Fall is one of my favorite times of year in Alexandria. Why? Well for starters, the weather finally cools down. Second, it’s time for the Del Ray Halloween Parade, which is one of my favorite traditions. I wish I could share the Gaskins’ family’s big costume plans, but with a six-year-old and a three-year-old the kids change the plan every few minutes between their favorite superheroes and princesses. Stay tuned for our big reveal.

 

Fall is also when the City Council returns from recess and gets back to the business of passing policies and initiatives. This October, Council is focused on two priorities that I believe define what it means for Alexandria to thrive: housing and health.

 

On housing, we will be working to advance the Housing 2040 Master Plan, which we passed earlier this year. Housing 2040 is long-term effort to address our housing challenges from homelessness to home ownership. Specifically, we will be working to pass new policies related to eviction prevention and housing quality.

 

On community health, we’re acting on the findings of this year’s citywide Community Health Assessment. Mental wellness was identified as the number one health issue impacting residents in our community.

 

This city works best when we work together. If you have ideas on how we can keep making progress on our housing and health challenges, please share them. As always, Council meetings are open to the public and I encourage you to show up, speak up, and stay engaged.