In January 2010, the Board of Supervisors endorsed a new affordable housing policy, known as the “Housing Blueprint”, and each year a set of specific Blueprint metrics is established that focuses on providing housing for those with the greatest need, including homeless families and individuals, persons with disabilities, and people with extremely low incomes. The Blueprint also emphasizes partnering with the county’s non-profit community to provide creative affordable housing solutions and fostering the development of workforce housing through land use policies and public/private partnerships. 

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Blueprint contains format changes reflecting the current affordable housing environment in Fairfax County.  Among the changes are:

• Under the Homelessness goal in previous Blueprints, reference was made to 10 years, being tied to the County’s Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness.  With that Plan expired and the reference to 10 years being taken out, the FY 2021 Blueprint refers to the Challenge of Homelessness as one of the major targets for affordable housing resources and activity.
   
• It is anticipated that $12 million will be made available to result in opportunities spread out over three of the four Blueprint goals. Ten percent of the funds will be available for projects serving the Homelessness goal, ten percent for the Special Needs goal, and the balance to help Meet the Affordable Housing Needs of Low Income Working Families.
   
• The Blueprint now shows both On the Horizon (longer term) and Under Construction (current) expectation, within each of the goals.
   
• And the FY 2021 Blueprint keeps at the forefront, streamed across the bottom of the document, the overall goal of 5 thousand new affordable housing homes in 15 years.

With the incorporation of these features, the Housing Blueprint for FY 2021 shows strong support for the overarching strategies identified in Fairfax County’s  Communitywide Housing Strategic Plan.