Housing Needs Community Survey 2023

Welcome!

Thank you for participating in this public survey – your feedback is extremely valuable. This survey is being conducted by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and the City of Charlottesville in an effort to better understand the needs of the community as they relate to access to affordable housing, Fair Housing practices, and public improvements and services within the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle, Louisa, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson counties.

Your responses are voluntary and will remain anonymous. Responses will not be identified by individual, and the data will be compiled and analyzed as a group.

We know that your time is valuable. This survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your participation is much appreciated.
1.I live in
2.Please select the option that best represents you.
3.How old are you?
4.Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
5.How would you describe yourself? Please check all that apply.
6.Including yourself, how many people live in your home?
7.What is your approximate average annual household income (include all members of your household)?
8.Of the following, which best describes your current living situation?
9.Please rate the level of importance of the following issues to you and your community.
Very Unimportant
Unimportant
Neutral
Important
Very Important
Affordable Housing
Public Infrastructure Improvements: Street repair, Safety features
Economic Development, Business Development, & Job Creation
Social Services & Support Services
10.Please choose the five (5) services that would benefit you and your community most.
11.In your opinion, what is the most needed by you and your community? Please select five (5).
12.Please choose the three (3) greatest ECONOMIC needs in your community.
13.Consider the people you know who have experienced homelessness, including yourself. What is the need for each of the following, for a person or family that is homeless?
Low Need
Moderate Need
High Need
Critical Need
Job Training
Case Management
Life Skills
Substance Abuse Treatment
Mental Health Care
Physical Health Care
Housing Placement
Education Opportunities
Conflict Resolution
Legal Support
14.Have you or has someone you know faced any of the following housing-related challenges? Please check all that apply.
Housing Discrimination
Examples of Discrimination:
  • Refusing to sell or rent a home to someone because of their identity (based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and/or disability).
  • Printing or publishing information that states a preference for or against people of certain identities.
  • Telling a person that a home is not available, specifically because of their identity.
  • Written sections of a deed or lease that prevents people of certain identities from accessing that housing.
  • Providing different terms or privileges to different tenants or buyers based on their identity.
15.The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Of those, which do you think is the most common type of housing discrimination in our region?
16.Where would you refer someone if they experienced discrimination while trying to find housing?
17.Have you, or has someone you know experienced housing discrimination in any of the following areas?
I have
I know someone who has
Renting an apartment or home
Finding a home to buy
Obtaining a mortgage
Getting reasonable accommodations for a disability
Obtaining insurance
18.Did you or the person you know report the discrimination?
19.How well informed do you feel personally about housing discrimination laws?
20.Are you aware of the Fair Housing Act and Virginia Fair Housing Law (which legally prevents discrimination based on the identities / protected classes described above when selling or renting housing)?
21.If “Yes”, where did you learn about these laws?
“Fair housing” means preventing discrimination in selling or renting housing.
22.Have you ever received fair housing training?
23.If “Yes”, who provided the training?
24.From the list below, are there any localities in our region that you believe have housing discrimination problems? Please check all that apply.
25.Are you aware of any questionable practices or barriers to fair housing in any of the following areas?
I am aware of concerns
I am not aware of any concerns
Land use policies
Zoning laws
Occupancy standards or health and safety codes
Mortgage lending or first month of rent and security deposits
Definitions:

Land use policies – rules that state how a piece of land can be used by its owner

Zoning laws – rules about what type of buildings can be built on a particular piece of land. If these rules are unfair, that might be discrimination. Questionable or discriminatory practices can exclude specific types of development based on arbitrary or discriminatory reasoning.

Occupancy standards/health and safety codes – rules that keep certain types of families from being able to find safe housing. For example, rules that don’t let families with children live in a certain apartment building are illegal. Health and safety codes that discriminate against individuals with certain health conditions also are considered a barrier to fair housing. If someone won’t let you rent from them because of your health or mental health challenges, that may be illegal.

Mortgage lending/Deposits – Lending practices that discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin, elderliness, familial status, disability, source of funds, sexual orientation, or military status are illegal. If a lender or bank charges you more money because of your race, class, age, disability, where you were born, or your type of family, that is illegal.
26.Please choose the five (5) housing issues most in need of attention in your community.
27.Please pick the three (3) most critical needs for RENTAL housing in your community.
28.Pick the three (3) most critical needs for HOMEOWNERSHIP housing in your community.
29.Please identify the level of need for housing for each of the special populations listed below.  The income table below can be used to help answer this question.
Low Need
Moderate Need
High Need
Critical Need
Seniors
Chronically Homeless
People with drug or alcohol dependence
People with mental illness
Domestic violence survivors
Abused children
Persons with HIV/AIDS
Very low income (see below)
Low to moderate income (see below)
30.Please provide any additional comments.
Current Progress,
0 of 30 answered