Is there enough affordable housing in Norfolk?

Raven Payne
·2 min read

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — In 2023, the city of Norfolk made some strides with affordable housing, but housing and homelessness organizations are wondering if it’s enough.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a two-bedroom apartment in Norfolk in 2023 averaged around $1,300.

Already in 2024, that number has gone up to almost $1,500.

ForKids CEO Thaler McCormick told 10 On Your Side that more housing projects, more action from elected officials and more support from the community is needed to truly help with the ongoing issue.

The phones at ForKids ring off the hook daily.

McCormick said they get a record number of calls for housing assistance.

Just in December, they received 1,875 calls for assistance from Norfolk residents.

And that was supposed to be a slow month.

“Many of the folks who call us are working,” she said. “Many of them are choosing between the bills they pay. So, I need to keep my lights on, I have medical costs that I need to cover, or my rent.”

And that includes calls about evictions.

“Just on Jan. 2, there were 928 eviction fillings in Norfolk. So, in a single month, and that may continue to rachet up, but on Jan. 2, we had 928 people that face now a court case for evictions.”

Norfolk had its fair share of upcoming affordable housing projects last year with Unity Place at Kindred and Newport Gardens.

McCormick said it’s definitely a start, but there’s so much more work to be done.

“The thing with housing is that you might feel like any particular project is a drop in the bucket, but we have a big bucket of housing that needs to be filled,” McCormick said, “so we need as many drops as we can get. So, every project matters. All cities need to find a way to say yes to housing.”

She also said one of the biggest obstacles for affordable housing is the stigma attached to it.

“Pause before you oppose because we’ve got projects, good projects like the ones being considered in Norfolk and they face community opposition,” she said. “And so, our elected officials need to hear from the people that understand and know we need housing and realize that housing is such a critical part of our community.”

If you need housing assistance, head on over to Family Homelessness | ForKids | Norfolk, Va.

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