Politics & Government

Fairfax County Housing Authority Receives 'Moving to Work' Title

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority will be able to better assist low-income families thanks to the new title.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has named the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) a “Moving to Work” (MTW) agency.

The title, which according to a news release is only given to 34 housing authorities in the United States, gives “housing authorities the flexibility to create programs that work best for their residents, allowing them to design and test innovative, locally-designed strategies to improve cost-effectiveness and help families achieve self-sufficiency.”

“Being named a Moving to Work Agency will only strengthen the already successful housing programs we are able to offer here in Fairfax County,” said Elisabeth Lardner, Chairman of the FCRHA, in the release. “The changes the MTW program allows us to make will help us be of better service to our residents, ultimately moving each of them closer to self-sufficiency and a permanent place to call home. I am very excited about the opportunities that await us.” 

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Local officials, including Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins, who is the chair of the Board of Supervisors Housing Committee, were pleased by the county's new award.

“MTW will mean a very real transformation of how affordable housing is delivered in Fairfax County, and will allow the FCRHA to fully realize its vision for Total Housing Reinvention for Individual Success, Vital Services and Economic Empowerment (THRIVE),” Hudgins said in a statement.

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According to Paula Sampson, director of Fairfax County’s Department of Housing and Community Development, “THRIVE is all about linking residents to services and programs offered by other county agencies and our non-profit partners, with the goal of helping them become more self-sufficient.”

With the new honor, the FCRHA will have the opportunity to assist low-income families and provide residents with aid such as Public Housing and Housing Choice Vouchers.

The county could also increase its partnerships with community non-profit organizations to provide residents with job readiness training and other services.

For more on this award, read the full press release on the county’s website.


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