We continue to work with Virginia Housing and DHCD to make progress on the H.B. 854 statewide housing study. Over the past three months, much of the work has taken place across five subgroups of the Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG). These subgroups focus on particular housing policy areas outlined in the bill and have met at least twice since January.
We’re also in the middle of content analysis for the Statewide Provider Survey (which received over 400 responses) and nine Focus Groups (that had over 50 participants). These engagements will help us determine where housing needs across the commonwealth are and aren’t being met by current programs.
April will be a big month for the H.B. 854 study effort. We’ll wrap up the analysis for the survey and focus groups and provide SAG members with those findings to help them make specific recommendations. We’ll also keep chugging away on the quantitative data analysis to determine housing needs and gaps. Some of the data sources we’re working with include the American Community Survey, CHAS, HMDA, HUD, as well as program metrics from our state partners.
As we move into summer, the SAG subgroups will transition from fact-finding to policy formulation. These initial suggestions—about topics ranging from state rental assistance to bond options for housing—will then be discussed by the full group. Ultimately, you can expect the full report, which will include lots of data along with specific policy recommendations, to come out in early fall.
Have questions? Send Jonathan an email.