HJ31: Commonwealth-wide housing needs; Department of Housing and Community Development to study.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 31

Offered January 8, 2020
Prefiled January 1, 2020
Requesting the Department of Housing and Community Development to study Commonwealth-wide housing needs. Report.
Patron-- Lopez

Committee Referral Pending

WHEREAS, affordable housing is becoming more and more difficult for many individuals and families to acquire throughout all regions (suburban, urban, and rural) of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, anticipated economic and workforce growth will significantly increase the need for affordable housing in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the preservation and expansion of assisted, affordable multifamily housing is one of the most important housing issues facing the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the high cost burden of housing, especially for lower-wage earners or those with special needs, is contributing to housing instability and homelessness; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Housing and Community Development be requested to study Commonwealth-wide housing needs.

In conducting its study, the Department of Housing and Community Development shall (i) determine the quantity and quality of affordable housing across the Commonwealth, (ii) conduct a review of current programs and policies to determine the effectiveness of current housing policy efforts, (iii) develop an informed projection of future housing needs in the Commonwealth and determine the order of priority of those needs, and (iv) make recommendations for the improvement of housing policy in the Commonwealth.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Housing and Community Development for this study, upon request.

The Department of Housing and Community Development shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2020, and for the second year by November 30, 2021, and the Department of Housing and Community Development shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document for each year. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.