Background
In March of 2020, the General Assembly passed H.B. 854, which mandates that the Department of Housing and Community Development and Virginia Housing carry out a study of housing policies, programs, and conditions in the Commonwealth as well as assess several specific program concepts. HousingForward Virginia is the prime contractor for this work.
DHCD and Virginia Housing have formed a Stakeholder Advisory Group made up of housing experts and practitioners from across the state. This group will review the findings of the study and make recommendations for action.
The bill lays out several charges for the Stakeholder Group:
- Determine the quality and quantity of affordable and workforce housing
- Conduct a review of current programs and policies
- Develop a projection of future housing needs
- Make recommendations for the improvement of housing policy in Virginia
In addition, the study will examine the impact of the pandemic on affordable housing as well as the status and impact of racial inequity in affordable housing. Finally, the project will look specifically at several program areas: state rental assistance, utility rate reduction, property tax reduction, bond financing, and other programs that increase housing supply.
The final report will be completed in the fall of 2021. Per H.B. 854’s requirements, it will include a full analysis of existing policies and programs, assessments of potential new housing programs, and a quantitative determination of the quality and quantity of affordable housing in the commonwealth.
Latest Update
September 15, 2021
We’re still on track to complete the H.B. 854 study by the end of the year.
We are nearing the end of the long and intensive process of evaluating all of the Commonwealth’s housing programs. Having met with subgroups of practitioners from nearly every corner of the housing world, evaluations and recommendations are finalized, and our first draft of the full report is finished.
We are working with Virginia Housing, DHCD, the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, and the study’s Stakeholder Advisory Group on revisions. The full, final report we expect to be released in mid-October. It will be hosted digitally on a dedicated website, and distributed widely by all participating organizations. Subscribe to our mailing list to be the first to hear when it’s published.