Two working groups will kick off their efforts next week to help the community identify long-term solutions to the housing crisis in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County.
The groups will meet collectively for the first time on Sept. 4 at 9 a.m. at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center in Waynesboro. The kickoff event will serve as a starting point to begin work on an action plan with an end goal to get everyone housed in the SAW region.
The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, Valley Community Services Board, Augusta Health and numerous other organizations have spent more than a year learning more about what the community is facing related to rising rent, the path to home ownership, housing instability and homelessness in the region.
The effort publicly began last year with a two-day housing summit in October followed by a series of “Lunch and Learn” educational events.
In July, the months of work coasleced into an action plan that included four working groups who would seek out long-term solutions to housing insecurity in the area. However, Dan Layman, president and CEO of the CFCBR told AFP Wednesday that they have pared the groups down to two.
One group will focus on actions that can be taken to spur the development of new rental and home-ownership opportunities.
The second group will focus on the systems that need to be in place to ensure the community can respond quickly and efficiently when households are experiencing a housing crisis, as well as having systems in place that foster housing stability.
Layman said the two groups may break some of the work into subcommittees.
“If we’re going to make meaningful progress on this issue, we need to be prepared to play the long game,” said Layman, in a previous interview with AFP. “I view this as a minimum of a 10-year endeavor. If we’re going to get to a point where the housing stock in our community meets the demand at levels for residents in our community, we really need to be looking out at least 10 years.”
While the action plan was unveiled in July, the kickoff to the working groups was delayed until September when a regional housing study by the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission was scheduled to be completed.
An abbreviated public version of the housing study should be available by mid-week next week, Layman told AFP.
Some initiatives may be put in place quickly including homeowner preparation and education to assist potential first-time homebuyers.
“We are also advancing our discussions with the Virginia Statewide Community Land Trust on possible local partnerships that could result in more affordable home-ownership opportunities,” Layman said.
“As they say, the rubber will begin to hit the road when we convene next week and have the first meeting of the two working groups.”
Registration to the kickoff and more information is available online.
Additional coverage
For more stories, search “housing insecurity” on Augusta Free Press.
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Crystal Graham
