Ballooning apartment prices coupled with budget cuts are threatening low-income housing programs in Alexandria, and forcing local leaders to reach for long-term solutions.
The city’s stock of low-income housing units has declined more than 55 percent since 2000, from 18,000 homes and apartments to just 8,000 in 2008, according to Housing Director Mildrilyn Davis.
“We’re focusing our efforts on preserving the units we have left,” Davis said. “We have a number of people who work in the city that can’t afford to live here, and we need to improve that situation.”
On top of that, the City Council is considering chopping $687,000 — about 30 percent — from the housing department’s budget allocation.
That will mean fewer development opportunities to maintain and expand the city’s low-income housing program.
To counteract the budget cuts and low-income housing declines, city officials recently announced the creation of a new housing master plan. The plan, they say, will help stanch the outflow of low-income housing that has drained the city of inexpensive homes and rental units over the past decade.
“The purpose of the master plan is to be proactive so we can understand what housing opportunities we need and then look for ways to fulfill them,” said Councilman Rob Krupicka.
Krupicka explained that the city had always approached low-income housing needs “reactively” as new housing requirements or development opportunities arose. He said the new master plan would help focus the city’s future housing development efforts.
“I think that the City Council is very supportive of affordable housing, we’re just in a very tough financial situation right now,” Davis said.
Michael Caison, who chairs the city’s affordable-housing advisory committee, agreed that budget constraints hampered the City Council’s ability to assist the low-income housing program. But he said it was still important for city leaders to work to support an economically diverse mix of residents.
“It’s a great place to live, and it’s a place where folks should be able to start their professional lives,” Caison said. “So we need to maintain the broad cross section of housing that the city has that serves a lot of different income levels.”
