A CURATED LIST OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVES, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTS AND ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, STATEWIDE AND NATIONALLY FOR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTERS

April 2024

Join us for our Educate & Celebrate event on May 30, 2024 from 3:00pm - 7:30pm at the National Landing Experience Center in Arlington, VA. Collaborating with the Mercatus Center and HousingForward Virginia, we're thrilled to unveil the Northern Virginia Zoning Atlas at the Thomas P. Leckey Forum from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Following the forum, we invite you to join us for the Regional Housing Leaders Cocktail Reception and Awards Ceremony from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

If you know or work with someone who would be interested in our newsletter and free educational programming, please invite them to sign-up here.

There are additional opportunities to provide Budget Advocacy at the Budget Public Hearing on Saturday, April 13 and the Budget FY 2025 Tax Rate Public Hearing on Wednesday, April 24. You can also send comments to the City Manager and City Council. Here are NVAHA’s FY2025 Alexandria Budget talking points.

African Communities Together is organizing a Rally Against Displacement, due to the ongoing housing crisis across Alexandria with housing stability and affordability as the main priority. We firmly believe that housing is a right for all and are dedicated to empowering our African communities to prevent displacement within the region on Saturday, April 14. The rally will start at 12:00 pm on Saturday, April 14 in Market Square in front of City Hall. Register here.

The Potomac Yard Arena deal with Monumental sports is now over and the developer, JBG SMITH and Alexandria elected leaders and candidates have expressed their opinions about the deal and impacts on investments in the City.

FY 2025 Budget and Tax Rate hearings are being held this week and you can register to provide testimony either virtually or in-person on Tuesday, April 2 at 7:00 pm for the Main Budget Hearing or on Thursday April 4 at 7:00 pm for the Tax Rate Hearing. The Final County Board Budget meeting and Board vote will be held on April 20 beginning at 9:00 am. Here are the NVAHA/AHS budget talking points.

Arlington has just completed a holistic Housing Grants study to analyze the current program, its legislative origins, and to identify potential gaps in affordable housing needs. The effort helped determine what actions the Housing Grants program could take moving forward, and how changes to the program might inform the County's current and future budget cycles.

Attend one of the virtual informational sessions to learn more from 6:00 - 7:30 pm on April 3 (en Espanol) and April 4 (in English).

The NAACP Arlington Branch is holding the 3rd Annual Arlington Fair Housing Conference on Saturday, April 20th from 11AM to 3 PM at the H-B Woodlawn building. HOME of VA and the Equal Rights Center are again co-sponsoring the event. Please sign up to attend this free event using this link (lunch is provided if you RSVP in advance).

Last month, the Arlington County Board unanimously voted to approve 88 units of additional affordable housing at the Crystal House Apartments project, developed by APAH, at 1900 S. Eads Street, which will make 743 of 844 planned units affordable.

AHC’s Goodwill Site redevelopment project was approved by the County Board and will include a 6-story mixed use development, with a new Goodwill retail and donation center, 128 units of affordable housing and an affordable child care center.

Public hearings on the Fairfax County FY 2025 Budget, FY 2025-2029 CIP, and FY 2024 Third Quarter Review will be held on April 16, 2024, at 4:00 pm and on April 17 and 18, 2024, at 3:00 pm. There are many ways to provide feedback.  If you would like a copy of our draft FY2025 Fairfax Budget talking points, please email Jill Norcross.

Community meetings are being held about the transfer of the Franconia Governmental Center site for affordable housing. Ventures in Community and the YIMBYs of NOVA have a sign-on letter, Say yes to affordable housing in Franconia! Please attend one of the upcoming community meetings at John Lewis High School, 6540 Franconia Rd, in Springfield on Saturday, April 13th from 12 to 2:00pm, Monday, April 22nd from 6 to 8:00 pm or Monday, May 6th from 6 to 8:00 pm to show support for this best practice use of public land for affordable housing.

Fairfax County is soliciting feedback on proposed revisions to the For-Sale Workforce Dwelling Unit (WDU) Policy in the Comprehensive Plan to ensure that the WDU program is effectively serving workforce housing demand. The draft revisions to the policy are available at Plan Amendment 2023-CW-1CP | Planning Development. Please email comments to [email protected] by April 7, 2024.

