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A CURATED LIST OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVES, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTS AND ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, STATEWIDE AND NATIONALLY FOR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTERS |
November 2024 |
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Today is Election Day! The number one thing you can do to support affordable housing is to VOTE for candidates who support solutions to address housing affordability and to build inclusive communities!
The upcoming NVAHA Lunch & Learn Session presented by the Equal Rights Center will discuss Tenant Screenings and Fair Housing Compliance on Tuesday, November 12. During this session, Northern Virginia housing providers will learn how to navigate federal and local laws while screening potential tenants. This session will address applicable protected classes (including source of funds) and offer best practices for tenant screening including criminal record checks, eviction/rental history, and credit history. RSVP here. |
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Alexandria City |
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Last month, the Office of Housing kicked off Housing 2040 Master Plan Education Month. This week, you can connect with the Housing 2040 team at the Del Ray Farmers Market on November 9, from 9–11:30 a.m.
Alexandria’s Office of Housing revealed in a webinar that rising rents are driving evictions, with studio rents up 9.3% this year and one- to three-bedroom units increasing by 7.3% to 8.2%. About 44% of the city’s 43,000 renter households are housing cost-burdened, spending over 30% of their income on housing. Evictions, which dropped during COVID-19 due to moratoriums, have now returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 583 filings recorded in October 2022. The webinar was part of Housing 2040’s Education Month, raising awareness ahead of updates to the city’s Housing Master Plan.
In early November, the City of Alexandria will request the release of HOME Investment Partnership Program funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support the rehabilitation of Parc Square. Renovations will include kitchen and bathroom upgrades, plumbing and electrical work, new flooring, and painting, with a project cost of $291,300. The project will take place at 525 and 527 Four Mile Rd and 3906 Old Dominion Blvd, Alexandria, VA. |
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Arlington County |
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Arlington County is updating its Master Transportation Plan. As we know, Housing and Transportation are intimately linked! And housing near transit is essential. Please take a moment to complete their brief survey: What’s most important to you when it comes to transportation (and housing) in Arlington? The results will help inform the Plan’s vision, goals, and priorities for the future of Arlington's transportation. The survey is open until Nov. 15th.
Recovery Residences: In October, the County Board passed an amendment to the County zoning ordinance to allow up to 8 unrelated persons to reside in a single family residence for the purpose of substance abuse recovery.
Despite striking down Arlington’s Expanded Housing Options in September, and preventing the county from issuing any more EHO permits, on October 25th, the judge allowed a partial stay of the injunction against EHO permits. This stay allows those with the 45 already-issued permits to continue building their duplexes up to 6-plexes in single family home-only (SFH) neighborhoods across Arlington. That came with the caveat that the county placed notice in each of the 45 EHO property land records explaining there is an appeal in place that, if lost, could result in a property rezoning back to SFH-only.
Nonprofit developer Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC) and Goodwill of Greater Washington plan to redevelop the Goodwill property at 10 S. Glebe Road into a mixed-use community featuring 128 affordable apartments, a childcare center, and a new Goodwill store. Arlington County will apply for $6.6M through HUD’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program to support the project. Three steps are required: a Section 108 application, an amendment to the FY 2025 Action Plan, and an update to the Citizen Participation Plan. The public can review these documents until November 15th. Comments can be submitted via email to [email protected], on this form, or at a public hearing on November 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Arlington’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking feedback for its upcoming 5-year DHS Strategic Plan, in areas of health, housing, and other safety net issues. The survey is available in multiple languages and is open until Dec. 2nd. Please share this opportunity with your networks, clients, and residents. |
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Loudoun County |
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Loudoun County’s annual grant application for nonprofit organizations providing human services is now open. Eligible 501(c)3 nonprofits addressing crisis intervention, quality of human services, long-term support, and self-sufficiency may apply. Two funding options are available: standard grants for requests between $5,001 and $113,000, and mini-grants up to $5,000 for smaller projects or new organizations. An informational webinar will be held on November 8th from 10:00 -11:00 a.m. The deadline to apply is 4pm on January 3, 2025.
