- Problem: Far too many low- and middle-income individuals in the community are rent-burdened, meaning they pay at least 30% of income for housing, with some paying as much as 50% or more in income; there is also a 4,000 unit shortage of rental housing in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area
- Solutions: The city of Charlottesville established the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund (CAHF) in 2008.
- Results: Millions have been invested into the CAHF resulting in now over 2000 affordable homes being built throughout Charlottesville.
Like many university towns, Charlottesville-Albemarle experiences an affordable housing crisis. In 2007, there was a 4,000 unit shortage of affordable rental housing. Far too many low-income and even middle-income families were rent-burdened, meaning they paid at least 30% of income for housing. Others paid as much as 50% or more of their income for housing, meaning they had to choose between paying rent and feeding their families.
The Solution
Fixing our housing shortage requires long-term sustained investment. In 2007 we brought Charlottesville city councilors to our Nehemiah Action and won commitments to create the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund (CAHF). The CAHF has operated succesfully for almost 20 years now and has funded the creation of over 2000 affordable homes in the city.