Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 4th - polls are open 6am - 7pm. It is also the last day to drop off/postmark absentee ballots. Same-day registration is available at your assigned polling place, where you can register and vote using a provisional ballot that will be verified after Election Day.

The City of Alexandria will hold two public hearings in November on proposed updates to the Potomac Yard Master Plan and Coordinated Development District (CDD #10). These changes are needed to allow new residential development, including Wesley Housing’s 88-unit affordable housing project at 601 E. Glebe Road (Docket 8). The Planning Commission will review the amendments on Thursday, November 6, followed by  a City Council public hearing on Saturday, November 15. Advocates are encouraged to speak up. Learn more here or contact [email protected].

The Office of Housing will host a virtual meeting on Monday, November 17 at 6:30pm to present and gather feedback on the Landlord-Tenant and Affordable Housing Preservation recommendations. This discussion is part of the Housing 2040 Master Plan update, which will guide the city’s housing strategies through 2040. Register here.

City Council has appointed six new members to the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) Board to restore operations and oversight. The appointments follow the Council’s request for the resignation of all previous board members after it was discovered that the former CEO was living in an ARHA-managed public housing unit. Three seats remain open and will be filled through the standard appointment process. Council members underscored the importance of including ARHA residents in the board’s future composition and decision-making.

Arlington is conducting its Comprehensive Plan update and creating an introductory chapter. NVAHA and several other organizations provided a letter encouraging sustainability, inclusion and diversity to be key considerations in the update. To complete the feedback form (by Nov 16), you can reference these Talking Points. There are 2 more community meetings (both virtual) on Nov. 5 (multiple language interpretation) and Nov. 6 (in English only). Please consider sharing our letter and/or talking points directly with County Board members.

The County is embarking on a Low Residential Study to improve stormwater management, expand the tree canopy, and limit impervious surfaces. How might these goals impact housing production? Find out at an open house on Thursday, Nov. 13th at 7pm. For more information on the study, visit the Study’s FAQ page and view this recent Low Rez Study staff presentation.

In conjunction with the redevelopment proposal for 249 new committed 100% affordable (CAF) units at Leckey Gardens, off Langston Blvd., all are invited to an In-Person Walking Tour on Friday, Nov. 14, from 12-1pm, at 2031 N. Woodrow Street, at the corner with 20th Road N.

Food / Job Insecurity: Arlington and the state will be partially replacing suspended federal SNAP benefits with state and local funding. Here is an Arlington DHS flyer listing all Arlington food resources: Free Food Assistance Across the County - please share it widely! Arlington Thrive also offers a Resiliency Fund to support furloughed and unemployed residents.

Arlington is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Affordable Housing Master Plan (AHMP). To assess where we are, the County has released its 2025 Housing Needs Analysis, including the final document and presentation slides. Also available is the recording of the Oct 9, 2025 Housing Needs Analysis staff presentation.

In conjunction with the AHMP anniversary celebration, the County released this new AHMP video highlighting 10 years of progress, as well as explaining the work still left to be done to reach our goals of increased supply, access, and sustainability of housing throughout Arlington.

Our NVAHA~Arlington coalition, Housing Action Arlington (HAA), meets again on Wed., Nov. 12th at 12noon, (virtually). REGISTER now to join us!

The Town of Herndon is seeking public feedback for a new plan to guide future housing development and have launched a community survey to get a better understanding of the current state of housing in Herndon and what residents of both Herndon and the wider D.C. region would like to see prioritized in the years to come.

Fairfax County’s 2026 Draft Legislative Program was discussed on Tuesday, Oct. 7, as the Board of Supervisors’ Legislative Committee took a first look at staff proposals for the County’s 2026 General Assembly priorities. Fairfax County leaders appear ready to battle any efforts in the 2026 General Assembly Session to strip powers of local government to regulate creation of new housing.

The Board of Supervisors has authorized public hearings on a proposed Zoning Ordinance amendment, Residential Manufactured Home Parks and Related Revisions, to support the preservation of the County's manufactured home parks. Planning Commission Public Hearing: Wednesday, November 12, at 7:30 p.m. 

The Board of Supervisors will meet at 9:30am on Nov. 18 in the Board Auditorium of the Fairfax County Government Center.

The Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is collecting information to inform the next Consolidated Plan, which will cover fiscal years 2027-2031. The survey is confidential, will take about five minutes to complete, and is available in multiple languages. Responses will be used to inform the new Consolidated Plan. Please complete the online community survey available here.

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, together with partners Tysons Community Alliance, George Mason University Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship, Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, and Virginia Housing, convened “Housing Fairfax 2025: Tysons and Beyond.”

Fairfax County is updating its master plan through the Countywide Strategic Plan: Government Center Visioning Project and is seeking public input. Please send any comments if you’re unable to attend or prefer to submit your ideas in writing. Alternatively, please call 703-324-1380 to speak with county planning staff.

Fairfax County has cut ties with one of its homeless shelter providers in response to allegations of deteriorating conditions and mismanagement. The Department of Housing and Community Development’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (HCD OPEH) took control of Bailey’s Shelter & Supportive Housing.

Loudoun’s Department of Planning and Zoning shared a presentation with the Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) at their October 22 meeting on a proposed 12 month pilot for expedited review of applications for affordable housing developments. The TLUC approved the proposed pilot program, which would entail accepting up to three applications for affordable housing developments in the first year with the goal of completing the review and approval process within eight months. It now goes to the Board of Supervisors for approval.