Loudoun County is now hiring for the Director of Housing and Community Development. The first review of applications will take place November 18th. The desired candidate will possess a combination of education and experience equivalent to an advanced degree and at least six years of related experience, including two years in a supervisory or management role. This experience should include housing policy development and implementation, program administration, working with government and private sector partners (non-profit, for-profit, and philanthropic), and knowledge of federal, state, and local housing programs.
The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting a conference, INNOVATE 2024: Regional Workforce & Housing - Creating Solutions, from 8:00 am - 12 noon on November 7th at the Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport. Jill Norcross of NVAHA will serve on a panel moderated by Alex Orfinger of the Washington Business Journal with David Tarter of GMU’s Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship and Regina Pinkney of Virginia Housing.
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors continues their effort to expedite attainable housing applications. As reported by Loudoun Now, the Supervisors are working to provide more attainable housing opportunities by having affordable housing applications expedited through the legislative review process. Now the Supervisors’ Transportation and Land Use Committee is working with the staff to balance the workload for the expedited application process with limited Planning staff resources. The drafted policy will be reviewed by affordable housing representatives in the area before the staff returns with the results of those meetings to the committee for a final recommendation. |
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Fairfax County |
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On October 17, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) took a key step in redeveloping the Franconia Governmental Center for affordable housing by approving an interim agreement. County staff will now negotiate with Franconia Development Partners on a proposal to build 120 affordable apartments and a community space on the 3.26-acre site at 6121 Franconia Road.
In September, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted changes to the Workforce Dwelling Unit (WDU) policies within the Comprehensive Plan and directed staff to update the associated WDU Administrative Guidelines. These guidelines outline how the policies are implemented, including WDU integration within developments, technical specifications, and rental or sale requirements. If approved, the revised guidelines will replace those adopted in 2021. Public comment is open until November 21st. Virtual information sessions will be held via MS Teams on November 12 at 11:00 AM. You may sign up to submit comments here.
The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting a conference, INNOVATE 2024: Regional Workforce & Housing - Creating Solutions, from 8:00 am - 12 noon on November 7 at the Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport. Jill Norcross of NVAHA will serve on a panel moderated by Alex Orfinger of the Washington Business Journal with David Tarter of GMU’s Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship and Regina Pinkney of Virginia Housing.
Following a public hearing on October 9, the Fairfax County Planning Commission decided to defer a vote on the Judicial Complex redevelopment plans, originally slated for October 9. This delay will allow county planners to refine key details—especially affordable housing placement, accessible parking, and lighting—to better align with community expectations.
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Prince William County |
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The Prince William County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold an AfDU Ordinance Work Session on November 19 at 2:00 pm. This will be the first time the Board has discussed the ordinance since their last work session on June 11. Advocates are encouraged to attend the meeting to speak up about the need for affordable housing and how an Affordable Dwelling Unit Ordinance can serve as an inclusionary zoning tool to ensure affordable units in market rate housing developments.
Prince William County announced the appointment of Phyllis Jennings-Holt as the new Director of the Department of Social Services, following an extensive national recruitment process. Jennings-Holt has served Prince William County residents in various roles in the Department of Social Services, or DSS, since 1992. She was a social worker, case manager and assistant director of protective services. Most recently she served as the deputy director until becoming the acting director in June 2024. |
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Northern Virginia |
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The NOVA Region Dashboard’s demographics on income, poverty, educational attainment, and the foreign born population have been updated by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. The update used the new 2023 American Community Survey one-year data released September 12 by the U.S. Census Bureau. View this data to stay informed and for insights on current demographic conditions and trends.
Wesley Housing was recently awarded $3.75 Million from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund’s (CDFI Fund) Capital Magnet Fund. The 2024 round provided $246.4M to 48 organizations across the U.S. for the development of affordable housing and community facilities serving low-income families and communities that need additional investment. Wesley Housing will leverage these funds to support the early-stage financing of at least 365 units across its regional housing portfolio, encompassing both new construction and rehabilitation. |
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Articles of Interest |
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