Photos, resources, and gratitude from this week's Arlington Women Community Builders (AWCB) affordable housing event

"I come home to Arlington, and I see amazing things happening here - people being served and lives being changed." - Nina Janopaul, AWCB Co-Chair

Many thanks to all who were able to join us at Arlington Presbyterian Church on the first floor of Gilliam Place for Monday night's AWCB panel discussion.

We were thrilled to welcome an expert panel of leaders from local affordable housing developers and community partners: Rev. Ashley Goff of Arlington Presbyterian Church, Carmen Romero of True Ground Housing Partners, Diana Ortiz of Doorways, Jennifer Endo of AHC, and Lesley Daigle of Arlington Free Clinic. Moderating the panel discussion, ACF's Director of Grants and Initiatives, Brian Marroquín provided insight into the affordable housing landscape in Arlington highlighting the mismatch in supply and demand and the overwhelming rent burden so many are facing.

Panelists discussed the continuum of care in Arlington and the constellation of County and nonprofit partners and resident services staff who enable neighbors to thrive, not just survive in our community. They highlighted challenges we face, while also conveying hopefulness about what we can accomplish together through policy changes, system improvements, and increased funding. We'll be continuing this conversation with the AWCB and hope you will stay involved. 

In the spirit of Arlington Women Community Builders, we wanted to share a few ways to continue building on the momentum of this week's event:

• Keep the conversation going! If you were able to join us, share what you learned with your friends, family, and neighbors. And even if you couldn't join, you can use these resources to get the conversation started:

Read: The history and significance of Gilliam Place

Watch: Arlington's public benefits cliff & living wage disparities

Learn: What is deeply affordable housing & why does it matter?

Reflect: Resources from the AWCB Fire Station 8 event

• Support human services & housing organizations in our community:

Search the Arlington Nonprofit Directory by "Area of Impact" to find and connect with Human Services and Housing & Shelter organizations serving Arlington.

Thank you again for being a part of AWCB, and we look forward to building on this momentum and our community together.

PS: A new LGBTQ+ community group is kicking off on October 28th with a roundtable format similar to the first AWCB event in 2023 (before being named AWCB). If you identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community (and/or know any fellow Arlingtonians who do) and would like to join the “ground floor” of this new group, please join us, and RSVP here!

About Arlington Women Community Builders (AWCB)

In 2023, Arlington Community Foundation convened a group of local "women on a mission" to talk about community engagement, leadership and charitable giving. We listened carefully. We heard that women were interested in opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of community issues and that they enjoyed connecting with other women to share perspectives, learn together and identify opportunities for action and impact on the issues they care about. 

We are excited to launch a series of important community conversations with you, the Arlington Women Community Builders (AWCB) who work every day through your multiple roles to strengthen our community. 

If you would like to attend future AWCB community conversations or to provide input on future conversation topics, please contact Christy Cole at ccole@arlcf.org.

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