n LOUDOUN
Pg. 4 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 7, NO. 14
Pg. 8 | n EDUCATION
Pg. 12 | n OBITUARIES
Pg. 15 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
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Pg. 25
FEBRUARY 24, 2022
Afghan Asylum Seekers Could Find ‘Safe Haven’ at The National LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT
The Department of Homeland Security has notified Loudoun County authorities that people from Afghanistan seeking asylum in the U.S. could be staying temporarily at the National Conference Center as they wait to find their new homes. As many as 1,000 people per month could be housed at the National Conference Center from February to September. It would be a “safe haven” facility as part of the federal government’s Operation Allies Welcome effort to help vulnerable Afghans, those who helped the U.S. during its 20-year war in Afghanistan, and their families. The program also includes COVID-19 isolation and testing, vaccinations and other medical services, and screening and support at a U.S. military base before connecting them to non-governmental organizations to help them find new homes in the U.S. The asylum seekers will be provided with cash and cell phones from non-government organizations, and required to remain at the National Conference Center. It is not the first time people fleeing Afghanistan have come through Loudoun, especially in the days ASYLUM SEEKERS continues on page 37
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
The Fields at Cascades, a 320-unit price-controlled rental community in Sterling.
County’s Housing Plan Nears First Hurdle BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
The Board of Supervisors’ wide-reaching plan to address the county’s shortage of attainable housing is nearing its first test, with the presentation of a report on how far the government has come on those housing goals to the board’s Transportation and Land Use Committee.
That report only shows a half-year of progress toward annual goals, but it also shows how big the job is and how far Loudoun has to go. The county hopes to meet a goal established in its Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan—based on a study of the housing needs completed at the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis in 2017—of creating 16,000 attainable housing units by 2040.
Some of those may be through bringing down the cost of existing homes, others newly built. Those goals are also broken down further by year—500 net units a year until 2026, when the goals start climbing. From 2031 to 2040, the county is aiming for 1,000 new attainable homes a year. HOUSING PLAN continues on page 38
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