Message from Rob:
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Across Virginia, families are facing a housing market that has become increasingly difficult to navigate.
For young families trying to buy their first home, workers hoping to live near their jobs, seniors looking to downsize, and renters searching for an affordable place to live, the challenge often comes down to the same problem: we do not have enough housing to meet demand.
Virginia continues to face shortages in both single-family homes and affordable rental housing. At the same time, demand remains strong. In Fiscal Year 2025 alone, Virginia housing originated nearly $1.4 billion in homeownership loans, a 28 percent increase from the year before, and serviced more than 84,000 home loans totaling $10.1 billion across the Commonwealth.
Rental housing production also increased, with financing commitments for more than 4,500 rental units totaling $824.6 million in Fiscal Year 2025.
Those numbers show that Virginians still want to buy homes, put down roots, and live near the communities where they work and raise their families. But limited supply continues to put pressure on prices.
That is why I voted for the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which was signed into law earlier this year.
This new law takes important steps to address our housing shortage at its source by removing unnecessary barriers to building more homes, modernizing federal housing programs, expanding housing supply, and helping more Americans pursue homeownership. It also includes reforms aimed at manufactured and modular housing, rural housing, veterans, and communities working to meet local housing needs.
The ROAD to Housing Act reflects the approach I believe we need: rather than simply treating the symptoms of high housing costs, we should address the underlying shortage that is making it harder for families to find homes they can afford.
Federal policy alone cannot solve every housing challenge. Local land-use decisions, permitting, infrastructure, construction costs, interest rates, and access to financing all play a role. But Washington should be helping communities build and preserve housing rather than making the process more expensive or difficult.
Virginia’s First District includes growing suburban communities, military communities, rural areas, and coastal communities, and housing needs are different in each one. Whether it is a young family looking for a starter home, a teacher or first responder trying to live near work, a veteran pursuing homeownership, or an older Virginian hoping to remain in the community they have called home for decades, we need more housing choices at prices families can afford.
I will continue working in Congress to lower barriers, increase housing supply, support homeownership, and help ensure Virginia remains a place where families can afford to build their future.
Sincerely,
Rob Wittman
Member of Congress, Virginia’s 1st District