Virginia Housing Directory - What is it? Where do I find it?

Since 1992, VHDA has produced the Virginia Housing Directory as a resource to find organizations engaged in housing activities (i.e. non-profit organizations, federal and state agencies, and county and city resources).  This directory is a cooperative effort of VHDA and the agencies and organizations listed therein. The information captured provides the description, address, phone number, email address and area of services provided. The information is provided by each individual organization, which is solely responsible for their content.

If your organization is already listed, does it need updating? Would you like to be listed? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then please contact us at housingdirectory@vhda.com.

We hope you will use this valuable tool and join us in our goal to help Virginians obtain safe, decent and affordable housing that would otherwise be unaffordable for them.


© 2013 VHDA, All Rights Reserved. Please Review the Privacy Policy.

Beyond Bricks & Sticks. A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.

Community Investment

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Boost Brownfield Redevelopment

(RECAP: This week, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced the Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development Act of 2013 (BUILD Act), a bill aimed at assisting local communities in remediating and redeveloping contaminated sites.)
http://www.planetizen.com/node/61117

Neighborhood Transformation

Mastering the Metro: How Metro Regions Can Win Friends and Influence Economies

(RECAP: If networks are the new, fast and partly-out-of-your-control vehicles for individual career building, could they also be the vehicles for building stronger economies and more livable communities in metropolitan areas?)
http://nextcity.org/forefront/view/mastering-the-metro

Patient urbanism: Build neighborhoods without high debt

(RECAP: Building neighborhoods patiently requires far less debt for infrastructure and results in places that are more interesting than those that are built all at once. This was once the way we built everywhere, but it is now illegal all over. Why?)
http://bettercities.net/news-opinion/blogs/steve-mouzon/19825/patient-urbanism-build-neighborhoods-without-high-debt

Neighborhood Revitalization: Determining the Level of Intervention

In working with local governments and redevelopment and housing authorities over the years to help to address neighborhood revitalization opportunities, I realized the need to develop a quick guide sheet to visually depict the level of intervention necessary to address deteriorated and blighted housing. The attached document, “Neighborhood Revitalization: Levels of Intervention – Conceptualized,” provides a convenient way to view a neighborhood block (consisting of 20 lots measuring 25 x 100 feet) experiencing deterioration. While the configuration of blocks and lots in your older urban communities may differ somewhat from the diagrams, the overall intervention model still applies.

You’ll notice the model outlines three levels of intervention – minimal, revitalization and redevelopment.  In many cases, blocks involving one or two deteriorated housing units will require minimal intervention that may be addressed either by the market through investor purchase or by voluntary community action. Such community action might be facilitated through faith-based groups, the Rebuilding Together initiative or Habitat’s “Brush with Kindness” program.

Beyond Bricks & Sticks. A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.

Strengthening Capacity

NeighborWorks America Hosts Upcoming Symposium on Social Technology

This week is your last chance to register online for NeighborWorks' symposium "Engaging Customers and Community through Social Technology" co-sponsored by NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network. Register before April 15.
www.bit.ly/SocialTechNTI

Community Investment

Virginia Housing Trust Fund Offers Workshops

(RECAP: Learn how to apply for funding from the Competitive Loan Pool and the Homeless Reduction Grant Program. Applications are due May 15.)
http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/index.php/dhcd-resources/trainings-and-workshops.html

Housing with Services

Green House Building New Senior Living Model

(RECAP: In the related worlds of senior housing and health care, it turns out that a very small-scale solution can deliver a terrific quality of life for seniors that is not beyond their financial reach.)
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-best-life/2013/04/04/green-house-building-new-senior-living-model

Fighting Domestic Violence With Architecture and Design

(RECAP: A new website, Building Dignity, gives domestic violence agencies resources and models to fundamentally change the way shelters are structured so they can provide women with empowerment and autonomy.)
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2013/03/fighting-domestic-violence-architecture-and-design/5076/

Neighborhood Transformation

An Easier Way To Fight Sprawl

(RECAP: As housing markets return, let’s ignore sprawl policies for a while and focus on infill policy instead. And let’s address infill in a completely new way.)
http://www.planetizen.com/node/61654

Announcing the best Complete Streets policies of 2012

Communities across the country are making roads safer and more accessible for everyone who uses them, and more communities are using these strategies now than ever before. The Best Complete Streets Policies of 2012 examines all the policies passed in the last year and highlights some of the best.
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/2013/04/08/announcing-the-best-complete-streets-policies-of-2012/

Coffee with KC McGurren, Executive Director of EarthCraft Virginia (Part 2)

In continuing my conversation with Katherine Carroll “KC” McGurren, Executive Director of EarthCraft™ Virginia, KC discussed current and future advancements in sustainable energy efficient construction.

