Virginia

Continued lack of affordable housing hinders pride, security among Virginians • Virginia Mercury

Published

3 weeks ago

April 15, 2024

Continued lack of affordable housing hinders pride, security among Virginians • Virginia Mercury

Frank Hruska, executive director of Habitat for Humanity for South Hampton Roads, faces persistent problems trying to build modest homes for low- and middle-income families. Inflation has boosted the cost of housing construction. Plus, vacant, usable land has become more expensive over the years.

“We are in a perfect storm right now,” Hruska told me.

I interviewed him after his Habitat chapter announced it was postponing the application process because it hadn’t been able to acquire land for the 2025-26 building season. Applications had been scheduled to open May 1.

He said vacant lots in his region were selling for $30,000 to $35,000 in 2018. Yet they averaged $75,000 last year, Hruska said, even though the lots were about the same size and sat in school divisions with the same reputation for quality.

Hruska’s challenge isn’t unique. Other Habitat affiliates in Virginia have also postponed the application process, some for the first time in decades. Studies and statements by the General Assembly’s watchdog agency, the federal government and others speak of the longstanding problem to secure affordable housing, especially by Americans who aren’t rich.

“Land prices increased 60% from 2012-2019, and the cost of homes more than doubled from 1998 to 2021,” reported the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Just last week, The Washington Post reported the D.C. metropolitan area has fallen way behind in meeting a 2019 goal of building 320,000 units over the next decade to handle that region’s growth. “Fairfax County, the most populous jurisdiction in the region,” The Post said, “is on pace to build only 36 percent of its target.”

One obvious factor: Elected leaders there set the goal before the devastating COVID-19 pandemic occurred and shredded the economy.

Inflation, lack of developable land and the desire by builders to erect expensive houses to recoup their investments are factors in the dearth of affordable housing, both in Virginia and nationwide. Incentives for developers to build multifamily units aren’t always enough to propel construction.

“Even if they decided to be benevolent, to take a modest fee for themselves … their costs to build homes are really high,” said Erica Sims, president of Richmond-based HDAdvisors, a consulting firm specializing in affordable housing.

Builders also want to tap into water and sewer lines to help keep costs low, Sims told me. If developers have to install roads and sewer themselves, they might decline those projects.

Newest anti-homelessness project builds on strong efforts statewide

Virginia’s Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission – the aforementioned Assembly watchdog agency – notes what many housing and poverty advocates say: Families are “cost burdened” when they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing expenses. Such a predicament means it’s difficult for households to pay for other necessities, and it increases the likelihood of eviction.

“Approximately 29 percent of Virginia households (905,000) were housing cost burdened in 2019, and nearly half of these households spent more than 50 percent of their income on housing,” JLARC said in a 2021 report.

That means many families are just one job layoff, medical emergency or major car repair away from losing a roof over their heads. It’s a stressful way to live.

Renting a home can help families avoid the upfront costs of homebuying, JLARC noted, but the commonwealth “has a shortage of at least 200,000 affordable rental units for extremely and very low-income households.”

What are the possible solutions to this lack of affordable housing?

“It requires a heavy investment at the state and federal levels,” Sims said.

“Cities have land, and they should set some aside for affordable housing,” said Hruska. Localities that bar homes on smaller lots, he added, could alter zoning regulations to permit them.

(In August, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced $52 million in affordable and special needs housing loans for dozens of projects.)

Home ownership is important. It tends to make individuals more concerned about their neighborhoods because they have a stake in their success. A home is usually the largest monetary investment a family owns.

“We want working-class families to have the American Dream, and that way we have better neighborhoods and better citizens,” said Hruska, the local Habitat official.

Look no further than Andrew and Linda Layne, who moved into their Chesapeake Habitat home in 2018.

Andrew Layne, 59, didn’t know I was going to drop in last week to his one-story home with three bedrooms, 1½ bathrooms and roughly 1,100 square feet. Yet he was wearing a red T-shirt from the housing nonprofit when I stopped by.

