For many years, housing advocates and service providers shared
the belief that the development of small efficiency apartments
would offer a viable solution by providing affordable housing
with dignity to low-income residents. Sometimes called SRO, single
room occupancy or single resident occupancy, it is recognized
as an endorsed housing option by the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) and it has been developed successfully
in many urban and suburban areas throughout the country.
The Task Force members agreed to study the issues related to the
SRO housing model for up to two years, while simultaneously encouraging
working partnerships among community groups. Four work groups
to examine specific components of SRO development were established:
Zoning and Land Use, Financing and Funding, Marketing and Integration,
and Tenancy and Support Services. Members visited existing SRO
housing units in Fairfax County, Richmond, Baltimore, Washington,
and Montgomery County. Operators of SRO housing were interviewed
about their strategies for developing this type of housing. Additional
research was reviewed, and focus groups with residents at homeless
shelters were conducted that verified the need and the interest
of potential tenants. Learning about the success in other communities
led to a serious commitment among task force member organizations
to strongly advocate for the SRO housing option. The opportunities
as well as the obstacles for SRO housing were discussed, and a
set of recommendations was written to address them.
An
Affordable Housing Solution for Low Income Single Residents: Single
Resident Occupancy Housing in Fairfax County, Virginia. (SRO Full
Report PDF)
Vision, Mission, Values
(PDF)
SRO:Things to Know (PDF)
Recommendations
(PDF)
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