VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The average home in Virginia Beach costs more than $385,000 according to Zillow. Zillow data reports costs are going up there and around the rest of Hampton Roads. That's why some are working to address the issue of unaffordable housing.
Housing is all 'location, location, location,' in the real estate world, but what does that really mean?
"Every aspect of the family is impacted by the type of housing," said Will White, director of Sokol Place emergency shelter at ForKids in Hampton Roads.
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White explained that your housing can impact your children's education, your job opportunities, and the workforce in the surrounding area. He added that when housing becomes harder to access, more people wind up at area shelters.
"Not because they are not working, not because they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing to build out of poverty, but because housing is not affordable so they don't have another choice," said White.
He said rising home prices have increased the length of time families find themselves at the shelter too. At ForKids families are now, on average, staying a year.
"Historically we find people in very traumatic situations at the beginning of them coming in to the shelter," said White. "Now, we find the leaving is traumatic."
Increased cost of housing is not just an issue for those who are now without a home.
"It's workforce housing too," said Virginia Beach Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson, district 5. "Our teachers, our bank tellers, our nurses, our public safety, our city workers, they need a place to live."
Wilson, and other Virginia Beach city council members met Tuesday to talk about what can be done to unlock better policy and conversations about housing.
Vice Mayor Wilson said it's not as easy as simply building more homes.
"It's really expensive for builders and the cost of land and the shortage of land," said Vice Mayor Wilson.
That's why the city's discussing a housing affordability plan. City leaders are considering three top priorities: developing a city-managed housing trust fund, using development authorities to fund mixed-use design projects, and educating the public.
They're not making any decisions just yet, but in the weeks to come they will fine tune the plan to fit the area's needs.
And for those that do find housing? White said it means everything.
"Just yesterday a mom just bust out and cried and hugged the staff here because she was overjoyed that her and her child were now going to be in their own place," said White. "A place she could call home."
