Warner & Kaine Announce Over $29 Million in Federal Funding to Support Affordable Housing in Charlottesville

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $29,151,778.41 in federal funding for Greater Charlottesville Habitat for Humanity, Inc. to preserve long-term housing affordability for residents of the Southwood Mobile Park. The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) Grant program, which supports communities in their efforts to maintain, protect, and stabilize manufactured housing and manufactured housing communities.

“Every Virginian deserves access to safe, affordable housing,” the senators said. “We are glad that this federal funding will help support homes and communities in Charlottesville, and we will keep working to support housing accessibility throughout the Commonwealth.”

Nationwide, over 22 million Americans live in a manufactured home—homes that are factory-built and then installed on a lot, making them a more affordable option for homeownership compared to new-construction homes. However, while residents often own the home, they typically lease the land underneath it. This can put residents at risk of losing their home if the land changes ownership. Greater Charlottesville Habitat for Humanity purchased the Southwood Mobile Park in 2007 to help prevent such displacement and has been working since then to make critical repairs and infrastructure improvements, while working to build a community where the residents ultimately own the land under their homes. This funding will help advance that goal.

Warner and Kaine have long advocated for safe, affordable housing for Virginia families. In April 2023, Kaine, a former fair housing attorney, visited with residents of Charlottesville Habitat for Humanity builds and spoke to them about their experiences. The senators previously secured $1,015,000 to make necessary infrastructure improvements in the Southwood Mobile Park in the FY2022 Appropriations bill. Earlier this year, the senators announced over $98 million in federal funding for affordable housing, community development, and homelessness assistance and over $55 million in federal funding for improvements to affordable housing across the Commonwealth. This year they also announced over $13 million in federal funding to address lead-based paint hazards in homes across Virginia.

The senators have pushed for legislation to expand access to affordable housing. The senators have introduced the Downpayment Toward Equity Act, legislation to help first-generation homebuyers buy a home. Warner and Kaine have also introduced bicameral legislation to help first-time, first-generation homebuyers build generational wealth more rapidly by offering a 20-year mortgage for roughly the same monthly payment as a traditional 30-year loan.

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