The Dream Project

3/1/2023

Esteemed County Board Members:

As the Founder and Chair of the Dream Project, I am writing to express my strong and passionate support for the County Board’s recent decision to expand housing options in Arlington by allowing up to six housing units on land that currently allows for only one home (land that represents 75 percent of Arlington’s total geographic area). Simultaneously, I must also express my disappointment that the initial proposal to allow up to eight units was rejected. For over ten years the Dream Project has been one of Arlington’s most dynamic and effective nonprofits devoted to our county’s large and diverse immigrant community.

Our mission – to provide mentoring to high school students, college scholarships to high school graduates, and a range of wrap-around support services to our scholars and alumni – has empowered hundreds of young Arlingtonians, almost all of whom face unique challenges due to their immigration status. While we support students throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, the majority of our students are graduates of the Arlington public school system and grew up in families that called Arlington home.

Like so many young people in our county, our students are finding it difficult to afford to live in Arlington even after earning their four-year college degrees (which most of our past scholarship recipients have done) and gaining employment. Many of their families have struggled to keep up with rising rents, and in some cases are being forced to move to far outer suburbs. The unique challenges our students face due to their immigration status only compounds the problem. Young people who have attended our public schools (in some cases, from kindergarten on), whose have worked and paid taxes in Arlington, who call our county home, are now facing the reality that even after struggling and sacrificing to earn their college degrees, they cannot afford to live in Arlington; they (and their families) have been priced out of their hometown. Arlington prides itself on being an “inclusive” community, but it in fact has become increasingly exclusive – and those who are being excluded are not chosen randomly: It is overwhelmingly minorities, immigrants, and young people who are effectively being told, “Arlington doesn’t want you.”

The decision to allow six housing units on land formerly designated for just one family is an important first step. It will increase housing options and open up Arlington for thousands of new homeowners and renters. But property prices in our county have risen so dramatically that even six-plex units will likely sell and rent for processes that are far out of reach of many working people. So while the Board’s decision is an important first step, it must not be the last step in creating true housing opportunity and housing equity.

Please know that the County Board can count on the Dream Project to continue supporting its initiatives to expand housing options, just as we will continue to empower and support Arlington’s young immigrant community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez

Dream Project Board Chair & Founder