by Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) has announced that it has received a grant worth $45,622. The funds come from the Joe and Mary Wilson Community Benefit Fund of Mary Washington Hospital.
The funds will be used to support the ongoing efforts of sustainable housing affordability solutions in Planning District 16. The awarded grant 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.
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-related 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. The first year’s funding was committed to beginning to build awareness of the region’s housing crisis. In October 2023, the RHA hosted the region’s first Regional Housing Summit focused on educating citizens within PD-16 on the challenges and current initiatives going on related to affordable housing.
Read the Housing Summit Report
The RHA will host the summit annually, focused on solution-oriented discussions. The 2024 summit is set for October 24, 2024.
The RHA meets at the George Washington Regional Commission building monthly, and all meetings are open to the public. Please see the GWRC website for additional information on upcoming meetings.
