Let's Talk About Housing: Zoning for Justice and Affordability

Across Virginia and across the country, communities are asking what it will take to ensure that everyone has a home they can afford — in a neighborhood they love.

Join us for a special conversation about housing, history, and opportunity. We’ll explore the big picture and local realities of expanding housing opportunities. Our panel, moderated by HOME of VA Policy Director Laura Dobbs, will explore innovative policy reforms that can unlock affordable housing development while promoting inclusive communities.

Panelists:

• Alyia Gaskins, Mayor of Alexandria. Elected in 2024, Gaskins is the first African American woman to serve as Mayor of Alexandria. Prior to becoming Mayor, she worked on hunger policy at D.C. Hunger Solutions and health issues at the National League of Cities, managed an affordable housing investment program at the Center for Community Investment, and was most recently a Senior Program Officer at the Melville Charitable Trust, a national philanthropic organization devoted to ending homelessness.
• Yoni Applebaum, a journalist and deputy executive editor at The Atlantic and author of Stuck: How the Privileged and Propertied Broke the American Engine of Opportunity. Appelbaum is a social and cultural historian of the United States. Before joining The Atlantic, he was a lecturer on history and literature at Harvard University. He previously taught at Babson College and at Brandeis University, where he received his Ph.D. in American history.

Presented in partnership with the Office of Historic Alexandria, the discussion will consider how lessons from the past can help shape a more equitable housing future — in Alexandria and beyond.

Obstacles to quality, safe, and affordable housing abound in today’s tight market, where exploitation and discrimination regularly shape outcomes. This contemporary crisis has deep roots, a reality that our “Let’s Talk About Housing” conversation series will explore while also illuminating how to navigate the legacies of discriminatory and inequitable practices that prevent many Virginians from finding and securing a home of their choice. With clarity, nuance, and verve, we will unravel the challenges of fair housing.

The event is free, but registration is required — and space is limited. Reserve your seat today!