Virginia Housing is VAPDC’s first “Commonwealth Sponsor.” Since its creation in 1972, Virginia Housing has helped Virginians attain quality, affordable housing through public-private partnerships with local and regional governments, community service organizations, lenders, realtors, developers, and many others. Virginia Housing provides mortgages for first-time homebuyers, financing for apartment communities and neighborhood revitalization efforts, free homebuyer classes, and support for housing counseling and for people with disabilities and the elderly to make their homes more livable. They also administer the federal Housing Choice Voucher and Housing Credit programs in Virginia. Virginia Housing is self-supporting and receives no state taxpayer dollars to fund its programs. Instead, it raises money in capital markets and contributes a significant portion of net revenues each year to help meet Virginia’s housing needs.



Virginia’s PDCs have a long-standing working relationship with Virginia Housing, most recently through the PDC Housing Development Program in which PDCs are receiving a total of $40 million from Virginia Housing to produce more about 2,300 affordable units. Thank you, Virginia Housing, for your work and support!

Website: https://www.virginiahousing.com/

VAPDC Winter Series: The VAPDC Winter Series has held two successful sessions in the opening weeks of 2025. In early January, a preview of the 2025 General Assembly session was held, examining the legislative process, highlighting the governor’s budget proposal, and reviewing anticipated legislative issues. The first week in February, Ryan Price with Virginia Realtors, spoke on Virginia’s economy and housing market, examining the economy, inflation, and the job market, as well as mortgage rate trends, housing market inventory and home sales and prices. More than 60 people attended this virtual event. The third and final session will be held March 5 and is titled, “Examining the Shift in Virginia’s Population Trends.” More information and registration details for the March 5 session are available here.

VRLI: The application period for the 2025 Virginia Rural Leadership Institute (VRLI) is open through the end of this month. This initiative of the Virginia Rural Center is the only program in the state dedicated to retaining and attracting rural Virginians. VRLI fosters the development of innovative, responsible, and civic-minded leaders who can strengthen regional communities. Through four comprehensive sessions, VRLI cohort members will gain essential leadership and economic development skills, empowering them to drive long-term economic growth in their communities and regions. The program also promotes enhanced cooperation, collaboration, and coordination across a diverse range of organizations and sectors.  Interested individuals can apply directly through this link. If you know someone who would be a great fit, you can refer them here. Applications are due by February 28th. For more details, visit cfrv.org/vrli or contact the Virginia Rural Center team at varuralleadership@cfrv.org. Additionally, the Rural Center will be holding a virtual "Lunch and Learn" information session about VRLI on February 20 from 12 noon to 1 pm. Email Chandler Vaughan, Program Coordinator and Facilitator at varuralleadership@cfrv.org to sign up for this virtual event and learn more about the program.

Affordable Housing: A new “Fundamentals of Affordable Housing” online course is now available through Virginia Housing’s Partner Education Center. The course is geared toward nonprofit and government agency staff and leadership who are thinking about becoming involved in housing development, less experienced staff of agencies who already do housing development, and anyone who just wants to know more about the topic. The course addresses questions such as what does affordable housing mean, how has it evolved, why is it important, why is subsidy required, and what is involved in developing it. The first four modules of the course are available now, with the remaining four to be released in Spring. To enroll, users should create an account at the Partner Portal, log in, and search for “Fundamentals of Affordable Housing.” Additional information is available from Matthew Bolster, Senior Strategic Housing Officer, at Matthew.Bolster@VirginiaHousing.com.