Housing

There should be housing opportunities for all income groups. Policemen, firemen, teachers and those who provide services to city residents should be able to live in the communities they serve. We need to recognize that not dealing with this issue will contribute to high costs for services and affect retention. We also have an obligation to help city residents who cannot take care of themselves.

Allowing increased housing density and height will not address the need for affordability. At the recent regional housing summit, a presentation by the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors acknowledged that under current conditions, just building more housing will not make it more affordable. A review of recent infill development and replacement of housing in the city by the Planning Department noted that new infill housing was more expensive than the housing it replaced. The solution will include such things as reducing housing construction fees, tax abatement, guaranteed loan programs, and partnerships with private organizations to take advantage of tax credits.

What Has Been Accomplished:

President of the first Church Shelter Board.
Chaired the Housing Taskforce that adopted the Region’s first Affordable Housing Plan.
Championed the Virginia Housing Development Authority proposal to invest in reviewing current regional affordable housing efforts and planning for the future.

The Next Four Years:

Look at programs in other jurisdictions that provide housing support for employees and residents– rental/mortgage assistance through loan guarantees, housing authorities, etc.
Working with our regional partners begin to implement the recommendations of the Revised Regional Affordable Housing Plan.
Identify federal/state/ private funding opportunities and partnerships to assist in meeting housing goals.

We have an obligation to help those who cannot help themselves. I have tried to live up to that idea by serving on the first shelter board and continuing to help through participation in the Point in Time Count and supporting homeless initiatives within the city and regionally.

Moving forward, we need to:

Continue to work towards a regional support plan through engagement with elected officials.
We need to hire a social service professional to deal directly with homeless issues on the street. To help provide support when problems arise and not rely on law enforcement. Identifying local, regional/state/ and federal funds for this position.
Continue to work with regional and state officials, and with the regional Continuum of Care to ensure resources are are having a positive impact on ending homelessness.

Drop Matt A Line

Map showing the future growth of the city and neighboring jurisdictions. Fredericksburg is located in the middle of the yellow area marking residential development. Housing is not defined solely by jurisdictional boundaries. We must look at what is going on around us when planning for housing in the future.

We must also consider those without housing. We have an obligation to those less fortunate than ourselves. Matt has been involved in this issue beginning with the first Church Shelter Board.

Any discussion on future growth in Fredericksburg must involve the community. All ideas considered, questions answered and concerns addressed.

We do need to protect our unique neighborhood character while ensuring all who work in the city can also live here. Matt chaired the committee that established the region’s first housing affordability plan. There are a number of options and issues to address housing. There are no simple solutions.

We must also consider those without housing. We have an obligation to those less fortunate than ourselves. Matt has been involved in this issue beginning with the first Church Shelter Board.