1. Give us an example of a multifamily development that went beyond the expectations of EarthCraft.
Several project teams have successfully gone above and beyond their expectations, but one outstanding example is the Better Housing Coalition’s Lincoln Mews. Prior to its redevelopment in 2008, approximately 65% of the development’s 245 affordable housing units were vacant and in disrepair. With the help of VHDA and architectural guidance from Community Design Studio, the project was able to begin a rigorous renovation. After the improvements were made, the project achieved an overall energy-efficiency improvement of 60%. As a result, the tenant’s utility bill was reduced from an average of $150 to only $45 a month! The property features Energy Star windows, high efficiency on demand water heaters, high efficiency HVAC equipment and quality insulation, all of which greatly reduced the utility bills of the tenants. They also thoroughly sealed the building’s envelope and ducts to prevent air infiltration and leakage.

Lincoln Mews is a renovated apartment building equipped
with energy-efficient appliances and technology.

In a side conversation, Bob Newman, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Better Housing Coalition, reflected, “The technical assistance provided by EarthCraft during both the design and construction phases was invaluable in ensuring the planned performance outcomes were actually achieved in practice.”

Coffee with KC McGurren, Executive Director of EarthCraft Virginia (Part 1)

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Katherine Carroll “KC” McGurren, Executive Director of EarthCraft™ Virginia, to learn first-hand about green building practices and EarthCraft certification standards. Join our conversation below! If you have any additional questions for KC, feel free to post them in the comment section.

For a little background information, EarthCraft Virginia is a 501(c) 3 non-profit dedicated to the advancement of sustainable, affordable, resource and energy efficient construction through education and technical support. By working with builders to meet energy-efficiency and green building standards, the organization has successfully certified over 1,850 homes and over 9,000 multifamily dwelling units. EarthCraft Virginia closely partners with VHDA, Southface Energy Institute, the Home Builders Association of Virginia and Habitat for Humanity of Virginia.

KC McGurren is the Executive Director of EarthCraft Virginia.

1.     For our readers, could you tell us about yourself?

With a background in policy and planning from Virginia Tech, I worked to obtain hands-on experience in green building. I began my career as a Fellow at Southface Energy Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. During that time, I completed field visits to perform energy-efficiency assessments and worked as a home energy rater with the EarthCraft House program. After completing my fellowship, I joined EarthCraft Virginia as its first employee, eventually assuming my current role as Executive Director.

Beyond Bricks & Sticks. A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.

Strengthening Capacity

How Nonprofits Can Use Twitter Vine (Without Wasting Time)

(RECAP: With the launch of Vine, Twitter has stormed onto the video scene. This creates huge opportunities for nonprofits who use Twitter to network with their donors.)
http://lorirtaylor.com/how-nonprofits-can-use-twitter-vine/

Neighborhood Transformation

New online game allows kids to design their own energy-efficient city

(RECAP: The Plan It Green game aims to help young people better understand the energy systems available to us and what it takes to build a successful and sustainable community.)
http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/new-online-game-allows-kids-create-own-energy-efficient-city.html

Housing with Services 

5 Ways Robots Will Change Senior Housing

(RECAP: Considering the expected future capabilities of robots and the trajectory of their acceptance, here are a few key—and interrelated—areas robots will profoundly impact the senior housing industry.)
http://seniorhousingnews.com/2013/03/20/5-ways-robots-will-change-senior-housing/

Community Investment 

Virginia Housing Trust Fund Now Accepting Applications For Two Programs

The Virginia Housing Trust Fund is opening competitive applications for two pools of funding: the Competitive Loan Pool and the Homeless Reduction Grant Program.
http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/index.php/dhcd-resources/dhcd-annoucements.html

Q & A : MUMI Financing Details

Recently, we received some questions from one of our sister state housing finance agencies about our Mixed-use/Mixed-income (MUMI) financing. It is always nice to respond to something like this, because we are very proud of the impact of the MUMI program. I believe the questions raised and our responses are worth repeating to a larger audience, so I am paraphrasing our exchange below.

What led to the creation of the Mixed-use/Mixed-income (MUMI) program?  

The MUMI program resulted from concerns expressed by VHDA stakeholders and partners about challenges many of our communities face, such as deteriorated urban communities, the lack of affordable housing options near places of employment, increased income segregation in residential areas, traffic congestion, and seniors and persons with disabilities being increasingly disconnected when they are unable to drive. The goal was to address these challenges through people living closer to the goods and services they need on a day to day basis, more efficient use of land and public infrastructure, pedestrian friendly neighborhoods, and encouraging reinvestment and revitalization in existing corridors.

VHDA determined that there was a need for a financing product for projects involving rental housing units and other uses important to the community (such as retail and cultural venues). Such projects typically supported local revitalization efforts, yet there are very few lenders in the marketplace interested in considering such properties as a single project (particularly the smaller projects) to provide long-term fixed-rate mortgage financing.