Housing Virginia
 

Housing Virginia Newsletter
January 2015
2015 marks Housing Virginia's 10 year anniversary. Over these past 10 years, we have supplied the tools and data to make the case why affordable housing matters for Virginia's communities. From our regional partners across the Commonwealth to the thousands of people who use our research tools every day, we expand awareness and understanding. 

Housing Virginia would not be where it is today without the generosity of each individual and organization that has offered support over the years. We want to thank them and our Board of Directors for 10 wonderful years of promoting affordable housing in Virginia. We look forward to more growth in the coming years as well. Stay tuned for 10 Year Anniversary events and communications throughout the year!
Housing Virginia Launches Overcoming NIMBY Training
  

On December 9, 2014,

Housing Virginia gathered 30 housing professionals at VHDA's Housing Center for the first "Overcoming NIMBY in Affordable Housing" training. 

 

The training falls under Housing Virginia's Whole Communities Project, an ongoing comprehensive campaign dedicated to overcoming the challenges of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) in Virginia.

 

Read more

National Housing Trust Fund Finally Funded 

On December 11th, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that it would be taking action to reinstate funding for the National Housing Trust Fund. The FHFA directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to begin allocating funds to the National Housing Trust Fund pursuant to the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA).

 

The National Low Income Housing Coalition, which has been headlining the campaign for a National Housing Trust Fund, elaborated on the details of the action: "The companies are directed to begin setting aside the required funds in FY2015 and each year thereafter. Within 60 days after the end of the fiscal year, they are to transfer the funds. Because the companies operate on a January to December fiscal year, the first dollars will be made available in the early months of 2016." Estimates call for as much as $15-20 million coming to Virginia in 2016. The amount will depend on the GSE volume and profitability.

Virginia Housing Coalition Sponsors Housing Day at the Virginia General Assembly 
Photo courtesy of Housing Opportunities Made Equal


 

Thursday, January 15th was the Virginia Housing Coalition's annual Virginia Housing Day! Over 100 housing advocates from around the state gathered at the Virginia General Assembly to meet with representatives about important housing policy issues.

 

Even through a challenging budget year, support for the Housing Trust Fund has continued to grow in the General Assembly and VHC has strong support from the McAuliffe Administration. The group was not seeking funding for the Housing Trust Fund this year, but they engaged advocates to continue educating legislators about this very important issue. Senator John Watkins is offering a study resolution focused on finding a reliable funding source for the Housing Trust Fund.

 
Housing Virginia Launches "Video of the Week" Series on Social Media    


 Be sure to check the Housing Virginia Facebook page every Monday for a new "Video of the Week" relating to affordable housing. These short videos include clips from our Housing StoryWorks collection, a series that highlights the personal stories of people not only in affordable housing, but also in local and state government, health care, permanent supportive housing, and even residents of affordable housing projects.

 

We will also use the Video of the Week to launch a short animated video series that explains what affordable housing is and who needs it in Virginia. Stay tuned for these new videos on Facebook and Twitter, and let us know if you have any video material we could share with the affordable housing community! 
Housing Virginia Housing Education Grants Awarded to Regional Partners  
  
Each year, Housing Virginia awards grants to regional non-profit
partners that fund events and activities focused on increasing public awareness and support of affordable housing. This year, Housing Virginia awarded four organizations with $5,000 each:
Neighborhood & Schools Forum in Chesterfield County on Jan 22nd
  
Using Housing Virginia's Housing & Schools Symposium as a springboard, Carrie Coyner, Chesterfield County School Board Chair, is bringing the conversation to Chesterfield County. 

Residents of all backgrounds are encouraged to join the discussion of where Chesterfield County is now and how to move forward as a whole community.


Housing Virginia's own Housing & Schools Symposium was recognized in the National Association of REALTORS® news. We hope to continue pushing for more regional dialogues around these topics in the coming year. 

Housing Virginia also plans to partner with VCU again for a second Housing & Schools Symposium on June 19, 2015. Keep an eye out for more details!
EasyLiving Home's Best Year Yet
  
EasyLiving Home, a voluntary certification program for accessible home building, had its best year ever in 2014, certifying 20 homes across the state through its program. Key producers for the year included Southern Development at its Dunlora development in Albemarle County, R+D Systems and its Greenport subdivision in Harrisonburg, and Habitat through a number of its affiliates throughout Virginia.
Sourcebook Fact of the Month
Disparity in Median Sales Prices of Hampton Roads Homes


 

The Hampton Roads region has some of the most disparate home sales prices of metro regions in Virginia. The resort area of Virginia Beach employs a large number of lower wage service workers in the hotels, retail stores and restaurants. These workers need affordable housing near these workforce centers, but housing costs vary throughout the region.

 

The median sales price of a Virginia Beach home, where many lower wage service workers have jobs, is $223,889. However, the lowest prices in the region are in Surry ($115,000), Portsmouth ($121,000), and Hampton ($129,905), which are all jurisdictions with substantial commutes from service jobs in Virginia Beach. The region's topography forces commuters to rely on limited highways and tunnels that act as choke points during rush hour - a problem that is only exacerbated with a larger pool of commuters.

 

As a result, Hampton Roads has a special interest in locating affordable housing near where these jobs are being created in order to keep commuters off the notoriously congested highways. Doing so would improve quality of life for residents and save on infrastructure cost throughout the region.

 

Find more regional and state data on affordable housing on SOURCEBOOK.
Stay Connected

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

 View our videos on YouTube Find us on Google+

In This Issue
Calendar

VHC Federal Housing Day

February 11, 2015 in Washington, DC

Every year, the Virginia Housing Coalition follows up Virginia Housing Day with a trip to Capitol Hill in Washington to speak with representatives at the federal level about housing policy issues.

Stay tuned for more details at the VHC website!

  

NLIHC 2015 Housing Legislation Forum

March 1-3, 2015 in Washington, DC

The 2015 NLIHC Housing Legislative Forum will be more strategic and focused in its design, geared specifically for NLIHC members who are actively engaged in and committed to influencing legislative action on national housing policies affecting extremely low income individuals.

Click here to register   


NCSHA 2015 Legislative Conference

March 2-4, 2015 in Washington, DC

Come and tell your members of Congress about the important affordable housing work HFAs and their partners do, how well they do it, and what it means to people, communities, and the economy.

Click here to register

2015 VAHCDO Annual Conference & Scholarship Luncheon

April 29 - May 1 in Virginia Beach, VA

Join housing professionals from around the Commonwealth for this annual conference and luncheon. More details to come later - stay tuned via the VAHCDO website!
 

Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference
May 19-21 in Detroit, MI

The Center for Community Progress conference will be held in Detroit, Michigan on May 19-21, 2015.


NCSHA 2015 Housing Credit Connect

June 1-4 in Los Angeles, CA

Across more than 30 sessions, in the elite Marketplace, and at several networking events, the heavy hitters of the Housing Credit industry and their agency partners will deliver the latest news on how to make the Housing Credit work in these unprecedented times.
Click here to register


HV Housing & Schools Symposium

June 19, 2015 in Richmond, VA

Join us for our second symposium on the connection between housing & schools. Last year, over 200 housers and educators met at VCU to create cross-industry dialogue. 

See what we covered last year
Housing Virginia |  admin@housingvirginia.org | 205 N Robinson Street
Richmond, VA 23220

Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.