Whose Backyard Is It Anyway?

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• Whose Backyard Is It Anyway?
• Overcoming NIMBY
• Presentation by Pamela L. Michell
• Executive Director, New Hope Housing, Inc.
• Alexandria, VA
• July 11, 2007

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(No Transcript)
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Washington, D.C. Region
Metropolitan Region population in 2005
4,978,700 Population of Fairfax County, Virginia
1,041,200
2005 median household income Washington D.C.
MSA 74,708 Fairfax County, Virginia 94,610
Population data and map from the Metropolitan
Washington Council of Governments, Growth Trends
to 2030 Cooperative Forecasting in the
Washington Region, Fall 2006. Income data 2005
American Community Survey.
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Homelessness in the Fairfax and Falls Church
communities

• 1,813 homeless persons on January 25, 2007
• 730 single individuals
• 1,083 persons in families
• (307 families with 674 children under 18)

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Housing costs are high while incomes are low
Most homeless have incomes below poverty

• 82 of single individuals
• 54 of homeless families

Only 4.4 of county population is below poverty
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Housing costs are high while incomes are low

• The average 1-bedroom rent is 1,093/month
• Income needed is 43,720/year
• 90 of singles have income below 15,000
• The average 2-bedroom rent is 1,306/month
• Income needed is 52,240/year
• 82 of families have income below 30,000

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Fairfax County a suburban/urban county

• 395 square miles, with 1,041,200 people
• No downtown several commercial areas
• Lack of old hotels, warehouses, etc.
• SF neighborhoods, condo, townhouse communities,
  and garden apartments
• Increasing density
• Limited undeveloped land

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Fairfax County Politics

• 10 Member Board of Supervisors
• 9 magisterial districts, each with 1 supervisor
• At large chairman of the Board
• Magisterial veto
• Dillon Rule state

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Three Stories

• Siting a shelter
• Siting a safe haven
• Siting affordable housing

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Siting a Shelter

• Task force recommendation in 2000

• County Project
• Support and involvement of senior staff
• Support and involvement of elected officials
• County land
• County funds

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Siting a Shelter

• Neighborhood concerns the usual
• Response
• Hold public meetings and private conversations
• Have a consistent message
• Listen and respond to concerns

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Hanley Shelter Neighbors
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Hanley Shelter
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Hanley Shelter Neighbors
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Siting a Shelter
When local government puts its weight behind
something, it will happen. It may be slow but it
will happen.
Moral
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Siting a Safe Haven

• Hot potato project of the Continuum of Care in
  1995
• Site identification
• Meeting with local elected supervisor
• Open community meeting

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Siting a Safe Haven

• Use by right
• Fair housing
• Consistent message
• Listen and respond to concerns

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Maxs Place a safe haven
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Maxs Place Neighbor
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Siting a Safe Haven
Stick to your vision and the law Buy a flack
jacket In the end, it will be okay
Moral
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Siting Affordable Housing

• 33 acres owned Fairfax County, purchased with
  CDBG funds
• Vacant/passive parkland
• 5 acres zoned commercial
• 18 acres zoned R-2
• 11 acres zoned R-MHP, 6 units/acre

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North Hill
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Siting Affordable Housing

• Hypothermia and the faith community, then and
  now
• Efforts of local faith coalition on affordable
  housing/SROs
• Local supervisor moves from no how/no way to
  over-riding his own advisory committee

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Siting Affordable Housing

• Elected officials want political cover
• Mobilized and motivated individual citizens can
  provide it

Moral
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Next Siting a Samaritan Initiative

• Use by right
• Want county funds for match
• Need supervisor letter of support

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Contact Information

• Pamela L. Michell
• Executive Director
• New Hope Housing, Inc.
• 8407-E Richmond Highway
• Alexandria, VA 22309
• 703-799-2293 ext.17
• pmichell_at_newhopehousing.org
• www.newhopehousing.org
• www.fairfaxcounty.gov\homeless