State of Housing #1 • 431 Words
Our new “State of Housing” series will help break down the largest housing study in Virginia’s history.
Understanding Virginia’s housing needs
Earlier this year, a Pew Research poll found that one in every two Americans (49%) see housing affordability as a major challenge in their community. This finding aligns with other public opinion polls that show a broad desire for federal and state policymakers to make housing less costly. We’ve covered these results, including Virginia-specific polls, in previous blogs.
In response to this growing demand for solutions, lawmakers in Virginia have commissioned numerous studies to better quantify housing needs in Virginia—and to tee up new policies and programs to solve those challenges. Such examples include:
- The 2017 report of the Housing Policy Advisory Council (HPAC),
- The Virginia Housing Opportunity Tax Credit task force report,
- Last year’s report on the state of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the Commonwealth, and
- JLARC’s “Affordable Housing in Virginia” report, also from 2021.
Perhaps the most significant study, however, is the HB854 Statewide Housing Study delivered to the General Assembly this January. The report, requested by the eponymous bill from 2020, was authored by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and Virginia Housing. It analyzes reams of data, evaluates current initiatives, and offers a full library of recommendations. HousingForward Virginia assisted agency staff and stakeholders with the production of this report.
What to expect
Over the coming months, we’ll use The FWD and our social media to break down all 30 chapters of the report into quick digestible bites. Each issue will include:
- Succinct, plain language topic summaries,
- Data visualization highlights,
- Updates from agency partners and practitioners, and
- Bottom-line takeaways that explain “why this matters” to help you tell the story to your colleagues, friends, and elected officials.
We hope this content will give you a full understanding of the study’s findings without needing to read all 80,000 words across 400-plus pages.
How you can help
Before we get rolling, we want your feedback! Send us a note to tell us what sections of the report are most relevant to your work, which chapters might need additional context, and any other suggestions you might have.
Coming up next time
Stay tuned for our first full “State of Housing” release, which will cover the most important elements of the introductory chapters. Topics will include the importance of housing affordability, a synthesis of recent local housing studies from across the state, and descriptions of the housing markets and data sources used throughout the study.