Housing Virginia

CRT/tanaka worked with non-profit organization Housing Virginia to develop and implement an integrated communications campaign to generate public awareness for the issue of affordable housing in Virginia. The agency began by commissioning a survey of Charlottesville-area households to provide a benchmark of awareness levels and perceptions of affordable housing and the people who need it. To enhance public awareness and perceptions, CRT/tanaka developed a logo and tagline for Housing Virginia and assisted the organization with coalition development, grassroots marketing, media relations, event planning, radio and print advertising, and Web site development.

When the campaign concluded, fewer residents stereotyped affordable housing as only being for families on welfare; more residents included police officers, fire fighters, other municipal workers and the elderly among those who needed affordable housing; and the city of Charlottesville adopted a housing strategy to outline the city’s goals, policies and programs to provide more affordable housing.

CHARLOTTESVILLE AREA PILOT CAMPAIGN

Challenge

Across Virginia, as well as across the United States, housing prices continue to increase at a dramatic rate. Many individuals who provide essential services, such as police officers, firefighters and other service professionals, can’t afford to live in the cities where they work. Rising housing prices also are impacting the availability of affordable housing for the elderly. (Housing is considered affordable if the monthly cost is less than 30 percent of a family’s gross monthly income.)

In 2003, a diverse collaboration of housing organizations established Housing Virginia as a non-profit organization to increase awareness about the affordable housing issue in Virginia. Before going statewide, the organization decided to conduct a pilot awareness campaign in the Charlottesville area, because the region’s need for more affordable housing is representative of the housing situation throughout the Commonwealth. Housing Virginia turned to CRT/tanaka to develop and implement an integrated public awareness campaign, rooted in quantifiable research.

Solution

Highlights of the tactics used for the Housing Virginia campaign included:

• Coalition Development/Grassroots Marketing – CRT/tanaka mobilized affordable housing advocacy organizations, non-profits, REALTORS^Ó and others to expand on local needs and develop solutions.
• Logo/Tagline Development – Before the launch of Housing Virginia, CRT/tanaka developed a logo and tagline (Building Blocks of Opportunity) for the organization.
• Launch Event – CRT/tanaka orchestrated a launch event announcing the Charlottesville pilot, which was attended by local politicians, affordable housing advocacy organizations and the media.
• Media Relations – CRT/tanaka developed key messages for the campaign and created a Housing Virginia press kit for the launch. CRT/tanaka also wrote subsequent press releases, an op-ed and sample letters to the editor for use by area residents and local leaders.
• Radio and Print Advertisements – CRT/tanaka developed a series of four advertorials that ran in Charlottesville’s daily and weekly newspapers, as well as a radio ad, which aired on local radio stations, both during two six-week ad flights. The ad series was conceived to “put a face” on those who need affordable housing by highlighting firefighters, police officers, other service professionals and the elderly.
• Brochure/Posters – A Housing Virginia brochure was developed, which was distributed at the launch event and given to local affordable housing advocates to use at the grassroots level. The print ads also were turned into posters for distribution throughout the community.
• Web Site – A Housing Virginia Web Site (www.housingvirginia.org) was developed to provide the community and the media with easy-to-access information.
• Tool Kit – To assist local affordable housing advocates, Housing Virginia developed a tool kit, which included facts about Housing Virginia, action steps that could be taken at the local level and collateral material.

Results

• By March 2005, 48 percent of area residents were aware of Housing Virginia and the affordable housing issue.
• Fewer residents stereotyped affordable housing as only being for families on welfare, as much as an 18 percent decrease within 18 months.
• More residents included police officers, fire fighters, other municipal workers and the elderly among those who needed affordable housing, a 9 percent increase within 18 months.
• The campaign garnered significant print and broadcast coverage in the region, including a features section cover story in the Charlottesville Daily Progress, the region’s leading newspaper and coverage by the region’s NBC affiliate and top talk radio station (WINA).
• The Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS approved a special trust fund to aid teachers, police officers, nurses and firefighters to live in the areas they serve.
• The City of Charlottesville adopted a housing strategy to outline the city’s goals, policies and programs to provide more affordable housing. The city also is pursuing special state legislation that would allow it to require a quota of affordable units in all housing developments in Charlottesville.