Andrew Layne, sporting a Habitat for Humanity T-shirt, stands in front of the Habitat house he and his wife, Linda, moved to in 2018. “It’s the first house I’ve ever owned,” Andrew Layne said. (Roger Chesley/Virginia Mercury)

That’s quite an endorsement.

“It’s the first house I’ve ever owned,” he told me.

The house rose on a former vacant lot. A green front lawn now greets visitors. Solar panels adorn the roof.

He and his wife earlier lived in a Virginia Beach townhouse. Layne sought out Habitat after suffering a serious accident while working as a longshoreman in 2012. “I almost died,” he said, adding that he received disability payments.

The Laynes contributed hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” to the organization, including at the site of their home. The city’s redevelopment and housing authority helped fund the construction.

“It makes me a very proud person,” he said, while showing me room-by-room through the home and their cozy backyard.

The family’s pit bull and chocolate husky barked at and sniffed me before deciding I was harmless. They then returned to their usual perches in the living room.

“Habitat is awesome,” said 54-year-old Linda Layne, who recently started a cleaning job at the year-old Rivers Casino in Portsmouth.

The nonprofit’s good works, though, can only go so far to reduce the affordable housing shortage. Roughly 3,700 families have bought homes through Habitat affiliates since the late 1970s, a state Habitat official told me.

Many more Virginians, though, want to experience the same level of belonging expressed by the Laynes.

It’s one of pride in having a home of your own.

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Virginia

Southern Virginia with a Win! – The Trek

Published

5 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Press Room

Southern Virginia with a Win! – The Trek

For weeks, I had heard that the trail gets easier in Virginia. Leaving Damascus, I was more than ready to experience that easier trail. Truth be told, the ascents and technical trail sections continue well into southern Virginia. The trail doesn’t get that much easier; you simply become a smarter and stronger hiker. That process for me has been the most significant challenge of the trail.

Even after taking a zero in Damascus, I was nearing my mental limits as I approached Marion. My zero in Marion was a milestone. First, Marion is a class act and a town that I want to revisit. Marion Outdoors; the Merry Inn Hiker Hostel; Downtown Pioneer; and the many shuttle drivers all deserve a shout out. I heard nothing but positive comments from my fellow hikers who visited other businesses as well.

Leaving Marion, I bumped back to my departure point, Fox Creek, and made my way north. After spending the night at the Hurricane Mountain and Partnership shelters, I started my southern Virginia hostel tour. I had nothing but great experiences at the Long Necck Lair Alpaca Farm, Burke’s Garden Hostel, Weary Feet Hostel, and Wood Hole Hostel. The on-trail experiences are always notable. But, it is the off-trail experiences with other hikers at the hostels that I’ll remember for years to come. I have met some incredible people.

I stepped off the trail in Pearisburg for a trip home. I needed to see my family. I’ll be back get back to the trail on May 13. This time, I’ll be SOBO out of Harrisburg.

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Virginia

Virginia Hosting San Diego State Transfer Forward Elijah Saunders

Published

12 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Press Room

Virginia Hosting San Diego State Transfer Forward Elijah Saunders

Fresh off of landing their first transfer commitment of the offseason, Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers are looking to keep the momentum going as they host another transfer portal target on Grounds. San Diego State transfer forward Elijah Saunders arrived at Virginia on Sunday for an official visit.

Saunders visited Washington on Friday and Saturday and is scheduled to take a visit to Clemson on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A 6’8″, 225-pound forward from Phoenix, Arizona, Saunders was a late entrant into the transfer portal last week. He played in 53 games over the last two seasons at San Diego State, including 21 starts. This season, Saunders started 21 of 37 games and averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in a little over 20 minutes per contest. He shot 32.2% from beyond the arc on 3.3 three-point attempts per game. His best game came in a win over Washington as he tallied 16 points and went 3/3 from beyond the arc. He also had eight points and a couple of threes in San Diego State’s win over Yale in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

With the addition of Florida State transfer guard Jalen Warley, who announced his commitment to Virginia on Saturday, the Cavaliers added depth and experience to their backcourt and gave themselves another ball-handler and playmaker on offense and a versatile defender who can guard multiple positions. Now, UVA looks to find its replacement for Ryan Dunn at power forward and is making that case to Elijah Saunders to fill that role over the next two days.

