Above: Jill Norcross, Nicole Acosta, Matt Bender, Stephanie Nerantzis, Sharon Wright, and Krissy Davies at the Regional Housing Leaders Awards
The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties proudly received the “Regional Housing Impact Leader Award” at the Regional Housing Leaders Awards, an event organized by the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA).
This recognition honors the Foundation’s efforts in promoting affordable workforce housing through its “Workforce Housing Now” campaign. Workforce Housing Now is a public awareness campaign that has worked to amplify Loudoun’s voice for workforce housing since May of 2022, emphasizing its importance as a missing ingredient to the community’s future prosperity. The campaign advocates for housing solutions that ensure people who work in Loudoun can also afford to live in Loudoun, recognizing housing as foundational to community well-being.
This campaign, spearheaded by the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties, originated from a coalition of concerned community leaders. These leaders recognized the need for affordable housing options for the local workforce, acknowledging that a thriving community requires safe, stable and affordable housing. The campaign leveraged real stories of local residents, businesses, and employers impacted by the lack of workforce housing, while combining data and facts about Loudoun’s housing needs through a two-year social media and print marketing campaign. Additionally, the campaign convened and mobilized local residents and stakeholders to advocate for solutions with community decision-makers.
“We’re grateful to the many partners who contributed to the Workforce Housing Now campaign, including the Loudoun Community Cabinet, Virginia Housing, Loud & Clear Marketing, and all of the affordable housing advocates, business owners, and community residents who used their voice to raise awareness why this is so important for Loudoun,” said Nicole Acosta, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “We appreciate NVAHA’s recognition of the collaborations and leadership in Loudoun working to create more affordable housing solutions.”
“It is an honor to recognize the work of the Foundation on the Loudoun Workforce Housing Now campaign, as it was truly a successful collaboration that helped change the community conversation in Loudoun around the critical need for attainable housing,” commented Jill Norcross, Executive Director of NVAHA.
In addition to the Community Foundation’s Workforce Housing Now campaign, the event recognized Susan Dewey, Former, Virginia Housing CEO, with the Regional Housing Impact Leader Award; Amazon Housing Equity Fund with the William L. Berry Sustainable Communities Award; and Seth Opoku-Yeboah of Wellington Development with the Rising Housing Leader Award.
