Citizens meeting on housing affordability / LaColectiVA, Tyrol Hill Park

There was a large grassroots meeting held recently by La ColectiVA in Tyrol Hills Park in Arlington's Columbia Heights West neighborhood to address concerns by citizens regarding the rising costs of housing in the area. Listening to and addressing the meeting was Arlington County Board member Matt Di Ferrante and Board Chair Christian Dorsey. Issues regarding housing affordability, discriminatory behaviors by some landlords towards immigrant tenants, sale of affordable housing properties to developers, rapidly increasing rents, newly restrictive or abusive policies regarding rent collection and towards families with children, and other topics were forthrightly and respectively discussed.  Board members promised efforts on behalf of the citizens and encouraged them to be in steady contact with County authorities in order to move their concerns forward.

Thanks to civic activist Janeth Valenzuela for inviting the Columbia Pike Documentary Project to document this crucial effort.

Photography by Lloyd Wolf.