Programs: Housing Initiative

One of Chief Tim Longo’s strategic imperatives is to increase the Department’s success rate in recruiting new police officers and in retaining current personnel. In response to the Chief’s concerns, one of the Foundation’s initial key projects is the Housing Initiative, designed to address recruiting and retention issues head on.

Prohibitively high housing costs are a key factor in many recruits’ decision not to join the Charlottesville Police Department (CPD). High costs also make it hard for current personnel to live in Charlottesville – and, correspondingly, make it hard for them to develop an emotional bond with their city. Forced to live in areas outside of Charlottesville, they literally become invested in other towns or cities. This problem has grown acute. Many are surprised to learn that only a handful of the Department’s personnel actually live in the City, and of those, only a fraction own their homes. A quick comparison of the purchasing power of the average police officer with homes available in the city shows that there are often less than five homes on the market in his or her price range. There is a tremendous gap between what is affordable and what is available.

The Charlottesville Police Department Foundation is sponsoring a program that provides discounts on purchase prices, downpayment assistance, reduced Realtor fees, and other benefits that collectively help close the housing affordability gap by increasing officers’ purchasing power. The program will initially seek to provide assistance for five officers per year.

As the program takes effect, more new cops will be recruited and fewer existing employees will leave the force, meeting the Chief’s strategic goals -- and potentially reducing the need for the program itself. The Foundation and the merchants in the program will have the common goal of making home ownership in Charlottesville more realistic for the City’s cops – and at the same time send a strong message to these valued public servants that the community appreciates them and wants them to live in the City.