Virginia Housing Coalition

Virginia Housing Coalition Information Center

In striving to promote the development of housing that all Virginians can afford, the Virginia Housing Coalition also serves as a resource for information about housing issues facing Virginia and the nation. As this Information Center will be updated periodically, please check back frequently for the latest information.

Recent Items of Interest:

  • New National Campaign Created to Combat Loan Modification Scams, Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia , July 28
    (RECAP: The current economic climate has provided fertile ground for con artists who seek to take advantage of desperate and distressed homeowners. As a result, a coordinated national campaign, the Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network was created. The Lawyers' Committee is leading a large-scale mobilization of resources in a comprehensive campaign to enhance and support existing state and local efforts, increase scam reporting, educate homeowners, and work with law enforcement. Housing Opportunities Made Equal is hosting FREE training Monday, August 26 .)
  • House and Senate Make Progress on FY11 Appropriations, NLIHC's Memo to Members, July 23
    (RECAP: Congress had a productive week of appropriations work, with both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees passing FY11 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development spending bills. The Senate Appropriations Committee also marked up its Department of Agriculture bill, which includes funding for rural housing programs.) 
  • More than 40 Percent Leave Obama's Mortgage Aid Program, Richmond Times Dispatch, July 20
    (RECAP: The number of people dropping out of the Obama administration's program main program to help those at risk of losing their homes outstripped those who received aid for the second consecutive month.)
  • HUD Publishes Four New Multifamily Portfolio Datasets, NLIHC's Memo to Members, July 16
    (RECAP: Advocates interested in the preservation of affordable rental housing have a few new resources available to them. HUD posted four new datasets to its website on July 9, two of which provide information about the status of Section 8 contract renewals. Such data are critical to those working to preserve privately owned subsidized housing because it allows them to track whether an owner plans on opting out of the Section 8 contract, an action that could lead to the loss of affordability at the property.)
  • NLIHC 2010 Advocates' Guide Available for Order, NLIHC's Memo to Members, July 16
    (RECAP: NLIHC's 2010 Advocates' Guide to Housing and Community Development is now online and available for purchase in book form. The Guide contains updated chapters on 70 housing and housing-related programs and issues, from the National Housing Trust Fund and the Housing Choice Voucher program to the mortgage interest deduction and the Federal Housing Admin istration )
  • Obama Admin istration Backs Private Twist to Public Housing, Washington Post, July 14
    (RECAP: The Obama administration has set off a pitched debate among housing officials and advocates by promoting far-reaching legislation to overhaul the way the nation's 2,400 public housing authorities operate, with potentially major ramifications for their 2.3 million residents. At the heart of the bill is a bold proposal to encourage housing authorities to rely more heavily on private financing to pay for their $30 billion in renovation needs.)
  • Scholarships for Nonprofits Available to Governor's Housing Conference
    (RECAP: The Governor's Housing Conference connects Virginia 's affordable housing providers with funders, lenders, realtors, nonprofits, public officials and resources to improve housing in Virginia 's communities. The sponsors of this year's Governor's Housing Conference have set aside funds to be used as scholarships for nonprofit organizations. This scholarship allows one representative from each nonprofit organization chosen to attend. Applications are due by August 18 th .)
Click here for the complete current issue of News Clips, a summary of recent articles regarding affordable housing in the Virginia and national media with links to the full text of each article, as well as links to previous issues.

Research:

Current Issues:

  • VHDA's 2009 Low Income Tax Credit Housing Program Final Rankings (VHDA's final rankings of applications for low income housing tac redits, released Wednesday, August 5, 2009)
  • Paycheck to Paycheck: Wages and the Cost of Housing in America (The Center for Housing Policy, a research affiliate of the National Housing Conference, recently released a new study called "Paycheck to Paycheck: Wages and the Cost of Housing in America ." The study, funded by Freddie Mac, looks at fundamental changes in the homeownership and rental markets from 2007 to 2008.)
  • Out of Reach 2009 (The NLIHC's annual Out of Reach report provides data for every state, every metropolitan area and county in the country showing how much a household must earn to afford a modest market-rate rental home. The report also provides local wage and income data for comparison purposes.)
  • 2009 Legislative Report Card (view the results of the Coalition's legislative efforts before the 2009 General Assembly session)

Links:

Fact Sheets:

Middle-class Virfinians can't afford the American dream. That's a problem Virginia can't afford to ignore.