Buchanan Garden's Renovation Moves Forward

First phase underway

The first three of eleven buildings at Buchanan Gardens are undergoing major renovation. Thirty apartments are included in Phase One, which will be completed in the fall. Phase Two will be completed in winter 2011 and Phase Three will follow in spring 2012. Residents, relocated temporarily to Columbia Grove or other locations, will return to newly renovated apartments including new systems, new finishes and "bump outs" to increase the number of family-size units. When complete, Buchanan Gardens will also have a new playground and community center.

Donate to APAH's Backpack Drive

Help APAH's young residents to get ready for school

It is not too late to donate a backpack filled with

school supplies.  Please help APAH's school-age

residents begin school with the supplies they need.We expect more than 200 students to be in need of a new backpack this year. Drop off backpacks at APAH's offices by August 15 (2704 N. Pershing Drive) or contact Shanette Yao, syao@apah.org.  

In partnership with the Arlington Food Assistance Center  (AFAC), 20 Columbia Grove households signed up to receive supplemental groceries at AFAC's first food distribution at Columbia Grove Apartments in early July. Arlington families earning 60% or less of the Area Median Income (AMI) (about $63,000 for a family of four) qualify for AFAC services. Working with APAH's resident services coordinator, 44 Columbia Grove households have now been accepted into this weekly distribution program that includes milk, meat, eggs, bread, canned goods and other assorted items such as fruits and vegetables. AFAC, a community-based non-profit that provides supplemental groceries to Arlingtonians in need, serves 1,200 families each week.

The recent seven-day charette organized and led by County planning officials and consultants gathered input on how the 3.5 mile Columbia Pike community will achieve long-term goals of fostering a healthy, diverse community with a high quality of life along the Pike. In summarizing the discussion on the last day, the participants said preserving affordable housing and improving the pedestrian experience were the most important to them.

The next step is for the consultant team, led by Dover, Kohl & Partners, is to distill community input and report back to the County by fall. Visit the Arlington County website for more information on the Columbia Pike Land Use and Housing Study.

Proposed Deficit Reduction Proposal Would

Eliminate the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit 

Deficit issues impact affordable housing

On July 18, 2011, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), proposed a deficit reduction plan that includes repealing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit  program. Although the proposal is not currently a central focus of the immediate Congressional debt ceiling discussion, it may be central to impending larger deficit reduction discussions.

Currently in its 25^th year, the housing tax credit program was enacted as part of the Tax Reform Act of 1986. It was recently described as the "most successful federal affordable housing production and preservation program in the nation's history" by the Harvard Joint Center as it has:

• Created approximately 152,000 jobs annually
• Stimulated $87 billion of private sector capital for the development of affordable housing
• Provided investors with $69 billion in tax credits over the course of 10 years.

The Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition prepared a response  to Senator Coburn's plan due to the proposal's reliance on false reasoning and inaccurate data. If you are interested in signing on to the response, contact Coalition Executive Director Victoria Spielman at victoria.spielman@taxcreditcoalition.org.   

Donate Today!

APAH Annual Fundraiser

October 19, 2011

Clarendon Ballroom

Volunteer 

APAH recently participated in the Alliance for Housing Solutions State of Affordable Housing, Yes! In Our Backyard.  Watch it on YouTube.