As we step into 2024, we are thrilled to announce a significant milestone: the merger of the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA) and the Alliance for Housing Solutions (AHS), effective January 1, 2024. The decision to merge stems from a shared commitment to better serve our community. Through this unification, we are able to leverage our combined knowledge, resources, and voices to make a substantial impact on our region’s affordable housing crisis. Collaboration has always been fundamental to our work, and this unification represents a natural evolution of our shared vision ..read more

This post was written by Jill Norcross, Executive Director.   Last month, NVAHA’s virtual Lunch and Learn series highlighted the Faces of Affordable Housing, featuring HAND’s Housing Indicator Tool (HIT). HAND, and their research partner, Urban Institute, developed this tool as a platform to track local jurisdictions’ housing production and preservation to help stakeholders create paths for removing obstacles to opportunity and supporting housing stability.  In order to better understand how rising housing costs affect our neighbor’s ability to live in this region, one component of t ..read more

This post was written by Jill Norcross, Executive Director.   It’s summertime, so this month’s NVAHA Lunch & Learn will be a bit sunnier, as we will hold a Virtual Bus Tour of recently opened affordable housing communities in Northern Virginia. By showcasing these beautifully designed buildings, we hope to demystify what new affordable housing looks like and how well these properties integrate into our existing neighborhoods. Today’s affordable housing looks and feels like a market-rate product, but for the complex financing, you would not know these are affordable homes. These p ..read more

This post was written by Jill Norcross, Executive Director. Last month, several Northern Virginia affordable housing experts had the opportunity to teach segments of the Affordable Housing Fundamentals course offered by the George Mason University’s Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship. As a part of the curriculum, the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA) was invited to speak about regional policies and funding sources, and I was able to share insights on the driving forces behind development in local jurisdictions. During our discussion, we emphasized the importance of two ..read more

This post was written by Hanna Metuda, Director of Policy and Programs. Northern Virginia has undergone a remarkable transformation, becoming a hub of economic activity that attracts businesses and job seekers from across the globe. While this growth has been advantageous, it has also presented significant challenges, particularly in terms of ensuring that everyone has access to jobs, transportation, and affordable housing in a region that has become increasingly segregated. As a prerequisite for receiving funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), an important  ..read more

Greetings to the NVAHA Action network. I am in the second week of my new role as Executive Director and excited about this opportunity to lead this organization into the next chapter to promote healthy, sustainable and equitable communities that meet the diverse housing needs of Northern Virginia residents. In the past two decades, NVAHA has made progress building awareness of the community benefits of developing and preserving affordable housing. Our local governments in Northern Virginia have responded with more robust housing policies and programs, and elected officials have incre ..read more

This post was written by Anna Janetos, Director of Policy and Programs. According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, “households consume 29% of global energy and consequently contribute to 21% of resultant CO2 emissions.” The built environment is a crucial sector for reducing carbon emissions that must be addressed. Smart housing policy is more than just an increase in supply and denser development around urban and transportation corridors. Good housing policy is also about building in a way that is congruent with this clean energy transition. The nexus between housing a ..read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed business operations in fundamental ways. In many industries, virtual interaction is now far more common than in-person interaction. Virtual workplaces do offer a variety of benefits, such as greater flexibility and time management, leading to better work-life balance. However, the lack of in-person interactions comes with the loss of certain experiences that many workers once enjoyed.  Younger professionals have been thrust into this virtual workplace world before they were able to properly experience the benefits of in-person workplaces. NVAHA recognizes ..read more

After 17 years as the founder and Executive Director of NVAHA, I plan to step down from the organization in December. It has been my great joy to work with such a dynamic and committed group of professionals who are so passionate about the work that we do. I will continue to be engaged in housing work in the region, but as Executive Director, I could not have asked for a more wonderful community of colleagues and friends. NVAHA began as a ‘start-up’ organization in 2004 – a loose collection of nonprofit developers and human service providers in Fairfax County – advocating for financial resour ..read more

In 2020, legal protections were put in place for tenants to help them remain housed during the pandemic. Now, over 2 years later, with a potential COVID surge, many of these protections are expiring. In 2021, the Virginia General Assembly modified the ‘pay or quit’ notices extending the mandatory waiting period from 5 days to 14 days after a landlord serves written notice to a tenant for nonpayment of rent and of the landlord’s intention to terminate the rental agreement if rent is not paid. HB 803 The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act which was introduced in the 2022 GA ..read more