HISTORIC CHURCH HELPS HOUSE WORKING POOR

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 2, 1992                   TAG: 9201020124
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA                                LENGTH: Medium
HISTORIC CHURCH HELPS HOUSE WORKING POOR
A historic church is helping launch an effort to build affordable housing for some of Northern Virginia's working poor.
The Old Presbyterian Meeting House in the city's waterfront Old Town section gave $50,000 on Tuesday to the non-profit developer Virginians in Partnership for Housing Inc.
"The $50,000 is the beginning of VIP's working capital," said Charles Nance, the organization's director. "We hope that it will be matched by other churches and businesses."
The meeting house is one of the oldest churches in Alexandria and is a tourist attraction as well as a working congregation.
Many of the people who fill necessary low-paying jobs created by Northern Virginia's rapid growth cannot afford to live in the region. Housing prices skyrocketed over the last decade as new, expensive homes were built and developers replaced moderate rental buildings with pricey co-op buildings.
The housing group aims to build an average of one new affordable housing unit daily, or nearly 2,500 new units by the year 2000, Nance said.
Nance said a two-bedroom apartment in Alexandria costs an average of $730 a month, compared with $230 a month when he moved to the area in 1975.
The church grant will go to a revolving loan fund to help offset start-up costs for non-profit builders. Builders will repay the loans as permanent financing is approved for their projects.
"We have to get our priorities back where they belong," said Alexandria Mayor Patricia Ticer. "Without basic necessities like housing, we can't have strong people and strong communities," she said.
Ticer and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas Davis attended a ceremony at the church Tuesday.
Nance's group, formed last year, plans to unite local government, businesses and churches to build rental housing for low- and middle-income families. Beginning professionals earning less than $25,000 would also qualify for some of the organization's programs, Nance said.
"Housing is a regional issue," Davis said. "We hope their efforts will inspire the local level to believe there is a strong constituency of people out there who are willing to put their money where their mouth is."

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB