Excitingly, five communities have been selected to participate in the new Work from Home Pilot Program that was recently launched by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to help localities strengthen their remote worker / resident attraction efforts, ensuring they’re built around individuals and place-based strategies.

The following communities will participate in the Work from Home Pilot Program:

• City of Buena Vista
• Town of Luray
• City of Harrisonburg
• Town of Marion
• Highland County (funded through Rural Community Development Initiative grant)

In partnership with Virginia Main Street (VMS) and the National Main Street Center (NMSC), the selected communities will learn to leverage remote work opportunities as part of a comprehensive downtown revitalization strategy. Technical assistance will be provided to help analyze the demand, target market and place-based gaps in supporting remote workers. This will include the development of a remote work assessment tool, a summary report with a set of recommendations and resources options. Building upon that analysis, each community will be provided with a Project Feasibility Report relating to a Place-Based and/or Program Recommendation.

We look forward to sharing additional updates soon and showcasing the results of the Work from Home Pilot program!

Image Credit: Only In Your State