In response to an extensive organizing campaign by VOICE Arlington, including testimony by 30 Serrano Apartment tenants and VOICE leaders at a December meeting, Arlington County officials are overhauling its oversight of affordable housing and building owner accountability.  

County changes now include:

1) Increased inspections, starting with 1,200 units in six aging, multifamily properties subsidized by the county. 

2) Changes to the County's Affordable Housing Investment Fund process that require companies seeking county financing to identify building needs and provide a plan for repairs. 

3) Examination of how the County can better support tenants in affordable-housing units.  This followed testimony by tenant leaders about years of problems with insects, mold, leaks and crime. 

Together, these changes represent a “major body of work” for the County in 2022, according to Vice-Chair Katie Cristol.

In top photo, Rev. Ashley Goff of Arlington Presbyterian Church at GilliamPlace testifies at the Arlington County Board Meeting [Credit: Arlington County video].  Right photos feature dirty, moldy plumbing in Serrano Apartments [Credit: Elder Julio Basurto via ARL Now].

Arlington County Board Meeting, December 14, 2021 [video, start at 2:33:00]

A Flurry of Activity at the Serrano Apartments After Residents Decry Conditions, ARL Now [pdf]