Housing, Transportation, and Economic Stability
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a household is cost-burdened if they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. The percentage of cost-burdened households in Virginia increased from 2017 (28.5%) to 2020 (29.0%). Additionally, the number of houseless students in Virginia increased from 2011 (7,663) to 2020 (10,268). When families must spend a large part of their income on housing, they may not have enough money to pay for healthy food, health care, and other necessities. This increases their risk of emotional health problems and chronic disease.
Transportation impacts various aspects of daily life and is fundamental to a person’s health and well-being. In Virginia, the proportion of households with no available vehicle showed little to no change from 2010 (6.3%) to 2020 (6.1%). Transportation issues can affect a person’s access to health care services, which can lead to missed or delayed health care.
Goal
By 2029, reduce the proportion of families that spend more than 30% of their monthly income on housing by 10% (from the baseline of 29% to 19%).
Strategies
Explore partnerships to help increase affordable housing with close access to safe public transportation options.
Expand programs designed to increase house ownership for minority and rural populations.
Expand co-housing and multi-generational housing options.
Strategies
Assess the extent of need for housing-related services.
Expand re-housing programs to transition families experiencing houselessness into permanent housing.
Increase access to personal finance classes for Virginians.
Increase the number of affordable housing units available in the state by developing innovative public-private partnerships.
Goal
By 2029, increase employment in the working age population from the baseline of 64.1% to above the HP2030 target of 75.0%.
Strategies
Increase public-private partnerships throughout the state, with particular attention to those areas with a high unemployment rate, to create more jobs, attract outside talent and business, and generate investments into the workforce.
Collaborate with community-based organizations to connect diverse residents from high-poverty neighborhoods to available employment opportunities.
1 SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well- being.
2 The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating childcare centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers. CACFP also provides reimbursements for meals served to children and youth participating in after school care programs, children residing in emergency shelters, and adults over the age of 60 or living with a disability and enrolled in day care facilities.
3 The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non- breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk.
Strategies
Educate providers on Virginia's e-referral platform and the Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks, and Experiences tool to provide coordinated care and address social needs for Virginians seeking behavioral health services.
Promote and increase the use of screenings via Virginia's e-referral platform to provide housing and employment resources as part of treatment plan.
Strategies
Enhance active transportation infrastructure by encouraging utilization and seeking opportunities to expand existing networks.
Encourage public and private sector businesses to develop or adopt programs to utilize alternative commuting methods and promote carpooling programs.
Seek opportunities to enhance active transportation through grant funding.
Develop and implement policies or projects designed to increase or improve street connectivity, sidewalk and trail infrastructure, bicycle infrastructure, and public transit infrastructure and access.
Develop training programs to increase capacity of communities to achieve bicycle and pedestrian-friendly designations or policies.
1 An Active Transportation Plan is a comprehensive set of strategies to ensure better options for biking, walking, and transit. Active Transportation Plans include recommendations for prioritizing infrastructure improvements and outline recommendations for new policies, processes, and infrastructure based on public and stakeholder input.
2 Complete Streets is an approach to planning, designing, and building streets that enables safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. This approach also emphasizes the needs of those who have experienced systemic underinvestment, or those whose needs have not been met through a traditional transportation approach. A Complete Streets policy specifies how a community will plan, design, and maintain streets so they are safe for all users of all ages and abilities. A strong policy begins transforming a community’s practices, processes, and plans.
3 Vision Zero is an international movement that aims to reduce traffic deaths and life-changing injuries to zero, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. It addresses all collisions, whether people travel by foot, wheelchair, bike, motorcycle, car, or truck.