Saunders is in the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. Virginia currently has three scholarship spots remaining for the 2024-2025 season.

More Virginia Men’s Basketball News and Content

Virginia Basketball Transfer Portal Contact Live Tracker
Former Virginia Wing Leon Bond III Transfers to Northern Iowa

Virginia Basketball Lands First Transfer Commitment From FSU Guard Jalen Warley
Still Empty-Handed, Where Does Virginia Go Next in the Transfer Portal?
Virginia’s Updated Scholarship Picture With Dante Harris Transferring Out
Virginia to Host Four-Star Point Guard Trent Perry for Official Visit

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#5 Virginia lacrosse gets boat-raced by #1 Notre Dame 18-9 in ACC semifinal

Published

19 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Press Room

#5 Virginia lacrosse gets boat-raced by #1 Notre Dame 18-9 in ACC semifinal

From the first whistle, Notre Dame jumped all over the Virginia Cavaliers. The Irish skyrocketed to a 4-0 lead by the 9:44 mark and won the first five face-offs and outshot the ‘Hoos 10-1 before Payton Cormier scored UVA’s first goal of the game. Virginia was never able to recover from the slow start as the Irish crushed the ‘Hoos 18-9. This marked Virginia’s first time losing four consecutive games since 2013.

“This is not what Virginia lacrosse is all about,” head coach Lars Tiffany said. “I feel like I need to apologize to the faithful of Virginia ‘cause they’ve put so much heart and emotion [into] following us and believing in us. This type of effort today is unacceptable.”

Within the first two minutes and 28 seconds, FOGO Anthony Ghobriel recorded two penalties, and the ‘Hoos finished the game with five penalties against Notre Dame’s No. 1 man-up offense (71%), as the Irish went 4-5 in their EMO.

Last week, in Virginia’s 11-9 loss to Notre Dame, the ‘Hoos were outgained in the ground ball battle 50-26, 14 ground balls lower than their average. In Friday’s loss, the ‘Hoos managed to thin the margin to 30-25, but Virginia struggled to register any quality possession time.

“Last game we got dominated on ground balls, and we failed a bunch of clears,” graduate midfielder Chase Yager said. “This game we failed one clear when we were way closer on ground balls. So, I think we recognize that there were a lot of things that don’t show up on the score sheet that we did a lot better.”

Junior goalie Matt Nunes failed to make a save in the second quarter as the Irish more than doubled UVA’s shots by halftime en route to a 10-3 lead. Nunes was later benched for sophomore Kyle Morris with 2:33 left in the third quarter and finished the game with a 32% save percentage. Tiffany said that he and his staff “talked about” benching him at halftime but ultimately decided to stick with Nunes until late in the quarter.

“Matt did not have a great day and we needed Matt to play bigger,” Tiffany said. “Unfortunately he had a mundane day and it gets exaggerated when the goalie in the far end is just remarkable. It was startling how well [Liam] Entenmann played.”

The midseason 2nd team All-American goalie finished the game with 18 saves, his highest save percentage (75) since he stopped 80% against Cleveland State in their season opener. Freshman defender Shawn Lyght, who Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan called the “most underrated defenseman in the league” also limited Connor Shellenberger to zero goals and kept him pointless until there was 8:24 left in the game.

“I don’t want to stand here and act like we solved the riddle to Virginia’s offense, but today was a good day for our defense and a great day for Liam,” Corrigan said.

Graduate attackman Payton Cormier led the ‘Hoos with three goals, his fourth consecutive hat trick, and is now the ACC’s all-time leading goal scorer with 214 career goals. Graduate midfielder Devon McLane led the game with four goals while freshman midfielder Jacob Faison, graduate attackman Pat Kavanaugh and sophomore attackman Chris Kavanaugh had three assists each.

Virginia now awaits to hear its name called at the NCAA tournament selection show, which will be at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

“I absolutely think we deserve to keep playing and I think given an opportunity I fully believe we will win this tournament,” Yager said. “And I don’t think there’s any doubt about that on our team and among our guys.”

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