Local leaders looking to solve the issue of homelessness in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County are moving forward with their work despite the delay of a much-anticipated Regional Housing Study by the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission.
The study should be released in a couple of weeks. It was originally scheduled to be released mid-summer. However, the delays, in part, are due to the review process with municipalities in the region.
The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge has spearheaded an effort for more than a year with an end goal to eradicate homelessness in the region.
After an initial housing summit last fall and a year of “Lunch and Learn” events, two working groups have emerged: one to focus on development and home-ownership opportunities, and the second to focus on the systems that need to be in place to respond to a housing crisis.
An action plan was presented to the community in July. However, the formational meeting of the working groups was pushed back until September so the housing study could be used as a guide for the groups.
Despite the lack of the study, both groups had formational meetings in early September, and the housing stock group had their first full meeting since then, according to Dan Layman, the president and CEO of the Community Foundation. The housing stability group has their first meeting soon.
“The delay of the housing study release hampered our housing stock meeting a bit, but I’m hoping that we’ll have that before the next meeting,” Layman said.
Layman previously told AFP that he had hoped the localities would use the study when updating their comprehensive plans – and work to support the kind of housing “that we’re desperately short of right now.”
The CSPDC was awarded a $200,000 Community Impact Grant in 2022 from Virginia Housing to complete the study.
“The housing study will be a consumer-friendly version of the Technical Housing Report,” said Philippe Bone, a regional planner with the CSPDC.
The study will include regional strategies organized around easy wins and background work. Bone said it would cover what each potential solution does, how to do it, who does what, how to fund it and how to measure success.
The study will also include local findings with a focus on priority and secondary solutions specific to each locality. It also covers what each potential solution does, how to do it, who does what, how to fund it and how to measure success.
It covers Augusta, Bath, Highland, Rockbridge and Rockingham counties and the cities of Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton and Waynesboro.
More information and the report (when available) is available online.
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Crystal Graham
