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Council reviews six-year plan for Falls Church affordable housing fund as city commits funds to multiple programs
Summary
Staff presented a six-year strategy for the city's Affordable Housing Fund, summarizing funding sources, programs (committed affordable units, homeownership, acquisition fund) and proposals for building reserves to preserve and expand affordability; council asked for preservation cost estimates and staffing needs.
The council received a multi-year plan for the city’s Affordable Housing Fund during the April 7 work session. Dana Jones and housing staff outlined a six-year program to use committed funds and grants to expand affordability and to build a preservation reserve.
Funding and programs: The plan ties together multiple funding streams into programmatic uses: the City Committed Affordable Unit (CCAU) program, an Affordable Homeownership Program (NHP purchases), an Acquisition Strike Fund (Virginia Village effort), and a housing preservation fund. Several elements are funded with multi-year grant awards and previously appropriated ARPA/HUD/EDA funds. The plan proposes annual city transfers (example $150,000 in FY26 to CCAU) and anticipates a six-year total across programs including previously awarded grants and cash-in-lieu balances.
Preservation and priorities: Staff emphasized preservation work — extending covenants, purchasing at-risk properties, and directing funds to nonprofits that provide rent assistance and rehabilitation. The Acquisition Strike Fund (Virginia Village) includes funds already appropriated and managed in partnership with the EDA; staff noted the fund is revolving and intended to enable timely property acquisitions.
Unmet needs and staffing: Housing and human services staff warned of increased front-line demand for emergency financial assistance and case management; average annual emergency-assistance spending in recent years is approximately $17,000 but FY25 usage ran higher with several emergency cases in March tied to workforce changes. Staff requested two additional FTEs as unmet needs: an HHS coordinator (estimated $70,000) and a behavioral-health specialist (about $107,000) to absorb rising casework and mental-health needs associated with housing instability.
Next steps and questions: Council asked staff for more granular information: (a) breakdown of waitlist priorities (priority 1, 2, 3) to understand which household groups would most immediately benefit from new units or rehousing, and (b) cost estimates and timelines for preserving specific at-risk sites such as Pearson Square. Councilmembers also asked that staff coordinate with school social workers and food-bank partners to track increased service demand and to return with a recommended emergency-assistance level for FY26.
