NVAHA led two important advocacy initiatives to raise resources at the local level to support affordable housing production. The first was a 2005 campaign for the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust Fund for Fairfax County. This campaign laid out the chronic shortage of housing in the county; outlined the benefits of having a dedicated revenue source; what it would mean for residents struggling with increasing rents; and articulated the impact that inadequate housing would have on the community. NVAHA pushed for a dedicated revenue source that would provide funding for preservation of existing market-affordable housing. The resources would ultimately result in the preservation of 4,000 units over a 4-year period.
The second initiative, in 2018, urged the Alexandria City Council to support a 1% increase in the meals tax, a move that would generate approximately $4.75 million annually to support the production of 65-75 long-term affordable units each year. An analysis of the proposed increase showed that a modest 1% increase (from 4% to 5%) would not negatively impact restaurant sales, and it pointed to the fact that up to 68% of those who dine in the City are non-residents. Alexandria is the only jurisdiction in Northern Virginia with a dedicated source of revenue for housing, supporting additional housing production and providing certainty to the development community of the City’s commitment to affordable housing.