V.O.I.C.E. of Northern Virginia

an Industrial Areas Foundation Affiliate

en espanol:   Plan de accion y objetiv  

AFFORDABLE HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS

Issues: Northern Virginia has an affordable housing crisis. A decade long run up in real estate values precipitated an unprecedented conversion of affordable apartments to condos and to luxury rentals, displacing thousands of low- and middle-income residents. Young families have also been priced out of the market and cannot afford to purchase homes. Nationwide, only Miami and Los Angeles have had a higher percentage increases in housing prices than NOVA since 2000. Critical to increasing the supply of affordable housing in NOVA are having the financial subsidies necessary to produce housing at below-market prices, free or low-cost land to decrease the overall costs of affordable housing production, and policies that require and incentivize the private market to produce and preserve affordable housing.

IMMIGRATION

Issues: 1) Citizenship Application Backlog & 2) English as a Second Language Access/Funding

1) Citizenship Application Backlog: Currently a severe Federal backlog exists in processing citizenship applications from NOVA legal immigrants, averaging 12.5 months in the Washington Metropolitan Area for an applicant to complete the process. In Nebraska, the processing time is 5.8 months. The consequence of these delays is applicants are unable to register to vote, to obtain a U.S. passport, obtain federal employment or other jobs where U.S. citizenship is required, serve on a jury or run for elected office. The backlog is attributable in part to the disparity in the staffing in the regional U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) versus the settlement patterns of immigrants. On July 30, 2007, application and processing fees for the naturalization application went from $410 to $675 or a 61% increase. This increase in the fees was publicized for a year prior to its implementation. Therefore, the almost double the number of applicants from the previous year [1.2 million to 2.1 million] should not have come as a surprise to the USCIS. An FBI computer that does the required 'name checks' has also caused a processing backlog because it is outdated and needs to be replaced with an updated one. In addition, overworked staff errs on the side of rejecting applications. Some staff may not even be federal employees but government contractors hired by the federal government.

2) English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Access/Funding: Almost a third of the population in NOVA over 5 years of age does not speak English in the home. For those over 25 years of age, 21,000 people in Alexandria, 44,000 in Arlington, 190,000 in Fairfax County, and 51,000 in Prince William County or a total of 306,000 people do not speak English at home. Many of these individuals want to learn English and seek to enroll in an English as a Second Language program. In each jurisdiction, the anecdotal evidence points to the demand being much higher for English as a Second Language courses than the opportunities offered. The demand and funding for English as a Second Language training services in each jurisdiction is not yet known by the VOICE research team despite inquiries of government officials.

ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE & MENTAL HEALTH

Issue: Dental Care. Throughout NOVA there is a desperate need for health care services among the uninsured and poor individuals and families. Dental care for adults is not a mandated service in the Commonwealth's Medicaid program; therefore, no public programs are available for adults to access dental services. As many as 175,000 low-income NOVA residents may lack access to dental care--a critical factor in promoting overall health. Regionally, there are very few options available for low-income adults to access dental care regardless of emergency conditions that may exist. Besides individual dentists who provide reduced fee services for low income individuals, there are three providers in the Northern Virginia area: the Dental Clinic at the Northern Virginia Community College, the Northern Virginia Dental Clinic, and the Prince William Area Free Clinic. Only the Northern Virginia Dental Clinic offers comprehensive dental services.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS

1) Double current dedicated local funding to build and preserve affordable housing in the City of Alexandria and in Fairfax and Arlington Counties and Create and capitalize a dedicated Housing Fund in Prince William County, targeting new funds to households with incomes below 50% Area Median Income (AMI) as well as in part to rental assistance.

Jurisdiction                   Current Local Support    VOICE Goal

Alexandria                     $4 million                                  $ 8 million

Arlington                       $5 million                                  $10 million

Fairfax                          $20 million                                $40 million

Prince William               $0                                             $15-20 million

ACTION STEPS: In light of economic downturn, VOICE will work to secure increased funding when county budgets improve in 2-3 years. In 2008-2009, VOICE will organize a series of public actions in each jurisdiction to secure commitments from local political leaders to preserve current affordable housing funding levels in the FY 2009-2010 Budget process.

2) Inventory all public (incl. state/federal) land & public facilities (incl. libraries, schools, fire stations, military bases, air rights) and identify parcels to build affordable housing units over the next 4 years in each jurisdiction (Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park Cities, Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William Counties).

ACTION STEPS: VOICE leaders will meet with the elected officials in each jurisdiction, at the state, and federal levels to secure the public land inventory promised at VOICE's October 5th Founding Action. VOICE leaders will then identify select parcels that VOICE will press political leaders to designate for affordable housing and provide the funding to complete.

3) Require that 30% of all affordable units built at North Hill in Fairfax County be affordable to persons with incomes less than 30% AMI.

ACTION STEPS: VOICE leaders will organize a public action of 100+ leaders in Spring 2009 to secure a commitment from Fairfax County Supervisor Gerry Hyland to reserve 30% of the affordable housing developed at North Hill for those making less than 30% of the Area Median Income.

IMMIGRATION

1) Reduce citizenship application processing backlog from 12.5 months to 6 months or less. Hire more staff at the local level where the demand is higher and/or if feasible, relocate staff as needed. The time should be standardized across the U.S. and applicants should not be penalized by where they live and their livelihood (potential employment), ability to be fully participating members of their community by running for office, voting and serving on a jury.

ACTION STEPS: VOICE leaders will hold house meetings in their institutions to identify immigrant leaders caught in the citizenship backlog. VOICE will then meet with Sens. Webb and Warner to demand they hold USCIS officials accountable for developing an action plan to reduce the VA citizenship backlog to six months within a specified period of time. VOICE will demand that USCIS process the applications of its leaders within 3 months. VOICE will hold a public action in Spring 2008 for Sen Webb & Sen Warner to announce the USCIS commitments.

2) Secure detailed enrollment, funding, and shortfall data for English as a Second Language in each jurisdiction to determine service expansion and funding requirements.

ACTION STEPS: VOICE leaders will meet with top ESOL officials to determine their current ESOL service delivery and funding constraints. VOICE will also hold house meetings with community leaders and congregation members to determine where the ESOL system fails them and how it can be improved. VOICE also may engage researchers at NOVA Community College to help design a more effect ESOL delivery system for NOVA. These actions will yield a VOICE ESOL Action agenda which VOICE will unveil in Fall 2009.

DENTAL CARE

1) Secure $98,000 immediately from Northern Virginia jurisdictions currently supporting the Northern Virginia Dental Clinic (NVDC) to enable the Clinic to hire an additional full time dentist. This dentist would work 7-8 hour days four days per week and should be able to provide an additional 1,372 to 1,568 visits, increasing services up to 30%.

ACTION STEPS: VOICE leaders will analyze the budgets of each jurisdiction to determine possible funding sources. VOICE leaders will hold each elected official accountable for securing the promised $98,000 from current county or other sources. VOICE will also work with Reps. Jim Moran and Frank Wolf to follow through on their commitments to secure Federal grants to expand low-income dental services in NOVA.

2) Formulate within six months a comprehensive plan to meet the dental needs of low-income adults in Northern Virginia. Such a plan would especially target increased access in western Fairfax County and Prince William County.

ACTION STEPS: VOICE will work with Sen. Richard Saslaw, VA Senate Majority leader (D) and Sen Ken Cuccinelli (R) to analyze the cost effectiveness of expanding Medicaid services in VA to cover dental care for low income adults. The VA Health department calculates such services would cost $23 million statewide. VOICE will use its political muscle to push for a portion of VA's Federal stimulus allocation be designated to cover low income dental services.