City of Alexandria Recognized for Eviction Prevention Efforts

 Bloomberg Philanthrophies awarded the City of Alexandria a “What Works Cities Silver Certification” in recognition of for the City’s work in preventing eviction...
Page updated on February 21, 2024 at 11:18 PM
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CITY OF ALEXANDRIA RECOGNIZED FOR EVICTION PREVENTION EFFORTS 

February 21, 2024: Bloomberg Philanthrophies awarded the City of Alexandria a “What Works Cities Silver Certification” in recognition of for the City’s work in preventing eviction, including the use of data and analytics in effort to improve the quality of life of residents. “We are harnessing the power of data to make informed decisions and provide transparency on key issues,” Mayor Justin Wilson said, thanking the awarding organization. “The process of achieving housing stability for our residents, addressing inequities in service delivery, and improving outcomes through initiatives like the Alexandria Co-Response Program (ACORP) are stronger thanks to this approach.” 

Alexandria is now one of 12 cities in the U.S. and Latin America to earn the honor. It is only the second in Virginia to be certified, following Norfolk. 

The What Works Cities Certification serves as the national benchmark for excellence in data-driven city governance. It assesses the efficacy of city management by evaluating the extent to which city leaders incorporate data and evidence in their decision-making processes. 

Some notable examples of the City’s use of data include: 

  • Implementing an automated system for gathering information on eviction court proceedings. The data informs the efforts of the Eviction Prevention Task Force, a City-community partnership that supports households at risk of eviction. From the end of the Center for Disease Control’s COVID eviction moratorium in August 2021 to the close of 2023, nearly 8,000 evictions have been filed in Alexandria. However, with support provided by the Eviction Task Force and other community partners, 13 percent of those evictions resulted in residents being removed from their homes. 

  • An independent evaluation of ACORP found that when its teams of trained law enforcement officers and behavioral health clinicians responded to 911 calls that could have resulted in arrests, 70% were diverted from legal action. 

  • The launch of the City’s Equity Index Map in 2023, which identifies disparities in key social and economic outcomes. This tool helps City staff and community partners make equitable, inclusive, and data-driven decisions.  

The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America is the first-of-its-kind standard of excellence for data informed, well-managed local government. What Works Cities Certification recognizes and celebrates local governments for their exceptional use of data to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate the effectiveness of programs and engage residents.