New federal funding could be coming to Alexandria, particularly to programs boosting affordable housing and pre-k programs for low-income families.
The funding is in the Senate’s draft government funding bills, which just passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Two of the biggest items pertaining to Alexandria are related to benefitting low-income residents:
- $2,000,000 for the Alexandria Redevelopment Housing Authority (ARHA) to support a project to construct 270 modern, affordable apartments for seniors and individuals with disabilities in Alexandria.
- $2,000,000 for Hopkins House to create space to house economic security, early learning, and housing stability programs for low-income Virginians in Alexandria.
While the release from Kaine’s office doesn’t specify which project the ARHA funding will go to, ARHA is working on a 270-unit redevelopment of the Ladrey High Rise in Old Town North, which houses seniors and residents with disabilities.
Hopkins House, meanwhile, runs a day preschool academy in Old Town that provides education for children and families regardless of income.
Additional funding set aside for Alexandria includes:
- $1,150,000 for the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia to support English proficiency to help Virginians in Arlington and Fairfax counties and Alexandria enter the workforce.
- $419,000 for the City of Alexandria to renovate and create ADA accessibility to the Freedom House Museum. From 1828 to 1861, the site stood as a slave pen and center of the domestic slave trade in Alexandria and the U.S.
- $405,000 for Survivor Ventures to help survivors of human trafficking enter or re-enter the workforce through paid employment opportunities with local small businesses in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William counties and Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, and Manassas.
