Residents and community groups pressed the Alexandria City Council on March 15 to prioritize deeper-affordability housing in the city manager's proposed FY2026 operating and capital budgets.

Speakers representing Tenants and Workers United, Legal Aid Justice Center, Voice and other neighborhood groups asked the council to continue and expand the ARISE guaranteed-income pilot and to create locally funded voucher and rental subsidy programs targeted at households earning 40% to 50% of area median income.

"Housing is a human right," said Natalie Zelaya, a community organizer with Tenants and Workers United. Zelaya asked the council to include $5 million to extend the ARISE pilot for two more years to help up to 600 additional families and $10 million to create a locally funded voucher program for households at or below 40% of area median income. Multiple speakers said the city's proposed $30 million housing budget for FY2026 did not reach the lowest-income renters.

Legal Aid Justice Center housing attorney Larissa Zehr urged the council to preserve ARISE's $500 payments, warning that without new money the program's roughly 70 participants will lose benefits in June 2025. Zehr and other speakers described the city's pilot rental subsidy program as already serving about 37 households and said expanding that program would help stabilize very low-income families.

Faith and neighborhood leaders likewise called for new revenue tools and use of the city's bonding authority to advance approved projects. "We need dedicated revenue streams, like a modest increase in the meal tax and other solutions," said Stephanie Porta of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.

City staff answered several budget-related questions during the hearing: a staff member confirmed the pilot rental subsidy currently supports 37 families and that ARISE served roughly 70 participants; Director Routt agreed to prepare a budget memo on cost and capacity to expand the rental-subsidy pilot. Council members noted they have not proposed a tax increase for FY2026; any program expansions would therefore need to be funded by new fees, other revenues, reprioritization, or bonds.

Why it matters: Speakers described rising rents and stagnant wages as an immediate threat to long-term residents and immigrant households. Advocates said targeted local investments in guaranteed income and voucher programs can prevent displacement more quickly than new housing production alone.

What's next: Staff committed to provide memos on the rental-subsidy program's current cost and capacity, and council members asked advocates to suggest specific reprioritization options if they oppose tax increases.