The median home price in Albemarle County this May was $554,000 and the median rent is around $2,200. Either is out of reach of many in the community—especially those on government salaries.
“Police officers start at $60,798, firefighters at $59,825,” said Kaki Dimock, Albemarle’s chief of human services, at a June 17 Board of Supervisors meeting. “Teachers start at $57,511. Traditional social workers in the Department of Social Services start at $54,583.”
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, housing is considered affordable if a household pays no more than 30 percent of its total income. Still, about half of renters exceed that amount.
Virginia allows localities to help its employees with rental and down-payment assistance. For instance, Dimock said Henrico County in Richmond provides forgivable loans of up to $25,000.
“There are documented benefits to providing an employer-assisted housing program, including improved recruitment and retention, improved productivity and work life balance,” Dimock said.
County staff have proposed creating such a program that would allow county employees, including public school workers, to seek a $20,000 loan toward a down payment or up to $2,500 in one-time rental expenses for those who are rent-burdened. Decisions would be made by a committee of staff from the housing, human resources, and finance departments.
The Board of Supervisors told staff on June 17 to proceed with drafting an ordinance. It also agreed to commit $840,000 from the county’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund to a pilot program for five years.
Participants will be required to complete a homebuyer education course, work with a housing counselor, and buy within the county’s borders. There would be a cap on the maximum sale price but that figure has not yet been set.
“We anticipate that it would take us … a couple of years to see what the interest really is,” Dimock said.
Some county employees are already eligible for similar assistance provided by private groups such as the Albemarle County Police Foundation.
The Rivanna District supervisor called the idea fantastic.
“Of course, we don’t know, things could happen, but that’s how you adjust with yearly updates,” said Bea LaPisto-Kirtley. “I also think that this is a way of really telling our employees how much we value them, how much we care about them.”
Samuel Miller District Supervisor Fred Missel supported the idea but was more cautious.
“The original goal of AHIF was to create primarily or primarily to create and preserve affordable housing use units,” Missel said. “So it’s a little different.”
AHIF was created in 2019 and funded with one-time money. It has so far distributed $17,576,200.
Recipients in 2026 include Habitat for Humanity with $1.66 million, Piedmont Housing Alliance with nearly $1.25 million, and the Salvation Army with $100,000 to support its shelter for unhoused families.
In 2025, supervisors increased the real property tax and dedicated a fraction of a cent to the pool. The budget for FY2027 includes an additional $7 million for AHIF.
