5000 Families Pilot Program

Challenge: The Virginia Housing Alliance is seeking support from the Virginia General Assembly to launch a new pilot program designed to provide $100M in rent relief over a two-year period to 5,000 low-income families with school-aged children across Virginia. Managed by the Department of Housing and Community Development, the 5000 Families pilot program will empower families and set up students for success. To build support for the 5,000 Families program, a comprehensive and strategic advocacy and public relations campaign would be needed.

Solution: The Virginia Housing Alliance engaged Gray Ryan Communications to assist with implementation of the advocacy and public relations campaign. As part of the process, Gray Ryan Communications built and launched a dedicated microsite outlining the pilot program (https://5000families.com/). In addition to the microsite, Gray Ryan Communications also developed talking points for advocates, letters of support that could be sent to members of the General Assembly, and FAQs about the program. These efforts were complemented by a state-wide earned media and op/ed campaign with elected officials and partner organizations advocating why the 5,000 Families program was needed.

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Bottom Line: Since the launch of the campaign, the website has received over 5,600 visitors with a 40 percent conversion rate of individuals taking one or more actions including contacting a legislator or signing up to volunteer at the Virginia General Assembly. The campaign has also resulted in over two dozen earned media placements in major media outlets including The Richmond Times-Dispatch, InsideNoVa, and others. Awareness about the 5,000 Families pilot program continues to grow in anticipation of the 2025 Virginia General Assembly Session.