Mission: Affordable

In the past, government housing-assistance programs in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia focused on apartment residents who earned between 50 percent and 70 percent of the area media income (AMI) figure. The Department of Housing and Urban Development adjusts the AMI annually for specific localities.

The AMI is used to determine eligibility for a variety of subsidized housing programs. HUD publishes AMI tables broken down by family size and locality annually.

Eligibility translates into a ceiling of about $37,000 for a couple in Arlington. In Montgomery County, Md., the maximum income limit for a two-person household purchasing a moderately priced unit is $50,000.

But now, in response to the shortage of reasonably priced homes on sale in the metro area, municipalities are partnering with some developers to set aside below-market-rate units for moderate-income workers who make too much money to qualify for affordable housing and too little money to buy anywhere near their workplaces.

A new stream of homeownership programs target those who earn up to 120 percent AMI. Some of these opportunities are open only to government workers, while others are offered to anyone who makes only a modest living -- somewhere between 80 percent and 120 percent AMI. Some programs are mandated by the local governments, while others are administered by developers, voluntarily, with no government subsidies.

The overarching mentality is that people who contribute to the local economy through toil and taxes deserve an opportunity to own a piece of the real estate pie, according to the government officials who back these programs.

Some jurisdictions use the phrase "work force housing" to label homes reserved for households that fall between 80 percent and 120 percent AMI.

But affordable housing advocates and some government officials say that term is a misnomer because people at or below 60 percent AMI -- new teachers, dental assistants and security guards -- are also part of the work force and should also be encouraged to buy local property.

Ken Aughenbaugh, the housing director for Arlington County, said: "'Work force housing' is a nice buzzword that I think is often abused. We consider all working households as part of the work force." The county has homeownership programs intended for EAH employees and non-EAH employees at or below 60 percent AMI, he said

So how does Arlington's residential raffle work? Any first-time home buyer who lives or works in the county, earns at most 80 percent AMI and wants a below-market price property can get on a notification list.

When a developer works out a deal with the county to deliver units to this population, the county pulls names off the list at random. About 10 homes -- usually condominiums -- become available for sale each year. The chosen few then get the option to buy. Almost all raffle winners do.

"The statistics say a lot," Aughenbaugh said. "Only around 30 percent of the county government work force lives in the county. We have more jobs than we have housing units."