Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Resources Advisory Committee Funding Opportunities Affordable Housing Initiative click here to return home
 

 


 

Friday, Feb. 26, 2010

Developing the “Housing Blueprint”: A Model of Collaboration
Non-Profits, Advocates Worked Together to Realize Board Policy Vision

The endorsement of the “Housing Blueprint” by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in late January was the culmination of a months-long collaborative process led by the Department of Housing and Community Development, working with other county agencies, non-profit housing and social service providers and advocates.  This process was a model of effective community policy-making, which produced a consensus for a new direction in Fairfax County’s affordable housing efforts. 

On Monday, Feb. 15, Chairman Bulova, of the Board of Supervisors’ wrote a letter to the editor of the Springfield Connection newspaper, which endorsed the “Housing Blueprint.” A copy of the letter to the editor can be viewed here.

The Board’s Vision: The genesis of the Housing Blueprint was the Board’s discussion of affordable housing policy at its retreat in June 2009.  During that discussion, the Board explored the trends impacting affordable housing in the county, including the new pressures produced by the ongoing recession, and reached a consensus vision that:

  • The county’s affordable housing programs and investments should focus on providing housing for those with the greatest need;
  • The county still must address the continuum of housing needs, from the experiencing homelessness through workforce housing. 
  • The county’s non-profit partners and the private sector should play an even greater role in providing creative affordable housing solutions. 

Based on those principles, a first draft of the Housing Blueprint was developed by HCD and presented to the Board’s Housing Committee in September 2009.  The Board expressed confidence that the draft was reflective of their vision, and asked that metrics and funding estimates be developed to implement the proposal in FY 2011. 

Community Leadership in Action: It was at this point that the county’s non-profit partners and affordable housing advocates assumed the leadership role in identifying specific steps to implement the Blueprint.  The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee appointed a special subcommittee led by Shelley Murphy, Executive Director of Wesley Housing, and Marlene Blum, of the Alliance for Human Service, to review the Blueprint.  The subcommittee, which included representatives from the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB), the Community Action Advisory Board, the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, and the firefighters union, among others, worked over two months to refine the Blueprint, adding overarching goals and specific metrics. 

Parallel to and in concert with the work of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee were the efforts of the “Housing Options Work Group”.  This group, made up of a variety of non-profit groups serving the homeless and staff from the CSB and the Department of Family Services, was co-convened by Paula Sampson, Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, and Dean Klein, Director of the county’s new Office to Prevent and End Homelessness.  This group focused specifically on ensuring consistency between the metrics developed for the Blueprint and those being developed for the Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.  In addition, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) formed a special subcommittee, consisting of its chair and vice-chair, as well as the chairs of its committees, to review and comment on the Blueprint.

Getting Results: The result of this process was the development of specific metrics to be achieved in FY 2011 using a combination of re-focused, existing resources and up to $10.1 million in additional county funds, if approved by the Board of Supervisors.  The Advisory Committee, the CSB, the Housing Options Work Group and the FCRHA all endorsed the Blueprint and a set of priority recommendations for any additional county funding in FY 2011.  The Board adopted the Blueprint on January 26 and will consider the funding recommendations as part of the FY 2011 budget process, which is now underway. 

For More Information:A copy of the Blueprint document can be found here.  A one-page summary of the FY 2011 Blueprint metrics, including the county funding requests, can be found here.  The January 19, 2010 staff presentation to the Board Housing Committee, which includes the priority recommendations for county funding, can be found here.