CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Wednesday afternoon will hear project proposals for its Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF) which has funded more than $22-million worth of projects since its 2019 formation.
The proposed 2027 budget has about $5-million designated for the fund, which is under the health and welfare umbrella comprising about 7%.
That 2027 total is about half of what the Rev. Susan Collins and an organization she represents, IMPACT (Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together), has been asking for.
“The housing crisis in our community is a huge problem that you well know because you’re heard about every single year,” Collins told the Board of Supervisors during public comment in their first meeting of March. “I cannot urge you strongly enough to fully support the investment fund so that the housing crisis doesn’t blossom and bloom even more,” Collins said.
The largest amount of money out of the AHIF has gone for projects at Southwood.
According to the county AHIF page, Habitat for Humanity in Greater Charlottesville received a $2.5-million matching grant for a $29-million HUD grant to “support installation of new water/sewer infrastructure to serve a total of 150 new units in Southwood Village 3”.
In 2019, the initial year of the fund, Habitat also received $1.8-million for construction of 75 homes in Southwood Phase 1 for households ranging from 25%-to-80% AMI.
In 2023, Piedmont Housing Alliance got the largest distribution from the funds of $3-million for construction of 121 affordable units in Hickory Hope Apartments in the Southwood Community.
According the county webpage, AHIF is “intended to support affordable housing initiatives that are one-costs and will support the County’s strategic and housing goals. The AHIF receives funding from allocations of general revenue funds, and developer payments received in lieu of constructing affordable housing units.”
In a March 12 work session, County Chief of Budget Katelyn Malcolm said the $22-million investments over seven years, “have resulted in the construction and preservation of over 1700 units of affordable housing units, both renter and owner occupied; shelter and supportive services for over 280 victims of domestic violence and 539 individuals experiencing homelessness; and it’s also resulted in housing counseling and navigation support for over 788 individuals and families.”
“The main things they’ve been fighting for for the past decade is really robust funding, and what they’ve settled into is a very particularized ask for 10 million towards the Albemarle Housing Investment Fund, our tool we use for building affordable housing in the county,” Scottsville Supervisor Mike Pruitt on Cville Right Now Live March 5 touted the efforts of IMPACT. “We’ve seen really remarkable development over the last ten years since they started advocating for this, we actually have a housing investment fund.
“Now it’s getting it toward the level of funding which they’re calling for, which I agree with.”
The county page noted, “AHIF funds can be used to support a variety of affordable housing initiatives including homeowner rehabilitation projects, construction of affordable rental units and homeownership opportunities, construction of Permanent Supportive Housing units, energy efficiency upgrades, and non-congregate shelter services. during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
County Chief Human Service Officer Kaki Dimock is slated to present the proposals.
