More than a half dozen local government leaders met with U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge to explore opportunities for collaboration to help address the region’s housing needs. The officials covered a range of topics—housing production and affordability, housing discrimination, and homelessness—as well as strategies and resources to tackle these challenges.
The meeting was intended to build on President Biden’s State of The Union Address, which included affordably priced housing as an essential part of his economic agenda. It also took place less than a month after the February COG Board of Directors meeting where local leaders discussed housing initiatives in their jurisdictions and progress toward the regional targets that they set for 2030.
At the meeting with Secretary Fudge, area officials talked about the substantial need for more housing at the right price points and in the right places, such as locations near transit. They also provided details on their recent efforts to make rental vouchers available through federal COVID relief packages, increase their housing trust funds, and forge new partnerships with private sector and nonprofit partners to preserve and create housing.
Fudge acknowledged the issues facing the region, while noting that a lack of housing, especially for low- and middle-income households, is a problem nationwide. She said that there are about 18 million people in the U.S. spending more than half of their income on housing—a figure well above the maximum 30 percent of monthly income for housing costs advised by financial experts.
The HUD Secretary stressed the urgency of the moment and encouraged the county leaders to take full advantage of the resources from the bipartisan infrastructure bill and COVID relief packages, such as the $10 billion in federal funding dedicated to homelessness. Fudge said HUD is focused on ways to preserve communities and keep housing affordable, such as making loans available for amounts under $100,000, which have been traditionally hard to obtain, and extending the time period for nonprofits and individuals to purchase real estate owned homes rather than investors. She also said the administration is interested in infusing even more resources into the housing market with a big portion of funding dedicated to maintaining public housing.
COG Board Chair and Arlington County Board Vice Chair Christian Dorsey highlighted the close connections between housing and the region’s other key priorities--improving transportation, fighting climate change, and advancing equity, which together make up COG’s Metropolitan Washington Planning Framework for 2030. Several of the participants talked about how preserving and creating affordably priced units along current and planned transit-corridors like the Purple Line in Maryland or The One bus rapid transit system along Richmond Highway in Virginia can unlock opportunities for traditionally underserved communities. They proposed partnering more closely with HUD and the U.S. Department of Transportation to realize this goal.
Regarding equity, Fudge said more work is needed to address longstanding issues, such as racial bias related to home appraisals, which has favored white homeowners over Black ones. She also noted how zoning has historically been a major impediment by both excluding certain groups from communities and causing increases to the already high costs of building new homes. COG members noted their work to weave equity into decision-making on housing and a wide range of local policies and programs. In addition, participants noted the forthcoming Regional Housing Equity Plan, which will ensure goals and strategies are in place regionwide to ensure that all residents have a choice when it comes to determining where they want to live, free from discrimination.
COG helped organize the meeting, which was hosted by Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and spearheaded by Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice, through his role as Chair of Human Services and Education for the National Association of Counties. COG staff members will work with their HUD counterparts on the ideas discussed and consider future opportunities for engagement.
The event was held at The Lewis, a new-construction senior apartment community located in the Town Square at Suitland Federal Center near the Suitland Metrorail station. According to a Prince George’s County press release, its Department of Housing and Community Development awarded $1.5 million in federal Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds and a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) to the developers of this project, allowing them the ability to offer affordable units to seniors with restricted incomes.