A peace pole stands outside the building that houses the Assisi Community in Washington, D.C.
Assisi Community is a faith-based intentional community in Washington, D.C. with a social justice/peace and nonviolence mission. It was the borrower of the Equity Trust Fund’s very first loan in 1992, used to purchase one of the two houses its members live in (the purchase of the other house in 2000 was also aided by an Equity Trust loan). In 2014, Assisi Community committed to permanently preserving its property for affordable housing in an agreement with a nonprofit housing organization that was later assigned to D.C.’s Douglass Community Land Trust (DCLT). When (if) the community runs its course, both houses will be given to DCLT. This loan finances needed renovations, building code upgrades, and energy efficiency to both maintain a decent living space for current members and preserve the value of the property for its future owners.