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:

  • Changing Face of Arlandria: Six-to-one vote approves redevelopment despite opposition., The Alexandria Gazette Packet, December 22, 2011
    (RECAP: Ignoring hours of testimony against a proposed redevelopment in Arlandria and casting aside repeated threats of retribution at the polls this November, a majority of City Council members voted to approve a sweeping new plan for Mount Vernon Village Center that would replace a 1940s-era strip mall with two six-story towers. Councilwoman Alicia Hughes offered the lone dissenting vote, suggesting that a work group be impaneled similar to the one created when council members faced a firestorm of opposition on the waterfront plan.)
  • Jane Helfrich appointed CEO of Richmond Habitat, Richmond Times Dispatch, November 14, 2011
    (RECAP : Jane V. Helfrich has been appointed CEO of Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity effective Dec. 1. )
  • Mark Warner: It's time to really fix housing, Augusta Free Press, November 9, 2011
    (RECAP : Recently, I attended a community meeting hosted by faith leaders in Northern Virginia's Prince William County that brought together more than 1,000 anxious homeowners and several leading mortgage lenders.)
  • Study: Housing burden rising in Lynchburg, Lynchburg News and Advance, November 05, 2011
    ( RECAP : Lynchburg housing remains generally affordable, but a growing number people are dealing with mortgages and rents they cannot reasonably support, according to a 2011 assessment. The assessment, commissioned by the city, said 34 percent of all households were spending an excessive percentage of their income on housing last year.)
  • Foothills Housing Coalition seeks Executive Director
    Foothills Housing Coalition (FHC) is seeking a dynamic new executive director for our non-profit affordable housing organization serving five Virginia counties – Fauquier, Rappahannock, Culpeper, Orange and Madison. Please follow this link to the official job posting: http://www.foothillshousing.org/executive-director-job-posted
  • Randolph C. Kendall Jr., who led the Richmond Urban League for three decades, dies
    Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 27, 2011
    (RECAP: For 29 years, Randolph C. Kendall Jr. led the Richmond Urban League, improving the lot of the poor and engaging the whole community in that endeavor. Mr. Kendall died of heart failure Monday at a Richmond-area hospital. He was 78. A funeral will be held Saturday at noon at Wesley Memorial Methodist Church in Mechanicsville, where he had long been a member and officer. Interment will follow at Oakwood Cemetery .)
  • Danville Partners with Rental Property Owners to Improve Energy Efficiency
    Chatham Star Tribune, Tuesday, October 18, 2011
    (RECAP: The city of Danville has launched a new service to help rental property owners reduce energy costs for tenants. Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the city will pay up to 50 percent of the cost for specified energy efficiency improvements (total work cost not to exceed $6,500). Low interest financing will be available to help owners with remaining costs. The service is available for housing units occupied by income-qualified residents.)
  • Community-minded woman to be honored by Lynchburg foundation
    Lynchburg News and Advance, October 14, 2011
    (RECAP: You might say Jane White has the fix-it gene. “When Jane says you've got to do something, you usually end up turning your attention to it and doing it,” said Laura Dupuy , executive director of the nonprofit Lynchburg Neighborhood Development Foundation . “She's quite amazing. To her, it's simple. If something's wrong, you need to fix it.”)
  • HUD and White House Convene Advocates to Push For HUD Budget and Project Rebuild
    NLIHC's Memo to Members, October 14, 2011
    (RECAP: On October 12, the White House and HUD convened dozens of housing and community development stakeholders from 28 states to discuss HUD's FY12 budget and the American Jobs Act. The participants heard from HUD Secretary Shaun Donavan and Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, as well as several other White House officials and HUD Assistant Secretaries.)
  • Notice Details Penalties for Obstructing Tenant Participation at Multifamily Housing
    NLIHC's Memo to Members, October 14, 2011
    (RECAP: HUD's Office of Multifamily Housing issued Notice 2011-29, presenting the penalties that may be enforced if owners or managers of HUD-assisted private multifamily housing violate the tenant participation requirements found at Part 245 of the regulations. These regulations pertain to tenants at properties assisted with Project-Based Section 8, Section 202, Section 811, and a variety of other older programs. Part 245 does not pertain to public housing or housing choice vouchers.)
  • NEW STUDY HIGHLIGHTS ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INVESTING IN A HOUSING TRUST FUND
    Housing continues to be drag on economy, but Investments can lead to robust economic growth through job creation & construction spending
    (RECAP: The Campaign for a Virginia Housing Trust Fund released a report detailing the economic impact that a Housing Trust Fund would have on Virginia at a breakfast meeting in Richmond on Thursday, September 8. The report was prepared by Chmura Economics and Analytics, a respected Richmond consulting firm that is a frequent economic analyst for state and local government in Virginia. The full report can be accessed at the Virginia Housing Trust Fund website: http://www.virginiahousingtrustfund.org.)
  • Out of Reach 2011: Housing Wage Continues to Rise: The National Low Income Housing Coalition released its annual Out of Reach report on May 2.
    NLIHC Memo to Members , May 6, 2011
    (RECAP: Out of Reach 2011 shows that the gap between what is typically earned by renter households and the income needed to afford a decent apartment continues to grow. This year, the national Housing Wage rose two cents to $18.46, while the average wage among renters fell dramatically to $13.52 from $14.44 in 2010. The Housing Wage is the hourly wage one must earn in order to be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the Fair Market Rent (FMR).)
  • 2011 Advocates' Guide to Housing & Community Development Policy Now Available!
    NLIHC Memo to Members , April 1, 2011
    (RECAP: The Advocates' Guide is here! The National Low Income Housing Coalition's 2011 Advocates' Guide to Housing and Community Development Policy provides advocates, policymakers, students, and others with information on the most relevant housing and housing-related programs and issues at the federal level, as well as information related to the community planning process. The Guide can help anyone become an effective housing advocate. To view the 2011 Advocates' Guide in PDF format, visit http://www.nlihc.org/doc/2011-Advocates-Guide.pdf)
  • Study Finds Decrease in Housing Affordability
    Although home values have continued to fall over the past few years, housing  affordability has significantly decreased for working owners and renters, according to an annual report released by the Center for Housing Policy, the research affiliate of the National Housing Conference.
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:

  • 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 2011 (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.)

Links:

Fact Sheets:

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