In a public opinion poll conducted by the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties the first week of June, nearly 78% of respondents agreed that people who work in Loudoun County should be able to live in Loudoun County. Sixty-seven percent of survey respondents agreed that Loudoun County would benefit from a wider range of housing options, including smaller starter homes, duplexes, townhomes, and apartments.

“Many in my workforce cannot find housing of their own in the County. So many quit because of it,” according to Tony Stafford, owner of three Ford’s Fish Shack locations in Loudoun.

On June 14, the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties launched a new campaign, Workforce Housing Now, Because Housing is Foundational, to support an increase of workforce housing in Loudoun County. “You can literally predict an individual’s lifespan and healthy outcomes based on their ZIP code,” said Amy Owen, President and CEO of Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties. “We have kicked off this community awareness campaign to help us all become better educated about this critical housing need and find solutions to address it.”

“Survey findings show Loudoun residents recognize the need for workforce housing,” said Allison Metzger, Director of Community Engagement for the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties. “Many households – including those of essential workers like first responders, medical personnel, teachers, and service workers – are spending more than 30% of their monthly income on housing making it harder and harder for them to stay in the County.”

Workforce housing is a critical need addressed in both The Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved in September 2021 and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) report. The Strategic Plan recognizes the lack of housing options for existing and future workers impacts Loudoun’s businesses and economic development prospects. Other jurisdictions across the country have established dedicated sources of funding for housing solutions; Loudoun needs to ensure this stream of funding is codified into their budgets for the future. When Loudoun’s workforce is unable to afford to live in Loudoun, jobs are filled with commuters who come into the County and put a strain on the roads. Community engagement in charitable giving and volunteerism is also affected since those who travel in do not feel the same connection to the county that residents would.

“The truth is workforce housing looks just like market rate housing. Studies show workforce housing does not decrease property values and in fact helps build even stronger communities,” said Metzger. Metzger has spent more than 10 years as a local real estate broker assisting buyers and renters with finding affordable housing close to where they work.

The Strategic Plan states that its overarching goal is “to ensure that County residents are able to access housing that they can afford. Workforce housing sustains families, enables economic security, can accommodate housing for aging residents, provide commuting and traffic advantages, and promotes an inclusive and equitable community.”

Survey results also showed that 66% of respondents agreed that the Board of Supervisors should update land and zoning regulations that lean toward innovation and flexibility in order to create more housing options for Loudoun’s workforce.

“There’s never been a tougher time than now to try to find people for our front line employee positions – our bartenders, servers, cooks and even our managers,” said Tony Stafford, Chef and Founder of Ford’s Fish Shack. “The most common complaint I hear when interviewing people is housing. They struggle to find places to live in the County and be able to have an apartment, a townhouse, or a home.” Stafford said employees will often find a home outside of the County and commute long distances to get to work, passing a lot of other jobs on their way. Often, Stafford loses employees simply due to the lack of workforce housing in the county.

The poll was conducted by a professional nonsectarian polling company that provided 514 responses from an equally balanced political spectrum and ZIP code representation of Loudoun County residents.

About the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Fauquier Counties

We grow community giving by building common good through grantmaking, leadership, and partnerships. Since its founding in 1999, the Community Foundation has distributed more than $12 million in community grantmaking. Visit www.communityfoundationlf.org for more information.

Press Coverage

Loudoun Community Foundation Poll Shows Support for Workforce Housing – Loudoun Now (July 21, 2022)

Learn More

To learn more about the Community Foundation’s Workforce Housing Now campaign, visit: https://workforcehousingnow.org