Photo by cstein96

Car-sharing service Zipcar and the D.C. Housing Authority are announcing a new partnership today that will put nine Zipcars at two public housing sites in Southeast and Southwest D.C. and more locations as of July 1. The initiative makes D.C.’s housing authority one of the first in the country to partner with a car-sharing service.

“The lack of flexible transportation options can hinder our residents’ efforts to become more self-sufficient, such as being able to reach a job interview for a company that is inaccessible by public transportation. Part of our role, as the District’s largest landlord, includes making sure our tenants have access to convenient and cost-effective modes of transportation,” said DCHA Executive Director Adrianne Todman in a statement.

According to a 2009 study, D.C. residents spend $9,461 a year on transportation costs. D.C. has plenty of public transportation options, but trains and buses don’t get everyone where they need to go. Last year San Francisco legislators criticized car-sharing companies for not offering cars in poor neighborhoods, where they said they could be useful for residents.

Earlier this year, Capital Bikeshare kicked off a pilot program offering homeless residents discounted memberships to the bike-sharing service to those who attend job training classes.