The City of Alexandria is hosting a community meeting on Monday, September 8, from 6-9pm at the Minnie Howard High School on Housing 2040. The meeting will cover draft recommendations for tenant rights, homeownership programs, and updates to the City’s affordable housing goals. The evening includes an open house, presentation, Q&A, and discussions. Light dinner and Spanish interpretation will be available. Registration is here.

Join the City of Alexandria for the next Duke Street Land Use Community Meeting on Thursday, September 25 at 6:30pm, at Bishop Ireton High School cafeteria or online via Zoom. City staff will present community poll results and draft Guiding Principles, followed by Q&A and discussion. Food, childcare, and Spanish/Amharic interpretation will be provided upon request by September 18.

October is Affordable Housing Month! Many events are taking place over the next 2 months. There will be a Consolidated Plan Update Kickoff Meeting on Wednesday, September 3 at 6:30pm. The County Board meets again on Saturday, September 13 with a full agenda. And in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Housing Master Plan, the County is holding a Children's Art Contest. There will also be a Lunch & Learn to present Arlington's updated Housing Needs Analysis on Thursday, October 2 at noon.

The Affordable Housing Ordinance Working Group will present preliminary findings at the Housing Commission's September 4 meeting. Action will be taken on the recommendations at a follow up meeting on September 16.

To help mitigate flooding and extreme heat risks and improve climate resilience, Arlington is considering a maximum impervious area requirement in lower density, residentially zoned areas. The County's Low Residential Study, will include multiple information and feedback sessions, beginning with a virtual Q&A session on Friday, September 5 at noon.

NVAHA’s Immigration & Affordable Housing Issues Working Group will meet again on Friday, September 12 at noon. If you wish to join this group, email [email protected]. 

A coalition of housing advocates will be presenting our Joint Statement Supporting a Vibrant, Diverse, Sustainable, and Inclusive Arlington on Saturday, September 13, at 9:30am, during the County Board meeting public comment period. Please alert us if your organization would like to sign on to the letter and we welcome all supportive individuals and groups to join our voices that morning!

Arlington Thrive is administering a new Federal Workforce & Federal Contractor Resilience Fund. The Fund was created for federal employees and federal contractors who "suddenly find themselves without income or reserves, and for whom a modest, timely boost can help prevent a spiral into long-term instability." The application for assistance is here.

Fairfax County announces $48M+ Available for Affordable Housing. The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) seeks affordable housing development and preservation partners to apply for more than $48M of funding. Requests for Proposals are being accepted on a rolling basis until all funds are awarded. Interested partners can apply online. FCRHA awards funds to partners who will deliver new construction with long-term affordability for preservation of market affordable or committed affordable properties, particularly where residents are at risk of displacement.

The draft Fairfax County Manufactured Housing Relocation Guidelines provide important relocation assistance information, including financial contributions, comprehensive services, and timely notifications about redevelopment activities. The guideline is available in English and  Spanish. The public comment period will be open until September 26. Please send any comments on the draft guidelines to: [email protected].

The NVAHA Fairfax Alliance meeting & Advocacy Toolkit discussion is scheduled for September 8, at 4:00pm via zoom. The guide highlights lessons learned in Fairfax, advocacy do’s and don’ts, and housing strategies that could educate other counties and regions. This is a collaborative opportunity, your input is essential. Whether you want to contribute to a chapter, resource, or leave feedback, we created this space to connect regularly, share updates, and learn from each other. Please click here for the draft. If you want to be added to the google calendar invite or have any questions, please contact [email protected].

The Falls Church City Council unanimously approved a refined version of the Affordable Living Policy (ALP) last month. The policy, with nine priority goals, now becomes part of Chapter 10: “Housing a Complete Community” of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. NVAHA was proud to serve as a consultant to the City on this plan and would like to thank the staff, City Council members and the members of their Affordable Living Policy Workgroup for their dedication and engagement throughout the process.

Loudoun’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) seeks public comment on the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). The CAPER details how federal funds have been used for a variety of housing, public service, and community development needs. It includes information on Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership programs. The public comment period closes on Monday, September 8.

Loudoun County’s FY 2026 Budget Story is now available online. This document is a resource for Loudoun residents to learn about the county’s budget. Included in the Community Development section is an interview with Brian Reagan, DHCD’s Assistant Director, noting an increase in the number of people seeking assistance in finding affordable housing.

Loudoun’s Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) adjusted its meeting schedule in July for the remainder of 2025. Meetings will include an in-person 15 minute public input session as the first item on the meeting agenda. It is anticipated that the TLUC will discuss the “Fast Track” expedited approval process for affordable land use applications at its October 22 meeting.

