Housing Virginia Newsletter
October 2015
Housing Virginia Celebrates 10 Years with Governor Terry McAuliffe
  

 
On September 3, Housing Virginia celebrated ten years of supporting housing opportunity with special guests Governor Terry McAuliffe and Secretary of Commerce & Trade Maurice Jones. Partners, supporters and friends from around Virginia came together to share memories and progress over the past decade as well as to look forward to new challenges. Among those gathered were previous Board members reaching back to the launch of the organization in 2005.

Vice Chair Laura Lafayette recognized and thanked our numerous supporters and partners over the past 10 years in addition to tracing the timeline of projects and programs that have made up our campaign to educate about the benefits of affordable housing and overcome the myths and prejudice that sometimes fuel opposition. Both the Governor and Secretary offered words of support for affordable housing in Virginia. 
3rd Annual VHC Housing Credit Conference Draws Over 300 Attendees
HUD Assist. Secretary Velasquez addresses over 300 tax credit professionals

The Virginia Housing Coalition's Third Annual Housing Credit Conference was a huge success. With over 300 attendees and a packed agenda, there were many exciting opportunities for professional development and networking.


The Conference also had many great presenters, including HUD Assistant Secretary Gustavo Velasquez (pictured above) and longtime housing policy advocate Bobby Rozen, who offered their insight and expertise. The sessions covered a wide base of topics related to tax credits, including a beginner's track facilitated by Lead Sponsor VCDC and a VHDA Tax Credit Program Forum.


Where Can You Find Housing Virginia at the GHC?




 
The Annual Virginia Governor's Housing Conference will be held Wednesday, November 18th - Friday, November 20th at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. 

If you haven't registered already, click here and make sure you save a spot for the biggest housing event of the year!

Housing Virginia will be hosting a pre-conference session and 5 conference sessions:

Throughout the Conference we will be demonstrating data and research tools as well as other projects at the Housing Virginia table in the display area. Come by and say hello to the staff!
Merger Approved: Virginia Housing Alliance Launches January 1, 2016   
 
Last week, the Virginia Housing Coalition and the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness took one of the final steps in their two year journey toward merger. The merger votes of the membership of both organizations was officially certified at a membership meeting.  

The final approval of the merger was put into effect as more than two thirds of the members of both organizations voted to proceed. The Articles of Merger and the revised Articles and Bylaws of the VHC were filed with the State Corporation Commission this week.


**The Alliance is seeking candidates to fill the position of Executive Director. Please follow this link for a position description. The position will remain open for applications until filled. Stay tuned for more information about the Alliance.
Fund the Virginia Housing Trust Fund Website Launched
The Virginia Housing Coalition officially launched the Fund the VHTF campaign this past August, which is aimed at securing a dedicated source of funding for the Virginia Housing Trust Fund.  As part of this effort, VHC also unveiled fundthevhtf.org, a new website dedicated to awareness of the Virginia Housing Trust Fund.
 
NVAHA Celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary
  
2015 is a big anniversary year for affordable housing - Housing Virginia is celebrating our 10th year, and our friends at Better Housing Coalition and Virginia LISC both held events to commemorate 25 years of service. 

The Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA), a regional partner of Housing Virginia, is also joining the mix with an event celebrating their own 10 year anniversary.

The theme centered around fostering economically and racially diverse communities through affordable housing education and advocacy, which is the main mission and purpose of NVAHA. National Housing Conference President & CEO Chris Estes delivered the keynote speech for the event.
Local Housing Trust Fund Workshop in Richmond on 10/29

Did you know that in the last two years, Richmond and Norfolk have created housing trust funds? Did you know that there are nearly 500 local housing trust funds in the country and it is one of the fastest growing sources of funding for affordable housing of all types?

The Virginia Housing Coalition is hosting an interactive session focused on Affordable Housing Trusts for cities and counties. Learn how local trust funds are structured and administered. Hear about the types of programs they fund, targeting and application procedures. Find out the typical ways that they are funded and whether dedicated sources are a must.

Mary Brooks, a national expert in Housing Trust Funds, will be the principal trainer. She has headed the Housing Trust Funds Project at the Center for Community Change for over 30 years. She has also been an advisor to hundreds of communities, including Richmond, that have created local HTF's.

