On Jan. 22, the Joe and Mary Wilson Community Benefit Fund of Mary Washington Hospital Foundation announced grant funding applications approved by the Mary Washington Hospital Board of Trustees. In this round of funding, the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) received a grant in the amount of $45,622 to support the ongoing efforts of sustainable housing affordability solutions in Planning District 16.
The awarded grant from the Joe and Mary Wilson Community Benefit Fund will support staffing of the Regional Housing Assembly (RHA). Staffed by the GWRC, the RHA serves as an advisory group of volunteers in partnership with multi-sector stakeholders related to health and housing. Composed of an overarching consortium of housing interests, the RHA enhances regional coordination, communication, and effectiveness toward overall housing conditions in Planning District 16.
Formed from the 2022 Community Health Implementation Plan (CHIP) to address the region’s need for a centralized voice around address the region’s affordable housing issues, the RHA is responsible for generating research and data on housing-relate issues with a focus on housing production, diversity, accessibility, cost, location, design, and increasing housing stability for the region’s residents.
This is the second year that the GWRC has received this funding. In the first year of funding, the GWRC was focused on forming the RHA and beginning to build awareness of the region’s housing crisis. In October 2023, the RHA hosted the first Regional Housing Summit focused on educating citizens within PD-16 on the challenges and current initiatives related to affordable housing. Following the summit a report was created targeting three main priorities for the region:
- Use comprehensive plan updates to explore density options and expand housing education efforts.
- Incubate a new entity with powers similar to a housing authority.
- Increase housing rehab and critical repair assistance programs.
Read the full 2023 Regional Housing Summit Report here. The 2024 summit is set for Oct. 24.
The RHA meets at the George Washington Regional Commission building monthly, and all meetings are open to the public.