At their October 21 meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved a loan of $19.3M from the Housing Trust to SCG Development Partners for construction of Moorefield Station Apartments. The development, located within a quarter mile of the Ashburn metro station, will include 249 apartments affordable to households at up to 70% of the area median income (AMI) and will include 26 apartments affordable at/below 30% AMI. The developer will include onsite resident service and is currently seeking funding from Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund. If awarded, this would represent Amazon’s first investment in Loudoun County.

In recognition of November as Homeless Youth Awareness Month, Loudoun’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will offer a free virtual lunch and learn program on November 12 from 12:00-1:00pm. The presentation will highlight the impact of homelessness on children, teens, and young adults, including LGBTQ+ youth, and the protections available to them under fair housing law. 

On November 13 from 5:00-6:30pm, Loudoun County will hold a public hearing to gather residents’ input on housing, homelessness, community development, and public service needs in the community. It will be held at the Leesburg DHCD office at 106 Catoctin Circle SE.

The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties announced this month the launch of the Loudoun Community Response Initiative, to assist individuals and families striving for financial stability, well-being, safety, and long-term security. One component is the Housing Displacement Support Grant, providing one-time funding for displacement and relocation support services to assist Loudoun residents of mobile or manufactured home communities to relocate to safe and stable housing. Applications for this grant opportunity are due November 19.

Applications are being accepted for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. Eligible projects or activities address a variety of community needs including housing, homelessness, and community and economic development. Applications must be submitted by November 20.

Prince William County's AfDU Ordinance will become effective on December 1.  The Department of Development Services recently shared the county's draft policies and procedures with the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association (NVBIA) to get their comments. The County is working with the residential development community to ensure they are implementing policies that will promote the construction of affordable housing units and not act as an impediment to that goal.

The Prince William County Planning Office has launched the Vint Hill Corridor Small Area Plan in the western Brentsville District, intended to plan for and balance the area’s rural and agricultural character with growing residential development and future public infrastructure and facilities planning along the Vint Hill Road corridor. Please join the Prince William Planning Office at the Vint Hill Corridor Small Area Plan Kickoff Meeting at Patriot High School on Monday, November 17 from 6-8pm. Registration is requested.

Prince William County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month, to celebrate the completion of construction of the Crisis Receiving Center Complex (CRC). The CRC will provide timely, compassionate, evidence-based behavioral health support to adults and youth in mental health crisis, with the goal of helping people to remain stable and maintain their housing during a mental health challenge.

Residents are invited to help plan the future of the Manassas Shopping Center on Thursday, November 13 from 6-8pm at the City of Manassas Community Center. Presentations from Community Conversations in June, and two draft concepts for the site will be discussed. RSVP here (English) Confirme su asistencia aquí (Español). 

DBHDS is pleased to share that the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) is offering its Trauma-Informed Property Management Certification to property management professionals working in Northern Virginia. The free certification series includes six 90-minute training sessions and weekly office hours where participants will engage in peer learning and apply the training to the local Northern Virginia context. This is a great opportunity for management staff at LIHTC properties that have a Target Population Leasing Preference and routinely interact with applicants and tenants who have disabilities. The six-week session begins in early February, and they are accepting applications through November 14.

The Cornerstones Faith Council and Advocacy Committee presents the 2025 Forum, “Prepare, Adapt, Thrive: A New Reality” on November 17 from 3-5pm at the ADAMS Center, 46903 Sugarland Road, Sterling, VA 20164. Join this inspiring and impactful gathering of faith and community leaders to work together to advance housing justice, food security, and the well-being and future of every child and family in our region. Register Here.

Governor Youngkin and Virginia Housing announced a new round of funding for the Virginia Workforce Housing Investment Program to support workforce housing development for owners and renters making 80%-120% of AMI in localities across the Commonwealth. In total, the WHIP has committed $75 million over five years with the potential to catalyze $750 million and build 5,000 units of workforce housing in conjunction with economic development projects in the Commonwealth. The application for this next round of funding will close on November 7.

The Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference will be held November 19-21 at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center in Roanoke, Virginia. NVAHA will be leading a session on an Advocacy/Messaging Toolkit for Affordable Housing on Thursday at 3:30 pm. In collaboration with a wide network of community partners, we are developing a Toolkit designed to help advocates and local leaders navigate opposition to affordable housing. We will use this session to get your feedback on the draft Toolkit, so please join us.

If you are heading to the Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference, come early for HousingForward Virginia’s session on Zoning for Housing Abundance with Eric Kronberg, on November 19 from 10:30am-12:00pm at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. Eric specializes in breaking down and demystifying regulations to find ways to make great projects possible while helping others navigate the redevelopment maze.

Urban Institute has released The American Affordability Tracker, a new interactive tool that provides timely data on the state of affordability in America - at the national, state, and congressional district level, where available, highlighting how Americans are faring financially across costs, resources, and key indicators of financial distress.

• Early warning signs for the DC region’s economy amid federal downsizing, Brookings
• 230,000 Families in the DC Area Will Lose Some or All of Their SNAP Benefits Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Urban Institute
• Home Prices Surge to Five Times Median Income, Nearing Historic Highs, JCHS
• Two-Thirds of Working-Age Renters Struggle to Afford Basic Needs, JCHS
• New DMV Monitor is Tracking the Impacts of Federal Spending and Staffing Cuts on the Washington Region, Brookings / MCOG
• The Shutdown Is Already Having A 'Chilling Effect' On Multifamily, BizNow
• Layoff Notices Sent To Hundreds At HUD, Fair Housing Staff Hit Hardest, Biznow
• The State of Housing in America, US Chamber of Commerce 9/2026

• Rising Unemployment Could Worsen Young Adults’ Housing Challenges, JCHS