United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA) awarded $50,000 in designated affordable housing funds through an Affordable Housing Initiative grant to the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND). The grant enables the development of a Communications Action Network (CAN) that will advocate for affordable housing throughout United Way NCA’s eight regions.

“This important, region-wide grant will increase collaboration, inform our communities and civic leaders, plus create a united voice in support of the rapidly growing need for affordable housing,” said United Way NCA President and CEO Bill Hanbury. “The call to act now and act together is compelling.”

Over the next two decades, according to George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, 731,457 new housing units will be needed to house the region’s growing workforce. Many of these new workers will have jobs that pay less than the area median income. In addition, in D.C. alone, more than 6,500 people are currently homeless, of which more than 1,600 are children. Some 39,000 households are on the waiting list for Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing. An additional 47,500 households spend 50 percent or more of their incomes on housing, leaving little for other basic needs.

“The challenges of providing housing that people can afford impact each local jurisdiction and thus our entire region,” observed Heather M. Raspberry, executive director of HAND. The regional nonprofit organization is dedicated to building a professional community of housing providers in order to increase the supply of affordable housing in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C.-Richmond corridor. “It’s important that we communicate these realities effectively so we can help policymakers and housing providers better meet the need,” she added.

Join us in sharing the positive benefits of housing affordability across the region.