of experience in housing matters, Beth is widely-respected as one of the District’s and country’s preeminent housing lawyers, and I am confident she and our exceptional OAG team will continue to deliver tangible results to District residents.”

As Senior Counsel for Housing Protection and Affordability, Ms. Mellen will lead workstreams and develop strategies to advance affordable housing through advocacy during the zoning process, enhance enforcement of the housing and property maintenance codes, address nuisance properties, collaborate with stakeholders throughout the residential real estate ecosystem, and improve coordination with other District agencies such as the Department of Buildings and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In addition to the appointment of Ms. Mellen as Senior Counsel, three additional personnel changes will support the Housing Protection and Affordability Initiative:

  • The creation of a new Special Counsel for Housing Code Enforcement who will report to the Senior Counsel.
  • The recently-established Special Counsel for Nuisance Abatement who will report to the Senior Counsel going forward.
  • OAG’s Equitable Land Use (ELU) Section will move from the Commercial Division to the Public Advocacy Division, with the ELU Section Chief reporting to the Senior Counsel.