FCRHA approved a $20 million agreement with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to increase access to supportive, affordable rental housing options for individuals with serious mental illness. The funding will provide 300 new supportive rental assistance vouchers available to Fairfax County residents over three years as well as fund three new staff positions at the FCRHA to operate the program. This can provide a critical resource for permanent supportive housing as Fairfax County officials work to open a temporary overflow shelter in a government building in Reston to accommodate people who’ve been living in a homeless encampment nearby.

Fairfax County received $4.1 million in federal funding to support a new Homeless and Domestic Violence Shelter for families. The county’s existing domestic violence and family shelters have exceeded their useful lives, but instead of building new facilities, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority is planning to convert an existing “extended stay” hotel that will be able to house about 50 families a day.

Ilda’s Overlook Senior Residences, an 80-unit senior affordable apartment community, developed by APAH, opened last month, built in partnership with Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) and Erickson Senior Living.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt the FY 2025 budget at its April 2, 2024, business meeting. You can still provide comments by calling the Board of Supervisors’ Comment Line at 703-777-0115 or by sending an email. Here are NVAHA’s FY2025 Loudoun County Budget talking points.

Waxpool Apartments, a 52-unit attainable housing community, developed by Green Street Housing and Good Works opened last month. It is a mile from the Ashburn Metro station and the first building in Loudoun County to be certified by four independent green building programs.

There are additional opportunities to provide Budget Advocacy in Prince William County. Including a Budget & Tax Rates/Fees Public Hearing on April 9 at 7:30 pm.  Here are NVAHA’s joint FY2025 Prince William Budget Letter with VOICE, TWU and Wellington Development.

Prince William County will hold two Public Meetings on the Draft of the Affordable Housing Dwelling Unit Ordinance.  On April 3, from 6:00- 8:00 pm there will be a public meeting at Beacon Hall at George Mason University, 10900 Blvd. in Manassas. On April 4, from 6:00- 8:00 pm, there will be a virtual Public Meeting. 

The Economic Development Authority of the City of Manassas (EDA) is purchasing the Manassas Shopping Center at 9018 Mathis Avenue to help spur the long-planned redevelopment and revitalization of the Mathis Avenue corridor. Visit www.manassasva.gov/msc to track the project and share your redevelopment ideas for the Manassas Shopping Center.

Freedom Virginia is hosting a Northern Virginia’s Organizer's Summit, from 10:00 am to 1 pm on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the Cascades Library in Sterling. The Summit is for anyone who works for or volunteers with a nonprofit advocacy organization in Northern Virginia and wants to find collaboration opportunities with other regional community organizers. Lunch will be included, as well as free babysitting in a nearby library room and Spanish translation services

Virginia Housing’s deadline for their Community Impact Grant Innovation Program is April 15, 2024.  FAQs, presentation slides from their information session, and a sample application are available for more information.

The Virginia Mortgage Relief Program, or VMRP, announced a limited reopening to homeowners needing assistance. Funding is extremely limited. Visit the Partners page for resources to help share information with potential applicants about the reopening. Applicants can apply online or through the VMRP Call Center at 833-OUR-VMRP (833-687-8677).

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development announced award winners of the Fall 2023 Affordable and Special Needs Housing Program including 23 awards for Northern Virginia projects.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments will open their 3rd round of funding on May 1 for the HAPP (Housing Affordability Planning Program).  Applicants can submit a (max) one page project abstract for feedback on a proposal by June 3. Full applications are due July 1^st and awards will be announced by the COG Board of Directors in October. Applications are accepted from COG member governments and local nonprofit affordable housing developers (with a letter of support required from the COG member government specifically for this program). Email [email protected] with questions.

• Churches and Affordable Housing, Washington Post (Paywall)

• Creating a National Housing Strategy, Urban Institute 

• Housing Indicator Tool 2024, HAND 

• Market and Disparity Data Analysis Toolkit, Urban Institute

• Understand the District’s Housing Trust Fund, Greater Greater Washington

• Soaring Property Insurance Rates Threaten Affordable Housing Development, ShelterForce