A New Lease on the Future
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A New Lease on the Future
By Tommy Herbert
2020, am I right? What a deluge of effluent wrapped in a mile of barbed wire that was. The apartment housing industry weathered unheard-of economic pitfalls, navigated dangerous jobs in a global pandemic, and protected housing stability for the over 1 million apartment residents who call Virginia “home.”
Today, we have still not emerged from the uncertainty of COVID-19, though we have carved out some points of understanding. With the coming of a new President, new species of doubt spring up about how the United States federal government will be handling the economic fallout of the pandemic, and how housing providers will be affected. Add to that Virginia’s annual General Assembly session where new state laws are passed; a complicated time of year in the best of times, and now virtual for the first time in the context of a “regular” session.
VAMA worked tirelessly through 2020 with both government and private-sector stakeholders to help protect such a valuable industry here in Virginia, supporting 4.6 billion dollars in economic impact statewide. We have made tremendous improvements to Virginia’s Rent and Mortgage Relief Program, now stable and anticipating new funding to carry it through the early part of 2021. Those improvements are directly attributable to the feedback that VAMA members gave to the program in its earliest stages. VAMA members are making a very real difference in Virginia.
As eviction moratoria popped up across the country, VAMA made our seat at the negotiating table count big, crafting policy that preserves housing stability and makes housing providers whole. Our managers have been on the cutting edge of connecting their residents with the aid that they so badly need, and thanks to the apartment industry, the results in Virginia have been promising by-and-large.
As we walk into the new General Assembly Session, some threats to the industry persist, however. We will need members to remain vigilant, and to forge new and stronger connections with their local elected officials than ever. The future of the apartment housing industry literally hangs in the balance. There are bills to re-work protected classes, bills to amend the eviction process, and bills to better inform residents of their rights and responsibilities, among a spectrum of other issues. And we need YOU at the table.
One fact remains the same before, during, and after the pandemic: the main driver for policy change to help this industry comes from…well…the industry! We need to keep VAMA members involved in the legislative process as much as possible. After all, to an elected official there is no one so precious as a voter; and that’s you! And one benefit of this year’s virtual session is that you now have a front row seat. With 2020 safely in the rearview, 2021 offers us a new chance to help craft a future for the apartment industry that we can be proud of.
As we work through this session, some resources that will be very handy:
Virginia House of Delegates video feed
Sign up to testify on a bill in Committee
Virginia Legislative Information System (watch bills move through the process)
As always, if you have any questions or would like to get involved, please contact me at tommy@vamaonline.org or (804) 761-3235.