NVAHA has convened a task force to support the relocation of the residents of the Leesburg Mobile Park. Interested in getting involved? Contact Amanda at [email protected].

Join the Human Service Alliance of Prince William County for their 2025 Annual Meeting on September 10 from 9:00-11:00am at the Virginia Portuguese Community Center, 9509 Lee Ave W, Manassas, VA 20110. Jill Norcross, NVAHA Executive Director, will serve as the Keynote Speaker.

The City of Manassas is conducting a Downtown Housing Study and is looking for residents to complete a survey on housing needs. The City is studying if it is possible to develop affordable apartments, homes, and/or mixed-use buildings on two parcels of land in the heart of Historic Downtown Manassas across the street from the train station.

Save the date for October 6 for a symposium about “Middle-Income and First-Time Home Buyer Housing Needs of Northern Virginia: Examining the Extent of the Problem – Creating Solutions” at George Mason University’s Van Metre Hall, Arlington, VA. It will be hosted by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) and George Mason University’s Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship (CREE).  Learn more at NVRC.

Save the date for October 10 at noon for the Regional Elected Leaders Initiative webinar on “Housing: Is NOVA on the Road to Meeting our Region's Housing Needs?” Registration requested.

MWCOG’s Housing Affordability Planning Program (HAPP) will award small, flexible grants of up to $75K to area local governments and non-profit developers (with the support of a local jurisdiction) engaged in planning, approving, or developing housing near transit stations. The next round of applications opens today, September 2. HAPP, administered by COG and financed by the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, aims to advance the region’s shared housing targets to increase the amount, affordability, and accessibility of our housing supply and help work toward creating more transit-oriented communities. Applications are due on October 10 at 5 PM. For questions, contact [email protected].

Senator Mark Warner, VACO, Virginia Housing Alliance, and Henrico County are hosting a Keys to Housing Affordability Summit on September 8, from 8am-12 noon at the Westin Richmond, 6631 West Broad Street, Richmond VA.  There is no fee to attend but registration is required.  This half-day summit will bring together local elected officials, housing and economic development leaders, and nonprofit partners from across the Commonwealth to share innovative solutions and discuss the future of housing affordability in Virginia. This summit is an official, nonpartisan, constituent services event.

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is accepting applications for the Manufactured Home Park Acquisition Pilot (MHPAP) Program, supporting efforts by manufacturing home park residents and nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3)) to acquire manufactured home communities in Virginia. By facilitating resident or nonprofit ownership, the program aims to preserve affordable housing options and prevent the involuntary displacement of current residents. Applications are available in CAMS and will be accepted on a rolling basis as funding allows.

The Virginia Housing Trust Fund - Homeless Reduction Grant application is now open. The goal of the HTF-HRG program is to reduce homelessness in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will support Continuum of Care (CoC) strategies and homeless service projects that are or will be a part of an effective emergency crisis response system to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief, and one time. All applicants will be required to submit their project applications through the CAMS system in order to be considered for the 2026 HTF-HRG program. Applications are due by Friday, September 12.  For any questions please contact [email protected] or call (804) 965-4690.

The final version of the federal fiscal year 2025 Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 1) was signed into law on July 4. The bill includes a provision that lowers the private activity bond financing threshold from 50% to 25% of aggregate basis for buildings placed in service after Dec. 31. In response to this new federal provision, there will be no changes to Virginia Housing’s current policies for projects to be funded by bonds issued in 2025.  Virginia Housing is currently evaluating the implications of this change for its tax-exempt loan program moving forward. Additional information will be forthcoming. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].

The Bipartisan Policy Center released an explainer on the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025. The ROAD to Housing Act includes a wide range of policy approaches to address housing affordability, including provisions to boost supply, modernize financing options, reduce regulatory barriers, promote economic mobility, and enhance program oversight and coordination.

Our partners at Enterprise issued a recent blog about the House Appropriations Committee approval of the HUD fiscal year 2026 (FY26) spending bill. In addition, their helpful FY 2026 Budget Request and Appropriations Chart provides a breakdown of the affordable housing and community development spending levels proposed by the administration, House, and Senate.

• Just Action, the follow up book to The Color of Law, has been released. Take a look at their website, discussion guide, and list of strategies to dismantle segregation.
• GenZers are flocking to these Midwest housing markets where homes are about 30% cheaper than the coasts, Fortune.
• Opportunity Zones 2.0: Here are the D.C.-area census tracts that qualify under new criteria, Washington Business Journal (paywall)
• Trump’s Homeless Encampment Clearings Are Just Shuffling People Around, Washingtonian