Read More
Regional "Overcoming NIMBY" Workshops Kicked Off in Alexandria
  
Housing Virginia held an Overcoming NIMBY workshop in Alexandria in September. Partnering with our friends at NVAHA, we offered a tailor-made half-day version of a workshop that we piloted in Richmond last year.

Local developers, planners, and others in the affordable housing industry gathered together to participate. The session instructed participants how to begin creating a community engagement plan, and the interactive exercise (pictured here) gave the group a chance to test their creativity. All attendees also received a comprehensive workbook that will act as a guideline whenever they need to develop a strategy to overcome NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard).

Housing Virginia is looking to bring this workshop to localities around the state in the form of full-day, half-day, or 2-hour sessions, depending on your audience's needs. 

Contact Jonathan Brown (jonathan@hdadvisors.net) today to discuss setting up a session in your area!
Roanoke Workforce Housing Study Suggests Preservation, Rentals and Seniors as Key Areas of Concern
  
HV Chair Kit Hale weighs in on Dr. Sturtevant's findings during the panel discussion
In late August, Housing Virginia partnered with the Roanoke Regional Housing Network to host a Regional Housing Symposium: Paving the Road to Affordable Housing Success. The event featured a series of presentations and panel discussions. Dr. Lisa Sturtevant, Policy Director for the National Housing Conference, presented her research report on "Housing the Future Workforce in the Roanoke Valley". 

The study looks at job growth in the region through 2030. Those jobs are then analyzed by industry sector and wage levels. The final step in the analysis is to forecast housing demand by price and tenure, based upon the projected income and housing preferences of the new workers.

Read More
Visit Our Table at the Annual VACo Conference 11/8-10! 
  
Housing Virginia is hosting a table in the exhibit hall of the 81st Annual VACo Conference, which will be held November 8th - 10th this year at the Omni Homestead in Bath County, Virginia.

Every year the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) gathers local officials, legislators, exhibitors and guests together to enjoy educational sessions and opportunities to discuss county concerns. VACo's Annual Conference also provides opportunities for county officials to exchange ideas with state leaders on ways they can work as partners while serving all Virginians.

Read More
In Memoriam: Francis Fife
  
Francis Fife passed away on October 16 at the age of 95. He was an icon within Virginia's affordable housing community. A banker and former Mayor of Charlottesville, he was a tireless advocate for affordable housing in his community and across the state. His accomplishments are too numerous to list.

He launched the Charlottesville Housing Foundation, served on the Boards of VHDA and DHCD and was a prominent and consistent voice for Virginians who needed a decent place to live. He was inducted into the Virginia Housing Hall of Fame in 2008.

Francis was an extraordinarily kind, humble and gracious man with an ever present sense of humor. We will miss him dearly but will continue to be inspired by his commitment to our common cause.

Pictured below are Francis and his wife Nancy O'Brien.
In This Issue
Calendar
 
Local HTF Workshop
Oct 29 in Richmond, VA
VHC is hosting an interactive session focused on Affordable Housing Trusts for cities and counties. Learn how local trust funds are structured and administered. Hear about the types of programs they fund, targeting and application procedures. Find out the typical ways that they are funded and whether dedicated sources are a must.

VACo Annual Conference
Nov 8-10 in Bath County, VA
Local officials, legislators, exhibitors and guests are expected to attend. The agenda will be packed
with educational sessions and opportunities to discuss
county concerns.

VA Governor's Housing Conference
Nov 18-20 in Hampton, VA
Save the date for the 2015 VA GHC. Join us for a multitude of educational concurrent and snap sessions, a variety of thought-provoking plenary sessions led by experts in housing, finance and community development, and several networking opportunities at the commonwealth's largest housing event.
Click here to register 
Video of the Week Digest: September 2015

Did you miss any of our Videos of the Week last month? Check here to see all the videos we've shared.

Sylvia Hallock (Habitat for Humanity Virginia) describes how the transformation of a South Hampton Roads community improved the lives of the children and families living there.

Nina Janopaul (Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing) tells the story of Buchanan Gardens -- a 1949 out-dated apartment complex that has been transformed in modern affordable housing.

Candice Streett (Virginia Local Initiatives Support Corporation [LISC]) tells the uplifting story of Brenda -- a mother of two girls who wanted to move beyond public housing and into her own home.

Our first installment of "10 Weeks of Celebrating Housing Virginia Partners" is a video from Community Housing Partners. In this clip, CHP residents and homeowners discuss why home matters to them.
 
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