A George Mason University study could change the way the county defines “moderate” income, leading to more residents being eligible for rental assistance programs, according to a top Fairfax County housing official.
“We’re seeing more and more people who have jobs here but cannot live here — and they’re moving away,” said Department of Housing and Community Development Director Paula Sampson. “There is a concern [that the county won’t] have enough housing for our work force.”
The tremendous increase in housing costs prompted the county to re-examine its current concept of middle-income families. For years, the county used an 80 percent median-income standard to define “moderate” income, a guideline that may no longer be current, said Sampson.
Fairfax County commissioned a study from GMU’s Center for Regional Analysis to update the definition, the results of which are expected to be made public next week.
Any changes would mainly apply to eligibility for rental properties owned by the county, Sampson said.
As in other parts of Northern Virginia, skyrocketing housing prices in recent years have dramatically affected the cost of living in the county.
Center for Regional Analysis Deputy Director John McClain said a family making the median income in 2000 would pay 38 percent of its income on a mortgage for the median-priced house.
Five years later, however, a median-income family would pay 71 percent of its income on a median priced house.
The Center for Regional Analysis examined factors that included housing costs, rental rates and cost of living in the study, McClain said.
